Journeying Together and Mission - invitation to be an instrument of HOPE and MERCY 

By now you would have received information and coin boxes regarding our Term 1 fundraiser Project Compassion. Each year we support Caritas Australia, during our Lenten season, helping them help vulnerable people around the world, now and ‘For All Future Generations.’ Project Compassion 2023 is a timely reminder of our commitment to our mercy mission and our school’s mercy charism knowing that the good we do today will extend and impact the lives of so many now and of generations to come.  

Through various community development programs, run by Caritas Australia, many are taught techniques / strategies, especially around farming through learnt conversation, to grow drought-resistant crops. Using the funds from the crops’ harvest, several start other farming initiatives, such as housing chickens and hens, selling eggs to earn an income to support themselves, their family and broader community. 

Each year, spanning across the six weeks of Lent, Project Compassion brings thousands of Australian schools, parishes, and supporters together to raise funds for people living in some of the most vulnerable communities across the world. Your generous support can help change lives today - and For All Future Generations. Thank you. 

Many Year 6 students expressed an interest in becoming a Mercy Leader which involves providing and developing leadership opportunities which are truly transferable in many facets of the student’s life. Leadership is a skill for life, and our school is committed to ensure our students have regular opportunities to be involved and strengthen their leadership skills. 

Please keep our Mercy Leaders in your prayers as they embark on their Mercy Leadership journey, being the light, hope and mercy of their school and broader community - You are the light of the world. These words urge all of us, no more than that, command us to be light, the light of Christ, and let it shine through us into the world and the people around us. To our Mercy Leaders, we believe Jesus is saying - you have the love of God, you have hope and faith in Christ, and you have the encouragement of your school and family members, let others see it in your mercy and compassion, justice and courage and forgiveness. You have the light of Christ within you, let that light shine through in everything you say and do. Very bluntly Paul says to the Ephesians,  

“You are full of light from the Lord, and your behaviour should show it!” (Eph 5:8). 

Please join me in congratulating the following Year 6 students who won a Mercy Leadership position: Ella-Grace, Matthew, Aubrey-Rose, Maya, Kai, Kasey, Ella, Hadassah, Saxon, and Matilda. Catherine McAuley once said, “We must strive to do ordinary things extraordinarily well.” Over the year, these ten Mercy Leaders will be involved in fundraising events, Monday Morning Prayer, Liturgies, Small Mercies days, and much, much more. Well done to you all. 

The Elizabeth Parish Sacramental Program starts this Term further promoting the Gospel as the ‘living word’ in our schools and parish faith communities. The Sacramental Program prepares enrolled candidates for the Sacraments of Eucharist, Reconciliation and Confirmation in partnership with school APRIMs, their classroom teachers, parents, and families. Adults are also able to begin and/or continue their sacramental journey through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) Program. Please visit  https://www.ofw-adelaide.org.au/rcia-becoming-catholic.html for more information. 

This year’s Sacramental Program will be conducted at St Ann’s Church (Midway Road) and St Thomas More Church (Laverstock Road) with a central focus on the human experience and its relevance to the Gospel teachings and reverence to the Catholic faith tradition. Contemporary learning and teaching approaches are used to deliver an interactive and engaging Sacramental Program. 

Parents and Godparents are urged to attend all relevant Sacramental meetings, workshops, and evening celebrations and rehearsals to enhance the faith experience of the Sacramental Program. More information will be shared at the first meeting. 

Please read the letter below if you are considering the 2023 Sacramental Program for your child. Please direct queries to either myself or Edna at the Parish Office. 

Lord, 

As daylight fills the sky, fill us with your holy light. May our lives mirror our love for you whose wisdom has brought us into being, and whose care guides us on our way. Touch me, O Lord, and fill me with your light and your hope. Give me strength when I am weak, love when I feel forsaken, courage when I am afraid, wisdom when I feel foolish, comfort when I am alone, hope when I feel rejected, and peace when I am in turmoil. Amen. 

Mrs Caldinez 

APRIM