We are beginning to collect donations for the 2023 St Vincent de Paul Winter appeal. We are asking families to please consider donating canned soup, packet soup and packets of breakfast cereal this year. If you have a larger donation and need help bringing these into the school, please drop them off to the school office. Otherwise, children can place these donations near the prayer table in the breakout space.
Furthermore, we are also having a ‘Onesie and Pyjama Day’ on Tuesday of Week 8, June 13. Each child is encouraged to come to school dressed in their snuggly pyjamas or a onesie, and to please bring in a gold coin donation. All money raised will go towards the St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal 2023.
Many thanks for your support.

Confirmation – Year 6 Students

A number of Year 6 children are continuing their preparations for Confirmation both at St Patrick’s and also at Immaculate Conception Catholic Parish, Unanderra. Please remember to keep these girls and boys in your prayers during this most special and sacred time in their journey as Catholics.
Confirmation will be held in our Parish this Sunday June 4 at 9am, and for a number of children at Immaculate Conception Catholic Parish Unanderra on Thursday June 8 at either 5pm or 7pm. All community members are welcome and encouraged to attend.

This week is National Reconciliation Week. The staff of St Patrick’s viewed these two short clips as part of a prayer for Sorry Day last week and I would encourage you all to watch these:

Australia celebrates each year National Reconciliation Week from 27th May to 3rd June. It is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. Reconciliation Week follows National Sorry Day which is the 26 May. This is the day when we remember the loss experienced by children who were taken from their mothers to places away from their country and culture - to places away from their family. We lament and we say “sorry”. 2023 is an important year for the reconciliation movement, and this year’s theme, ‘Be a Voice for
Generations’, urges all Australians to use their power, their words and their vote to create a better, more just Australia for all of us. The 2023 theme calls on all Australians to act today to tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation.
1. Reconciliation is all about building a better nation.
2. A more united Australia that respects and takes pride in 65,000 years of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories, stories and achievements.
3. An Australia that believes in the right of First Nations peoples to make decisions  about their lives and their communities.
4. An Australia that stands opposed to racism and injustice.

To be a voice for reconciliation today means the start of real change tomorrow. It means magnifying the calls of past generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples that have fought hard and paved the way. And it means using your power, your words and your vote to create a better, more just Australia for all of us.
Almighty and loving God, You who created ALL people in your image, lead us to seek your compassion as we listen to the stories of the violence in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories. You gave your only Son, Jesus, who died and rose again so that sin is forgiven. We place before you the pain and anguish of dispossession of land, language, lore, culture and family kinship that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have experienced. We live in faith that all people
will rise from the depths of despair and hopelessness, and in particular Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families who have endured the pain and loss of loved ones, through the separation of children and their families. Touch the hearts of the broken, homeless and inflicted and heal their spirits. In your mercy and compassion walk with us as we continue our journey of healing to create a future that is just and equitable. Lord you are our hope.
Amen

All the best,
Mr Sam Mattas
Religious Education Coordinator