A very warm welcome to one and all to Term 4! It feels like the year is flying by now. The students have settled in very quickly and confidently to class and school routines. It's a privilege to witness their confidence grow over the course of the year: from the Preps and younger students who charge independently into class to the obviously maturing students of the senior grades, particularly the Grade 6s. I hope the Grade 6 students enjoy their last term in Primary School, they have provided a wonderful example to our junior students, being great role models and terrific Buddies to the Grade Preps!  

Grade 5s Leadership

Last week I had the pleasure of working with the Grade 5s while the Gr 6s were on camp. Father Darren visited the group to talk about leadership. The students then had the opportunity to reflect on good leaders they had experienced and worked in groups to identify, name and discuss important leadership qualities. As a group we discussed the most essential characteristics of really effective leaders. We also discussed ‘bad’ leaders. I was impressed by the way the students collaborated for this exercise, ensuring everyone was included in the activity and encouraged to contribute. I look forward to working with this group further as our school leaders for 2024.   

The Grade 5/6 classes have hit the ground running for our very busy Term 4, with the Grade 6 students having a wonderful time at Forest Lodge Farm in Yarram last week. Despite the challenging weather, we were able to enjoy archery, bush cooking, the low ropes course, flying fox, giant swing and mud run. The student's behaviour and inclusive teamwork were exceptional and it was a pleasure to enjoy this fun camp with our wonderful senior students. Many thanks to Cam Jones, Nathan Davis, Adam McNally, and Dave Leggett for giving up their time to assist us. Back at school, the Grade 5 students started their exploration of the attributes of good leaders as part of the process of selecting our student leadership team for 2024.

The remainder of the term is very busy, with inter school cricket and softball coming up soon, a transition day at Bass Coast College for our Grade 6 students next Wednesday 18th October and the Grade 5 Activity Day at Mary MacKillop Catholic Regional College on Thursday 19th October. Alongside these exciting events, we are busy working on measuring volume, capacity and angles; revising fractions and decimals and narrative writing, exploring economics and business and learning about the Beatitudes.

Good luck to Vivienne Hallam who is representing St. Joseph's School at the Rotary Club Public Speaking Competition this Thursday evening at the Community Arts Centre!

It is important that students maintain their home learning routines by reading for 15 to 30 minutes at least four times a week, recording this in their reading diaries and bringing them to school each week. We appreciate your support in helping your child maintain these all important routines right up to the end of the year. Thank you.

5/6 Team

This is a note of thanks and appreciation for your donation of food and other household items, all items that we can distribute to needy families in the Wonthaggi area.

To all students, parents and staff, your assistance tells us of the generosity and care

for our local community.

As we distribute your donations, we are connecting you with these people who are in need. 

We are all part of the process of love for others.

God bless you all.

St Vincent de Paul Conference, Wonthaggi.

School closure dates for your diary

Friday November 3

Monday November 6, Tuesday 7 November (Melbourne Cup Day)

Friday December 15 - Wednesday December 20
(Last Day of Term 4 for students Thursday December 14 3:25pm)

Statements for Term 4 have been emailed to families.  If you have not received your statement or have any queries please contact the office or email kcarew@stjwonthaggi.catholic.edu.au

The Catholic Women’s League is having their annual toiletries collection in October.
Donations will be given to homeless people, asylum seekers and other people in need.
A container located is in the school foyer near the office for any donations.

Thank you!

Weekday Masses:

Tuesday Our Lady Star of the Sea, Inverloch 11:00a.m.

Wednesday St. Joseph’s Wonthaggi MASS 9:30a.m.

Friday Mass at St. Joseph’s Wonthaggi 9:30 a.m.

Friday Mass at St. Joseph’s Wonthaggi 6:30pm for Mary MacKillop College Year 12 Valedictory Mass

Weekend Masses Our Lady Star of the Sea, Inverloch Sunday 9:00am

St. Joseph’s Wonthaggi Saturday 6:30pm, Sunday 10:30am

COMMUNION ON THE TONGUE: People who prefer to receive communion on the tongue, would you please come last for communion, as there is still widespread fear of COVID.

PLEASE PRAY: For those who continue to be affected by the Wars in Ukraine, Sudan, the floods in Libya and earthquake in Morocco. For all who are sick, lonely and suffering from illness and pain. For those suffering from Road Trauma, both death and injury. For Lyn Street, who passed away recently and the anniversaries of Beth Burgess, Barry McRae, John Sandford, Mary Sandford, Fr. Ed Ryan, Fr. John Walsh, Fr. Michael O’Leary, Fr. John Gavin, Fr. John Davis, Fr. Thomas Egan and our loved ones, may God’s merciful love shine on them and on the loved ones left behind.

Please pray for those who continue to be affected by the Ukrainian War, and those natural disasters. Prayer for Peace and Justice in Ukraine.

