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Dear Parents and Caregivers,
On Sunday I had the pleasure of attending, with our school leaders, the annual Catholic Club Communion Mass at St John the Evangelist. The gospel presented three additional Kingdom parables from Matthew 13:44-52: the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, and the fishing net. These descriptions concluded a series of parables presented by Jesus related to important truths about God’s Kingdom.
Jesus demonstrated the Kingdom as he healed the blind, the lame, the deaf, and liberated those who were imprisoned by the structures of the time. Jesus showed the Kingdom when he proclaimed hope for the poor, comforted for the grieving and forgave the broken. God’s Kingdom was described as one that made all things new and restored the world to its intended condition. This Kingdom was described as one founded on right relationships that were lived out with each other and with all of creation.
Jesus pleaded with people to not settle for being merely religious. The Kingdom of Heaven calls us to re-allocate our energy and realign our priorities. We are called to embrace a genuine and life-changing relationship with God and in doing so a way of daily living that embraces the value of this treasure.
As followers we are called to confidently, boldly, and urgently, proclaim and continue to seek the Kingdom. We need to reframe the notion that the Kingdom of Heaven is merely about where we go when we die. Instead, it is our duty to live the Kingdom of Heaven in the here and now. In doing so we can be examples who invite others to discover the beauty of the treasure of the kingdom for themselves.
When reflecting on these parables Richard Rohr explained “We have been raised to orient our lives and worldview around progress and goals. And so, we are loaded with expectation from the word go, if we cannot measure our output, we often are left puzzled about how things are going in our lives.”
The Kingdom Jesus described creates a new world order, a new reality for us to follow him into. He revealed where true power lies and points us in the direction of where we can find it. The treasure of this Kingdom is within, it is often hidden, and when it is believed, it is revealed in us and in the world. Love is the most powerful force in the universe, it is even stronger than the grave. Our Scriptures tell us; it’s the mustard seed, the yeast in the bread, the treasure in the field, the pearl and the big fish.
Even in the midst of our chaotic modern world, evidence of the Kingdom of God, can be found. It is anywhere that love rules in such a way as to promote gentleness, kindness, compassion, patience, virtue, forgiveness, honesty, as these are the fruits of love and God is love. The kingdom often happens in the most insignificant places, in the family home, in the shopping queue, in the traffic jam, on the sporting field, in the workplace and on the playground. Our individual lives are always a mixture of weeds and wheat. The kingdom is always at work as long as we are willing to let go of control and let God work in and through us. Ultimately, this blesses the individual but also the family and community to which they belong.
We are challenged each day to ponder the following for ourselves. If you were to write your own story about what the Kingdom of God is like, what would it be?
Tina Murray
Principal
ANNUAL CATHOLIC CLUB COMMUNION MASS
Thank you to our School Leaders, Hannah and Noah who gave up part of their Sunday to act as our student representatives at the Annual Catholic Club Communion Mass celebrated at St John the Evangelist, Campbelltown We are very grateful to Hannah and Noah’s parents for making their attendance at this important event possible.
Much gratitude is extended to the Campbelltown Catholic Club for their generous and ongoing financial support of Catholic Education in the Macarthur.
In 2023, the Catholic Club’s total donations towards financial support of Catholic Education, Sport and Culture within the Macarthur area was $1,516,549. Since the inception of the Catholic Club 57 years ago, total donations made exceed a staggering $34.724 million. This is a fitting tribute to the aims and objectives established by the members of the Campbelltown Catholic Club and the dedication of the directors both past and present.
Congratulations to our Student Leaders for Term 3.
A Suggestion Box has been installed in the Admin Walkway.
This year for Fathers’ Day the children will have the opportunity to paint and decorate a photo frame for their Dad or other special male in their life.
The cost will be $8.00 each.
This activity will be undertaken from the week commencing 14 August.
Gifts will come home with the children during the week of 28 August.
Orders will need to be placed and paid for by Friday 4 August. Only 3 gifts maximum can be purchased.
Due to ordering deadline there will be NO ORDERS accepted after this date. Any orders that come in after 4 August will be returned home.
We are sorry about the cut off date but ordering and planning is essential.
A hard copy note will go home with each child today. A copy is also attached.
Thank you to the parents who have indicated their willingness to assist with this initiative.
If you wish to offer your services to assist with this initiative during the first 5 weeks of Term 3. Please complete the google form via the following link
TINA'S RETIREMENT MASS AND LUNCH INVITATION
FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION MASS
We would like to invite our School Community to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption Mass with us!
Date: Tuesday 15 August 2023
Time: 11:00 am
Place: Mary Immaculate Church
We are a community of Faith!
Our school’s vision is:
‘Walking with Christ, inspiring lifelong learning, respect for others and service to all’
Our students are striving to build a community of faith. Over the next few weeks, our students will be learning about what this means and how we can demonstrate this in our daily lives.
Ms Kirsty Simpson
Religious Education Co-Ordinator
One of the most exciting and memorable events on the school calendar each year is Book Week. This year, Mary Immaculate will be celebrating Book Week during Week 5 with several engaging events for our students.
On Thursday 17 August, author Deborah Abela will be visiting and speaking to the students about many of the books she has written, what it’s like to be an author and where she gains her inspiration from. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to gain an insight into the life of an author and learn how to improve their own writing. A flyer advertising Deborah’s books and where to purchase them for signing has also been included in this edition of the newsletter.
On Friday 18 August, we will be hosting our Annual Book Character Parade. Students are encouraged to come to school dressed as a character from a book. At 8:45am students will participate in a book character parade. This will take place on the basketball court and astroturf play spaces. Parents, grandparents and carers are warmly invited to attend this event and are asked to bring a camp chair due to limited seating. Younger siblings are also invited to dress up as a book character and there will be an opportunity for toddlers and preschoolers to participate in the parade after grades K - 6. The parade is expected to conclude at 9:45am.
Following the parade, students will return to their classrooms and classes will resume as normal. Later in the day, they will participate in rotational activities about books that have been nominated for Book Week awards.
It is extremely exciting to be able to gather and promote a love of literature as we celebrate reading at Mary Immaculate. We can't wait to see all of the students’ fantastic costumes.
Rebecca Sidorenko
Instructional Coach
