Liturgical Year

The Liturgical Year, also known as the Church Year or Calendar.

It consists of the cycle that determines when different Seasons of the Church, holy days, feast days, including celebration of Saints, are observed, and which portions of Scripture are to be read either in an annual cycle or in a cycle of several years at Mass for the Gospel and other readings.
Aside from the readings, the Liturgical Calendar also determines the interior decoration of a Church, the Priest's vestment colours (distinct liturgical colours are used in connection with different Seasons), the timing of spiritual seasons and practices such as Lent, and much more.
The Year is divided into seven main parts. The shortest but most holy being the Sacred Pascal Triduum. (The three days leading up to Easter.)
The Churches year starts with Advent in November or December and ends the following November or December with the Feast of Christ the King.

Lent & Easter

During Lent we try to become better friends with Jesus by praying, fasting and giving alms.  Fr Nixon came in to celebrate a special Ash Wednesday Mass.  We all made promises to Jesus: what we will give up, pray for and raise funds for. 

We all joined together for our Stations of the Cross service.  We remembered Jesus' last days and we prayed.

May - The Ascension & Pentecost

We believe that after Jesus rose from the dead, he did not die a second time. Instead, 40 days after his resurrection Jesus left the Earth by being taken up, body and soul, to Heaven to re-join God the Father. This event is called the ascension , and it was witnessed by Jesus' eleven remaining apostles .

Pentecost is a moveable feast, that is, the date is not fixed. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks.

May - The month of Our Lady

We remember Mary, the Mother of God during May. We thank her for saying 'yes' to God, and pray that like her we are a school family who says 'yes' to God's calling. At lunchtimes we invite everyone to say a decade of the Rosary throughout the month of May.  Assemblies and Masses are also dedicated to Mary, along with prayers in class.  

May - First Holy Communion

Sacramental preparation is conducted within the Parish.  Once the children have made their First Holy Communion a special Mass is celebrated in school so that we can join with the children in the first time that they have communion in school.

October - The month of the rosary

By tradition, the Catholic Church dedicates each month of the year to a certain devotion. The month of October is dedicated to the holy Rosary as the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary falls on October 7th. The best way to celebrate the month is, of course, to pray the Rosary. 

The Rosary draws its mysteries from the New Testament and is centered on the great events of the Incarnation and Redemption with each decade referring to an event in the life of Jesus and Mary. The Mysteries of the Rosary give us “thumbnails” of the life of Christ and his Mother.

• The Joyful Mysteries are taken mostly from Saint Luke’s Gospel in the New Testament. They involve the joyful events of Jesus’ childhood.
• The Luminous Mysteries bring a deeper understanding to the public life of Jesus. They fill in the blanks between the childhood of Jesus and His suffering and death on the cross.
• The Sorrowful Mysteries remind us of how much Jesus loves us. They recall how He suffered and died just for us.
• The Glorious Mysteries tell us what happened after Jesus died-His Resurrection, the descent of the Holy Spirit and the love Jesus had for his Mother.

November

November is the month that we remember all our loved ones who have died.  As a school we learn about remembrance and we have a special remember display, where children can leave prayers for their loved ones.  We pray for those who are no longer with us, and thank God for their presence in  the world.  

Advent

We use Advent to prepare our hearts and minds for the birth of Jesus.  Just as Mary and Joseph journeyed so do we.

Year 6 Retreat

The children went to our parish church for a retreat day this week. It was filled with reflection, mindfullness and an understanding that God is forever at the centre of our lives and is always ready to listen to us.

The children started the day with reflection, then a scavenger hunt in the church. This was followed by various craft and prayer activities. Then they had lunch. After lunch the children prepared for mass by writing their own bidding prayers, learning how to alter serve, flower arranging and signing a hymn. The mass was beautiful.

The children were so very well behaved and this was commented on by all the helpers at the church that day. 

Well done!