Prayer for Peace and Justice in Ukraine.
God of peace and justice,
Who change the hardened heart and break the power of
violence, we entrust the people of Ukraine to you.
Protect them in this time of peril;
let them know not death but life, not slavery but freedom,
You are Father of all;
we are brothers and sisters.
Give us the strength to live that truth in love,
choosing peace not war.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

CATHOLIC WOMEN’S LEAGUE:The Catholic Women’s League is having their annual toiletries collection in October.
Donations will be given to homeless people, asylum seekers and other people in need.  Containers will be placed in both churches and at St. Joseph’s School for donations. Thank you!

PARISH OFFICE HOURS: THE OFFICE IS CLOSED ON MONDAYS.

THE OFFICE IS OPEN TUESDAY TO FRIDAY FROM 9:00a.m. to 5:00p.m. with Lunch being taken between 1:00pm and 1:30pm.  PLEASE CONTACT FATHER DARREN ON 03 56 722 923 OR KRISTINE ON 0499 915 784 IF THE MATTER IS URGENT.  ITEMS CAN BE PUT THROUGH THE LETTER BOX AT THE PRESBYTERY FRONT DOOR. THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING.

POPE FRANCIS’ INTENTIONS FOR OCTOBER: FOR THE SYNOD

We pray for the Church, that she may adopt listening and dialogue as a lifestyle at every level and allow herself to be guided by the Holy Spirit towards the peripheries of the world. 

New Diocesan Mission Council – Calling for submission of Expressions of Interest

This weekend Bishop Greg Bennet announces the formation of the new Diocesan Mission Council (DMC) and invites the people of the Diocese to submit Expressions of Interest in becoming a member of the Council. Information about the DMC can be accessed via this link: https://www.cdsale.org.au/dmc

To submit an Expression of Interest, click on this link: https://www.cdsale.org.au/dmc-eoi 

Talk with your local priest if you have any questions or about your intention to put your name forward. Pray that the Holy Spirit will be with us all during this time of discernment and development.

Bishop Bennet - Diocesan Mission Council Letter

AID TO THE CHURCH IN NEED.

SAVE THE DATE! Night of the Witnesses – 22 November 2023, 7pm at St Patrick’s Cathedral. Aid to the Church in Need invites you to an evening of prayer, testimony, song, adoration and reflection to honour the witness of twelve recent Christian martyrs and to stand in solidarity with Christians all over the world who are suffering persecution for their faith in Jesus Christ. Archbishop Peter Comensoli will preside and His Beatitude, Patriarch Joseph Absi of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church will be one of the international guest speakers who will share personal testimony of persecution for the faith. We hope you will join us. For more information please visit: www.aidtochurch.org/notw

 

Engaging Your Faith October 2023: Engaging Your Faith (EYF) is a series of short, online presentations that invite participants to reflect on what it means to be people of faith in the contemporary world. Experienced lecturers from Catholic Theological College present on a variety of topics such as Philosophy, Spirituality, Biblical Studies, Christian Meditation, Theology, Interfaith Relations, and issues in Science and Religion.  For more information and registration visit their website at Engaging Your Faith – Catholic Theological College (ctc.edu.au)

 

Bishops say the issues around Voice are moral and ethical, not just political.

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has prepared a statement on the upcoming referendum. The statement reiterates the Church’s support for measures that seek reconciliation and justice for First Nations people, drawing on the comments of Australia’s first bishop and Popes John Paul II and Francis. The bishops have renewed their earlier call for people to consider the Uluru Statement from the Heart, to have conversations with other people – including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders – and to “act in a way that commits to redressing the disadvantage suffered by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and will allow them to reach their potential, thus promoting reconciliation for the good not just of some but of the whole nation”. To read a copy of their statement please visit the diocesan website at https://tinyurl.com/mrxmt56u

A HISTORY OF THE GIPPSLAND CATHOLIC DIOCESE:

A history of the diocese entitled A Mass Kit in the Saddle Bag, written by Patrick Morgan, is now available. 

Catholics were settling in Gippsland from 1837 for a half century before the diocese of Sale was set up in 1887. During this pioneering period priests were sent out from Melbourne ‘on the Gippsland mission’.  The first two bishops, James Corbett and Patrick Phelan, established a basic but coherent network of Catholic organizations. In recent memory Bishops Eric D’Arcy and Jeremiah Coffey coped with new issues such as increasing secularization and modernist attitudes. The book includes a bibliography, lists of parishes and priests, and over fifty photographs.

The diocesan history can be purchased for $25, plus $5 postage, from Patrick Morgan, 610 Limonite Rd, Boolarra, Vic, 3870; email: morganpa@iprimus.com.au;  phone: 5169 6216.

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has launched its 2023-24 Social Justice Statement. This year’s statement is titled Listen, Learn, Love: A New Engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. “Strengthening our relationship with our First Peoples is integral and indeed critical to the strengthening of the whole nation,” Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv said at the launch. The media release and the statement can be found at the diocesan website at cdsale.catholic.org.au.

PRAYER SHAWL GROUP:New members are always welcome-plenty of wool & simple patterns available. Good weather for knitting over a cuppa & chat! If you would like a shawl or know of someone in need, please phone Philippa or Maureen. Alternatively, shawls are available at the Parish Office and Our Lady Star of the Sea, Inverloch. Enquiries: Philippa Warby 0408 331 340 and Maureen Maartensz 0407 055 447.

