St Mary’s Faith News

 School and Parish Connections

Gospel: Mathew 16: 13 - 19

The Solemnity of St Peter and Paul, Apostles

You are Peter, and I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this question to his disciples,

‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’

And they said, ‘some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’

‘But you,’ he said, ‘who do you say I am?’

 Then Simon Peter spoke up, ‘You are the Christ,’ he said, ‘the Son of the living God.’

Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven.

So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church.

And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it.

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.’

St Mary’s Family Monthly Mass

Sunday 29th June 2025

Please indicate whether your child would like to participate in Mass

The monthly children’s Liturgy is fast approaching - Sunday 29th June.

Forms have been sent home, so please check your child’s reading folder or school bag.

Please fill in the forms and return as soon as possible - especially if you would like your child to read at Mass. There are limited readings and we need to make sure the children have time to practice at home and then in the church.

Anyone is welcome to sing with the choir. There will be a practice in the church with Monique and myself on Thursday at recess time. I will take the readers to practice on Friday.

A heartfelt thank you to all families who encourage their children to participate. It is always wonderful to see familiar faces at these Masses, and we hope even more families will join us in this special school tradition.

New Front Office Display

Crosses from Around the World

As part of our recent staff Reflection Day, we were inspired by the idea of creating a new display in our front office – a collection of crosses from around the world. This will be a whole school initiative, and we warmly invite our families and staff to take part.

If you have a cross from your travels – whether from overseas or within Australia – that you would like to donate, we would be honoured to include it. The crosses will be thoughtfully displayed on the wall beneath the mounted monitor in the front office.

We look forward to creating an inspiring and meaningful space that invites contemplation, discussion and reflection for all who visit.

Thank you for helping us bring this idea to life.

Wednesday Morning Masses

As part of our ongoing commitment to nurturing the spiritual life of our students, each class has been taking turns to attend the Wednesday morning Parish Mass at 9:15am.

The response from teachers has been positive. The children have been able to connect with parishioners and pay attention to rituals that they have been taught in class.

Moving in to term 3, we warmly invite parents and carers to join their child’s class on the day they are rostered to attend.

You may receive an email invitation or a paper invitation, so please check emails, children’s reading folders or take heed of your child’s verbal invitation.

This is a beautiful opportunity to come together in prayer and strengthen our connection as a school and parish community.

The class Mass timetable should have been sent home as a PDF last week by your child’s teacher.

We encourage you to check when your child’s class will be attending the Wednesday Mass.

We look forward to welcoming you to this special part of our faith life.

Sacramental Program 2025

Confirmation

Instruction will be conducted through the Parish with the Support of Mrs Lipnicki

Likewise if your child is in Year 6 and is yet to make their “Confirmation” please contact Mrs Lipnicki at clipnicki@smwilliamstown.catholic.edu.au

 School Masses

Term 2 

At the weekend family Masses, families sit together. Children who are reading are encouraged to sit with their family near the front of the church and ideally to have the reader sit in the aisle seat.

 Term 3