“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” Luke 1:45

Prayers for His Holiness, Pope Francis 

Undoubtedly you have heard that our Pontiff is currently unwell and in hospital in Rome. I would encourage you all to take a moment to pray for Pope Francis at this time of need. Speak with your children about his role in our Church and involve them in the prayers too.

Commitment Masses - Reconciliation

On Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 February, students, families, staff and parishioners gathered at St Bernard’s Church to witness the commitment of our candidates for Reconciliation for 2025.

Father Rex Curry led a family and parish focused service, where the families were presented to the parish. Father Curry then led the students through their commitment rite, inviting all present to walk the journey with the students. In all honesty, it was family orientated with Father Curry making each child feel welcome and at ease.

The Homily offered by Father Curry was well thought out, and it offered each of us present at Mass something to contemplate. His challenge to consider why we as Catholics choose not to go to church and how the church can also contemplate this was a testament to his open and connected approach to ministry in our Parish. 

So I guess what I took away from this was: how can we as Catholics start the conversation amongst ourselves about what is holding us back? Why don’t we go to church and how can we work with the likes of Father Rex to bridge the gap and start to build a guiding dialogue?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Whole School Christian Meditation

We continue to improve our whole school practice in Christian Meditation.

Pope Francis (April 2021) stated that everyone could benefit from Christian Meditation, he went on to say that our lives are busy and there is limited time to stop and find time to connect with God. If you would like to hear his words, please see the QR code below.

If you are visiting the school on a Friday, you may hear this announcement. We simply ask that you pause for the time in between the chimes.

You may see the below notice around to remind you that we are pausing as a school to open our minds and hearts to the presence of the Lord. We invite you to stop and join us.

We are all busy, but pausing to start the day has been reported by staff and students to make a big difference to our morning routines here at St Bernard’s Primary School. I know that Mrs Hadley recently attended Christian Meditation with Kindergarten and she said she was impressed with the participation and authenticity of her experience in the classroom. Well done Kindergarten on leading the way!

Student Ministry in Action: CSYMA

This week, our Year 6 students will travel to Carroll College to attend a leadership retreat which will be hosted by Mrs Belle Barling and the CSYMA students at the college. This day is designed to provide students with opportunities to explore leadership through a Catholic lens.

The students spend the day learning about what we need in life for our journey with Jesus. Using the symbolism of a backpack, students learn that on a journey they need to bring many items with them to explore different obstacles and enjoy different opportunities. This is the same as we explore and deepen our relationship with Jesus through prayer, reflection and building relationships with others.  

In addition to this, we are providing organic opportunities for students in Year 6 at St Bernard’s Primary School to put ministry into practice through leading prayer, Christian Meditation and to drive our ‘Begin With The Heart’ values system.

Lent Lead by Mini Vinnies

Thirty-seven (37) students have taken on the call to be involved in our Mini Vinnies Group for 2025.Outstanding!

Lent started this week, and as such we will participate in Caritas Australia's Project Compassion to Unite Against Poverty and take action to make a lasting difference. Donation boxes will come home with the eldest in the family this week. We thank you in advance for your charity and support.

We celebrated Shrove Tuesday this week with a Pancake Fundraiser. All funds raised will go towards our contributions to Project Compassion. We will be sure to keep you updated about funds raised by the school. 

Ash Wednesday 

Also on Wednesday, we launched our Forty Items Challenge to staff. Watch this space for the weird and wonderful things staff place into their charity bags.

In addition, Mr Maynard and I have joined ‘The Long Walk for Water’: A new self-defined 40-day walking challenge. We’ve started a team page for our staff, and we hope that we can make a small difference through this action to our own wellbeing and to the Caritas initiative. We’re already at $176.00. Go team!

Beck Keough

Religious Education Coordinator