The Bishops Commission for Evangelisation, Laity and Ministry has published a document on evangelisation, offering a scriptural and theological reflection on the proclamation of the Gospel through the lenses of encounter, discipleship and mission. It draws on seminal documents on evangelisation from recent decades, including the teachings of Popes Paul VI, John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis. Evangelisation can be downloaded directly from https://bit.ly/Evangelisation2023

Sunday Gospel Reflection
Sunday gospel reflections written by the clergy, religious and laymen and women of our diocese are published weekly through the diocesan website and the diocesan Facebook page enabling us to reflect and prepare ourselves on the Gospel before we get to the weekend masses. The link to  our website is   https://www.cdsale.org.au/news/sunday-gospel-reflections
and the link to our Facebook page is  https://www.facebook.com/dioceseofsale 

MISSAL ONLINE: ‘An App’ which Father Darren Howie finds very helpful is Universalis. This will allow you to follow the Daily Mass.                                           

CARITAS AUSTRALIA: There is still time to support our global neighbours as they tackle the challenges of poverty. Your generosity today can help create a better tomorrow for people living in some of the most remote and marginalised communities in the world. All donations over $2 are 100% tax deductible. Caritas Australia:   www.caritas.org.au

TRINITY FAMILIES: Charities providing services for families in the region covered by the Catholic Diocese of Sale are invited to apply to the Catholic Charity, Trinity Families, for 2023 project funding, 

To be eligible to apply there are three criteria an applicant must be able to demonstrate:-

1. They must be a registered charity with deductible gift recipient status (DGR)
2. Any funds granted must be used to support families in a way which aligns with Catholic values
3. The project must be within the defined area of the municipalities of Cardinia, Casey, Baw Baw, Latrobe, Wellington, Bass Coast, South Gippsland and East Gippsland.

Charities wishing to apply for funding are encouraged to download the fillable application form and send is back. Deadline for submission is 30^th September 2023.

Further information is available on the website www.trinityfamilies.org.au or by email at trinity@sale.catholic.org.au

Come and See; Bishop Greg has called for the young men of our Parishes of the Diocese to come to St Michael's Parish Support Centre - 121-123 High Street. Berwick on Sunday, 15th October at 2:00pm particularly those who sense a call from God to life as a priest. Or, who simply wants to come and enquire. It will be an opportunity to meet and greet those living life, to pray with them and have all your questions answered. And remember, "the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls; when he finds one of great value he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it" Mt13:45

We have been emailing and sending out important communications from the Diocese and if you would like to be involved and receive this information then please contact the Parish Office on 56 721 111 or email your details to wonthaggi@cdsale.org.au.

Bishops Conference: On August 31, 2018, the Bishops Conference and Catholic Religious Australia responded to the Royal Commission's recommendations. On its fifth anniversary, an update reflects the Church’s ongoing efforts to be publicly accountable for how it is working to create, maintain and enhance safe environments for children and all people who are at risk. You can access a copy of the media release and the report on our diocesan website at https://www.cdsale.org.au/news/."

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has launched its 2023-24 Social Justice Statement. This year’s statement is titled Listen, Learn, Love: A New Engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. “Strengthening our relationship with our First Peoples is integral and indeed critical to the strengthening of the whole nation,” Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv said at the launch. The media release and the statement can be found at the diocesan website at cdsale.catholic.org.au.

In a letter addressed to bishops and eparchs around the world, Cardinal Mario Grech , Secretary General of the General Secretariat of the Synod, invites the faithful around the world to participate through prayer to the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops that will open in the Vatican on October 4.
With this letter, the Secretary General wants to remember that the Synod Assembly is above all a spiritual event, of prayer and listening to the Holy Spirit, the true protagonist of the event.

A copy of the letter and more information on the synod can be accessed through the diocesan website at https://www.cdsale.org.au/synod-of-bishop

WORKING WITH CHILDREN: AS WE ARE HOPING TO RETURN TO A ROSTER SYSTEM FOR READERS AND SPECIAL MINISTERS, THIS IS JUST A REMINDER TO CHECK THAT YOUR WORKING WITH CHILDREN HASN’T EXPIRED AND IF IT DOES NEED RENEWING, PLEASE CONTACT THE PARISH OFFICE FOR ANY ASSISTANCE WITH THIS.

Our Parish is committed to the safety, well-being and dignity of all children, young people and adults at risk. Find out more at: catholic.org.au/childprotectionsunday and www.catholicregligious.org.au/safeguarding

If you are concerned about any form of abuse, or believe that someone is at significant risk, you should immediately raise your concerns with one of our Parish Safeguarding Officers. Contact Kristine McRae via the Parish Office: 03 56 721 111 or St. Joseph’s School Safeguarding Officer 03 56 721 052.   Take care, we are here to help..                    

If you are in need of urgent assistance, please phone either Father Darren Howie 0356 722 923 or Kristine on 03 56 72111 or 04999 15 784.

Father Darren Howie                                                        Mrs. Kristine McRae
Parish Priest                                                                       Parish Secretary
St. Joseph’s Parish Wonthaggi