Dear Parents and Carers,

Last evening many of our young parish members including some of our Year 6 students were presented to Bishop Brian as candidates for the Sacrament of Confirmation. The sacrament of Confirmation is the final step of initiation into the Catholic faith and for the candidates it is a very public reaffirmation of the promises originally made by their parents and godparents, on their behalf at Baptism. A powerful ritual in the Confirmation liturgy is the anointing by the bishop with the oil of Chrism. The early Christians made sure, then, that whenever they brought people into the Church, they would baptize them with water and then anoint them with oil. Why oil? Oil had been used in the Old Testaments to anoint priests, prophets, and kings. The early Christians realized that their community was “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9). Each new member was anointed with oil after being baptised with water.

The anointing of the candidate at Confirmation is a sign of confirming the gift of the Spirit, and a calling to become involved in the life and mission of the community. The words ‘Christ’ and ‘Messiah’ mean ‘anointed one’. The ritual of anointing with the perfumed oil of Chrism also symbolises being sealed, marked and identified by the Holy Spirit. We are anointed to be Christ for each other, and to be Christ in the world.

Saint Teresa of Avila captures the concept beautifully in her reflection:

You are Christ’s hands. Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which He is to look out on the world with compassion; yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good; yours are the hands with which He is to bless people now.

As we remember our students who have now become fully initiated members of the Church, it may also be an opportune time to reflect on our own personal faith journey and our effectiveness in our role as parents, the first teachers of our child’s faith. The celebration of Confirmation within our community is an invitation to each one of us to reflect on the Baptismal promises first made on our behalf by our parents and godparents when we too, were baptised. This process invites us into a deeper way of relating to God, to Jesus and to one another, and to becoming more actively involved in the life of the community through the on-going presence of the Holy Spirit. 

The further backward you will look, the further forward you will see.

If we are to provide our children with a future faith, we must create a present one on which to build. 

The Sacrament of Confirmation speaks of the need to bring the blessings of the gifts of the Holy Spirit to life. Mary Immaculate is a school community not only filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but abundantly blessed by the generous sharing of these gifts. This can be witnessed on a daily basis. Thank you to all the staff who support the faith journey of each of our students each and every day.

The Confirmation candidates and their parents have been assisted in their preparation for Confirmation through the commitment of the Parish Sacramental team led by Mrs Sheldrick and Mary Immaculate staff including Mrs Mortimer, Mrs Walker and Ms Voda who gave generously of their time to facilitate the workshops. On behalf of the candidates I thank each of them for their readiness to live out their faith commitment.  

Our workshop facilitators have done a tremendous job with the Confirmation candidates, but it does not stop there.

The preparation and formal occasion of the sacrament are only the beginning. Confirmation is the acceptance of Jesus’ call to us to be living evidence of Christ in our world today. This is not an easy task for an eleven or twelve year old. In fact, it is not an easy task for adults to make such a commitment to their faith. This is the very reason why we, as the adults, need to support, nurture and guide our children in understanding the commitment they have made.

As parents what can we do to continue to guide and nurture the living witness of Jesus within our children? As a start, we could commit to living with an attitude to make Christ our way and life and strive to bring our gifts of the spirit to life within our community. We could be open to recognise the times when the ‘Spirit’ invites us to reach out or respond to the needs of another. May we be challenged in the week ahead to make space for the spirit to work in and through us. In doing so, may we also confirm our place as the first teachers of faith for our children. 

Tina Murray

Principal

R U OK? Day (Thursday 8 September 2022) is our national day of action dedicated to reminding everyone that any day is the day to ask, “Are you OK?” and support those struggling with life. R U OK? Day is a reminder that every day is a day to empower people to meaningfully connect, start a conversation, and lend support.

The theme this year is 'Are they really OK? Ask them today.' 

Life's ups and downs happen to all of us. So, chances are someone you know might be struggling.

Your genuine support can make a difference whatever they are facing, big or small. 

So, don’t wait until someone’s is visibly distressed or in crisis. Make a moment meaningful and ask them how they’re really going. Resources are available to assist in engaging in supportive conversations.  https://www.ruok.org.au