First Holy Communion – St Patrick’s Parish Port Kembla
A gentle reminder that enrolment forms for eligible First Holy Communion candidates will be given out at Mass at Holy Family Windang on Saturday September 16 at 5pm, and at St Patrick’s Catholic Parish Mass on Sunday September 17 at 9am. The parent information session will then be held on Thursday September 21 at 7pm in the Parish Office.
If you have any enquiries about the First Holy Communion program, please contact the Parish Office.

Spiritual Reflection -Season of Creation

Let justice roll on like a river,  

righteousness like a never-failing stream!

Amos 5: 24

These words from the prophet Amos call to us as we begin the Season of Creation, a time when Christians around the world, from across denominations, commit the month of September as a season to celebrate God’s beautiful Earth and renew our shared commitment to preserving and restoring that beauty. 
The season begins on 1 September, the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, and ends on 4 October, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. 
This year we come together for this season at a time of extreme temperatures, where we have witnessed flooding and blazing fires across the Northern Hemisphere and the month of July has been marked as the world's hottest month on record. These extreme records have coincided with Antarctic sea ice dropping to a record winter low, a record that has scientists deeply concerned and has led António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, to state that we are seeing the era of global warming ending and the era of global boiling arrive. For us in Australia, it is highly likely that we too may experience another black summer bushfire season which is both confronting and frightening.
As we hold the deep grief and lament of witnessing these climate ‘milestones’ we know our collective calls for urgent action are more important than ever. In his Message for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation 2023, Pope Francis reminds us that, We can and we must prevent the worst from happening. Truly, much can be done provided we come together like so many streams, brooks and rivulets, merging finally in a mighty river to irrigate the life of our marvellous planet and our human family for generations to come. So let us join hands and take bold steps to Let Justice and Peace Flow throughout our world. During this Season of Creation we are invited to join the river of justice and peace on behalf of all Creation and to converge our individual identities in this greater movement for justice, just like tributaries come together to form a mighty river. As the people of God, we must work together on behalf of all Creation, as part of that mighty river of peace and justice creating hope instead of
despair. May we be people of action and of prayer…
Excerpt from 2023 Season of Creation Prayer
Open our hearts to receive the living waters of God’s justice and peace, and to share it with our suffering brothers and sisters, all creatures around us, and all creation.
Bless us to walk together with all people of good will so that the many streams of the living waters of God’s justice and peace may become a mighty river all over the Earth.
In the name of the One who came to proclaim good news to all creation, Jesus Christ.

Amen

Kind regards,
Mr Sam Mattas
Religious Education Coordinator