Dear Parents and Carers,

This coming weekend is one of special significance for our school and our parish community as many of our students will take the next step in their Catholic initiation. This celebration of receiving the Sacrament of the Eucharist for the very first time, brings many blessings to our community. It is also a sign of great hope that our 2000+year faith continues to be handed down from one generation to the next. It is a great privilege to witness the love and support parents provide to their children on a daily basis, through the day-to-day life of our school. This will be reinforced as parents proudly present their children for the sacrament of Holy Communion on the weekend. At Baptism, many of the children would have been babies and would have been carried by their parents. Now a few years later they are able to walk independently towards their next sacramental milestone. As parents, each time our child takes another step in their faith journey we are certainly proud, but we are also challenged to remember the enormous responsibility of our role as the first educators of the faith. Just as we have a responsibility to nourish our children’s bodies through a healthy diet, so we must also nourish their faith by providing opportunities to practice the rituals and actions in the context of our parish community on a regular basis. As the old saying goes, “You are what we eat.” This might be the case for our bodies, but it is also certainly true for our spiritual life. If we are what we eat, then what is currently feeding our spiritual life and that of our children?

When Jesus celebrated his last supper with his disciples he asked them to “Do this in memory of me.” Regularly celebrating mass within a community of faith and being nourished spiritually by the Eucharist is certainly the source and summit of our faith. But what else did Jesus mean when he said “Do this in memory of me?” Each weekend, we commit ourselves to remembering the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made for us. Jesus gave the gift of Himself and we share in the gift of His body and blood through receiving the Eucharist.

We continue to pray for the children who will receive the sacrament of Holy Communion over the coming weekend. We also pray for all children, that they may have the opportunity to continue to grow in their faith supported by their families, the parish and school community.  We thank those members of our school and parish communities who have helped to prepare the students for this important next step on their journey of faith.                

I am sure that many of our parents and grandparents can recall their First Holy Communion Day and the great significance that this day holds. May receiving the Blessed Sacrament be a time where the children come to know Jesus in a very special way.

As a school community, we have been indeed blessed to have the loving pastoral support, guidance and prayers provided by Sr Laureen Dixon rsc over the past five years. Sr Laureen has been asked to move to Melbourne, where she will lead as a trustee of the Mary Aikenhead Ministries. This is a great acknowledgement of her wonderful leadership capacity.

I am sure that many parents and students will miss her warm welcoming presence at St John’s. During her time at St John’s, Sr Laureen has been a source of pastoral support and comfort to many students, families and staff members. She has the ability to listen with the ear of her heart and reach out in compassion and charity to support others in need. We will certainly miss her presence at St John’s.

At the end of the term, on Friday 5^th July, we will gather as a school community to celebrate Mass and offer our prayers of thanksgiving for the contribution of Sr Laureen to the community of St John’s.

Parents are most welcome to join us at this Mass to pass on your personal thanks.

Mrs Jane Webb
Acting Principal