FROM THE APRIM
Start of the School Year: Blessing
Well, haven’t we started the new year with so many blessings! Our school is looking so beautiful and welcoming. I thought I’d share with you this prayer of blessing, that you might want to pray with your child:
Lord Jesus,
I ask for Your help as I begin this new school year.
Allow me to experience Your presence in the many blessings You put before me.
Open my eyes to the new challenges and
exciting opportunities that this new school year brings.
Open my heart and mind to new friends and new teachers.
Give me a generous spirit to be enthusiastic with my studies
and courage to accept new opportunities.
Help me to be attentive to my teachers
and let me experience Your presence in my new friends.
Jesus, inspire me to do my best this year! Amen
Year of St Joseph
In a new Apostolic Letter entitled Patris corde (“With a Father’s Heart”), Pope Francis describes Saint Joseph as a beloved father, a tender and loving father, an obedient father, an accepting father; a father who is creatively courageous, a working father, a father in the shadows.
The Letter marks the 150th anniversary of Blessed Pope Pius IX’s declaration of St Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church. To celebrate the anniversary, Pope Francis has proclaimed a special “Year of St Joseph,” beginning on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception 2020 and extending to the same feast in 2021.
The Holy Father wrote Patris corde against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, which, he says, has helped us see more clearly the importance of “ordinary” people who, though far from the limelight, exercise patience and offer hope every day. In this, they resemble Saint Joseph, “the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence,” who nonetheless played “an incomparable role in the history of salvation.”
At the conclusion of his Letter, Pope Francis adds a prayer to St Joseph, which he encourages all of us to pray together. This Prayer will feature in our Morning Prayer every Monday:
Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer,
Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
To you God entrusted his only Son;
in you Mary placed her trust;
with you Christ became man.
Blessed Joseph, to us too,
show yourself a father
and guide us in the path of life.
Obtain for us grace, mercy, and courage,
and defend us from every evil. Amen.
(referenced from vaticannews.va)
Welcome Fr John
We congratulate Fr Bob and Fr Michael on their retirement. Both have touched so many of us in so many beautiful ways. We will definitely miss their gentle nature and loving hearts! We wish them both well as they start a new chapter in their lives.
And we are so very lucky to welcome our new Parish Priest: Rev Father John Shanahan PP. Fr John is slowly but steadily settling into his new role. We look forward to introducing him to our community.
Beginning of the Year Mass
With COVID Restriction still being in place, this year’s Beginning of the Year Mass will be held for our students only. We await eagerly for the day we are able to welcome families at such special events! The mass will be held on Friday 12th February.
Easter Season
This year Easter is coming a little earlier than usual. Shrove Tuesday will be on 16th February, Ash Wednesday on the 17th February and Easter will be on the 4th April. More details on each of these events will be advertised shortly.
Launch of the New RE Curriculum
Over the past year, the staff at St Joseph’s have been working hard behind the scenes to prepare for the 2021 Launch of the New Religious Education Curriculum for South Australian Catholic School: Crossways. As of this year, all RE content will be referenced and informed by this document. More information can be found here: https://www.cesa.catholic.edu.au/our-schools/curriculum/religious-education/the-re-curriculum
My contact
cfarrugia@stjk.catholic.edu.au
8827 3304.
Blessings!
Christine Farrugia | APRIM