LET US PRAY
THE JUBILEE PRAYER
Father in heaven, may the faith you have given us in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother, and the flame of charity enkindled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, reawaken in us the blessed hope for the coming of your Kingdom. May your grace transform us into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel. May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos in the sure expectation of a new heaven and a new earth, when, with the powers of Evil vanquished, your glory will shine eternally. May the grace of the Jubilee reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope, a yearning for the treasures of heaven. May that same grace spread the joy and peace of our Redeemer throughout the earth. To you our God, eternally blessed, be glory and praise for ever. Amen Pope Francis
BEGINNING OF THE YEAR MASS
Earlier this week we celebrated our beginning of the Year mass which was led by Fr Sam as Fr Ananda was unwell. We gathered to pray for God’s blessing on our year. During the liturgy we incorporated our new theme – Make a difference…..Anchored in Hope. This theme complements the Year of Jubilee as proclaimed by Pope Francis and its motto Pilgrims of Hope. A representative from each class, a staff member , parish and parent presented their decorated anchor. A special book was blessed with the names of every student, staff and family name belonging to St Augustine’s. This book has been placed in our school foyer. Our first reading came from Hebrews where we heard that hope is like an anchor for us. It is like an anchor that keeps a ship safe. It is strong and sure and keeps us safe. Our gospel was the story of blind Bartimaeus. This was chosen to reflect on when we place our hope in Christ, it does not disappoint. Bartimaeus placed his hope in Christ and had his sight restored. At St Augustine’s there will always be someone to give us hope and for us to give hope to. When we are Anchored in hope we see love, faith, respect, kindness, thoughtfulness forgiveness, truth, peace, care, prayer, life, strength, prayer, happiness, goodness, purpose, God’s love and so, so more. The symbol of the anchor represents hope. Jesus is our hope, and we too can be this hope to each other and also receive hope especially when we most need it. It was a joyous celebration.
A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Hebrews 6:19-20
God wanted to show very clearly that he would never change his purpose. He wanted his people to know that he would certainly bless them. So when he made this promise, he also used his own name to make it strong. Those two things can never change. God cannot tell a lie. As a result, we can be brave and strong. We have trusted God to keep us safe with him. We should also expect to receive the good things that he has promised to give us. So these two things are a great help to us who have come to God for safety. They encourage us to hold on to the hope that is ours. This hope is like an anchor for us. It is like an anchor that keeps a ship safe. It is strong and sure and keeps us safe.
The Word of the Lord.
Reminder Ash Wednesday Prayer celebration – The beginning of Lent
Ash Wednesday Prayer Service will be celebrated on Wednesday 5th March at 12.15 in Cooinda. Please join us as we begin the season of Lent and the journey to Easter.
Reminder Confirmation Workshop for Parents and children
The Confirmation workshop will be held on school premises in Cooinda on Thursday 6th March at 6.00pm. It will be facilitated by our guest speaker Sarah Smith. Drawing upon her skills as a presenter and educator Sarah will present a workshop to support the preparation of the sacrament. Her presentation will involve prayer, in depth background to the sacrament and conversation. It is designed for parents and children and is a compulsory component of the Sacramental Program.
