This year Ash Wednesday occured on Wednesday 5 March 

Ash Wednesday marks the start of Lent, the church season for fasting and prayer. It lasts for 40 days. It prepares us for Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday. We wear ashes on our forehead to remind us that God made us from dust, and to dust we will return.

Lent is symbolised by the colour purple. Purple represents a time of waiting. We are waiting for Jesus’ death on Good Friday and resurrection on Easter Sunday. 

Lent is a time of repentance. Before Easter, we must prepare our hearts for Jesus’ Resurrection. We make sacrifices and try to improve our lives to become more like Jesus. We can prepare for this by:

• Prayer
• Fasting (giving up something)
• Almsgiving (donating, helping others in need)

On Ash Wednesday we receive ashes on our foreheads in the Sign of the Cross. These ashes come from the leftover blessed palms from last years Palm Sunday that have been burned.

Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 observed Fr Mark and Sr Miriam prepare the ashes for Ash Wednesday mass. 

First Fr Mark and Sr Miriam burned the palm leaves and olive branches. The children were surprised with how much smoke it created.

The next day, once the ashes had cooled. The children helped to sift the ashes.

ASH WEDNESDAY

Mission Star

In Week 5, Miss Dowsett was the recipient of the first Mission Star Award for the year.

As a disciple of Christ, Miss Dowsett is a living example of our school’s mission. To live by following the examples and teachings of Jesus and to love as Christ taught us. By loving God, our neighbours, ourselves and all of Creation.

Miss Dowsett demonstrates our school values of Compassion, Hope and Inclusivity.

Miss Dowsett is described as someone who:

• Shows our school value of compassion through her kindness and helping students in her class
• Inspires hope and brings joy with her positivity and enthusiasm
• Shows our school value of inclusivity by fostering a learning environment where all students feel valued, respected, and supported

We congratulate Miss Dowsett on this special achievement. Her compassion shown to the children is appreciated and recognised.

Spiritual Reflection - Love One Another

“Love one another as I have loved you.” John 13:34

This week we hear about the importance of showing compassion, forgiveness and love to others in our everyday lives, so that we are living like Jesus. We are reminded in Luke’s Gospel to love others (even those who hurt us) like Jesus loved which is often hard for us to comprehend. This is an opportunity and an invitation to grow as we need to continually extend ourselves to love like Jesus.

By actively choosing to show mercy to others, our hearts become open and are changed so that we can feel and make known to others God's unconditional love for us.

Forgiving those who hurt us is not always easy and can take time. We need to remember that God knows us and loves each of us unconditionally, even when our words and actions may cause us to stray. God will always forgive us and invite us back. We need to draw on God’s unconditional love to help us forgive others unconditionally.

Not only do we need to forgive others but we also need to forgive ourselves. Holding onto negativity can cause us to judge others and make incorrect assumptions about them. In the words of Ted Lasso, we need to ‘be curious, not judgemental.’ We need to show compassion to others and ourselves so that we can become a light to others by reflecting the goodness of God in the world around us.

Reflection Questions:

How do I show compassion to others and myself?

What assumptions do I make about others?

Why is forgiveness important for my own peace and wellbeing?

Kind regards

Miss Casey Figueira and Mrs Olivia Cudina
Acting Religious Coordinators