Dear Parents and Carers,

The feast of Mary Help of Christians, the Patron of our Parish is celebrated on 24 May. In our whole school Religion Unit, we have been learning about Mary, her place in the church and her role and model of discipleship.

The infant church in Australia had a special reason for turning to Mary. No priests were sent to the colony in its early days and Mass was not allowed except for one brief year until 1820. It was largely the Rosary in those early days that kept the faith alive.

Catholic Australia remained faithful to Mary and was the first nation to choose her under the title Help of Christians, as principal Patroness.

A prayer for us in this difficult time as we face the challenges before us.

Mary Help of Christians Patroness of Australia

Almighty God, deepen in our hearts
our love of Mary Help of Christians.
Through her prayers and under her protection,
may the light of Christ shine over our land.
May Australia be granted harmony, justice and peace.
Grant wisdom to our leaders and integrity to our citizens.
We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen

Rainbow Ritual       

This ritual has developed out of our work (Quest for Life Foundation) in helping children deal with challenging, sad or distressing news. We have found it to be a wonderful blessing for children and a comfort for their parents. You can take as long or as little time with this ritual as seems appropriate for the age of the child. This ritual is wonderful for children from the age of about three.

You can watch Petrea's Rainbow Ritual on video or find the full text below by following the link. 

https://www.questforlife.com.au/toolkit/for-children#1

Take Care and God Bless.