Last Sunday was Trinity Sunday. On the feast of the Most Holy Trinity the church invites us to reflect on the central and most inexplicable mystery of our faith, the mystery of who God is. In our practice of Christian Life, every Christian remembers, often in prayer and during the daily routine, the Trinity. Each time we make the sign of the cross, we say: “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

God has revealed Himself as one God with three persons.  He is the Father who Creates, He is the Son who Redeems, He is the Spirit who empowers.  We are baptized in the name of all three because the disciples of Jesus both benefit from and manifest all three persons of the Trinity.  We have been created by God and are called to share in His creation and stewardship of life.  We are called to live as new beings.  We are empowered by the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit works through us empowering us to bring Christ to others and others to Christ.

 Father,

You sent your Word to bring us truth

And your Spirit to make us holy.

Through them we come to know the mystery of your life.

Help us to worship you, one God in three Persons,

By proclaiming and living our faith in you.

Roundabout

Some of you may already be aware that there is going to be a roundabout constructed at the intersection of Bundaroo and Bendooley Streets. This construction is due to commence at any time over the next couple of weeks. The roadworks will lead to major congestion outside the front of the school and the number of spaces in the drop off zone will be significantly reduced. During this time, it is advisable to use Victoria Street when dropping off or picking up students. Children who are currently collected from the side gate at 2:50 each afternoon will need to be collected from the back gate at that time in order to ease congestion. Once the roadwork is completed there will be changes to the parking out the front, what that will look like I am unsure of at the moment. I do know that there are plans for a pickup zone to be put in  Victoria Street but this needs to go to the traffic committee. Once I know what is happening, I will send out a Compass alert to inform you.

Setting a Good Example Crossing the Road

Can I please ask that you set a good example for your children, and other children that might be watching, when crossing the road out the front of the school. Please use the pedestrian crossing and definitely don’t walk between buses as this can be extremely dangerous, especially if the children take your lead and do this when unaccompanied, as they may not be seen by the driver.

Could you please also ensure that you are on the school side of the road when you pick your children up.

Fortnite

We have had a few issues of late resulting from student use of the game Fortnite at home and bringing the arguments and problems to school. Just in case you aren’t aware, the Australia Classification Board (ACB) gives Fortnite an 'M' rating which means it is recommended for players ages 15 and up.

Semester One Reports & Interviews

You would have all received information regarding reports for this semester. The reports only go out to students from Years 1 -6, Kindergarten have an interview only for the first semester and a report at the end of the year. We have had a number of new students commence at our school this term. Those students won’t receive a written report however parents are invited to make an interview time so that you are able provide further information to the teachers and see how they are settling in.

Condolences

Please keep Mrs Anmarie Moroney and her family in your prayers. Mrs Moroney’s father passed away peacefully on the weekend.

Parish Masses

Although restrictions are slowly easing and we are now permitted to have up to 50 worshippers for Mass, there are still a number of Government and Diocesan directives with which we need to comply. One is the registering of all those who attend Mass and the retaining of those contact details for 4 weeks.

To streamline this process of registration, the Parish now have an online booking service, where you just nominate the Mass you would like to attend and provide contact details and how many will attend.

You can register by going to the parish website (www.ccsh.org.au) and follow the link to Mass registration. When you arrive for Mass, you will be greeted by a monitor who will tick your name off the list and direct you to where to sit.

This weekend (13/14 June) Mass times will be:

Vigil, Saturday 5pm

Sunday 8am

Sunday 9.30am

Sunday 11am

Sunday 6pm

Please remember that all Masses will be celebrated at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, because of the social distancing requirements. We are fortunate that we have a Church which will easily accommodate 50 worshippers and even 100 when restrictions further ease.

Given the circumstances, Mass times are a bit fluid at the moment. Father Sean would welcome your feedback as to their suitability. For weekday Masses, you no longer need to book, but you must sign in with your name and contact details when you arrive for Mass, or you can register online.

There are Government and Diocesan directives which have to be followed. Most of the government ones are known to you, but a couple of Diocesan ones will feel very strange to us. For example, congregational singing is prohibited; Holy Communion will be distributed only on the hand and the Precious Blood will cease to be offered from the chalice; no physical touching at the sign of peace; collection plates will no longer be passed through the Church. 

All of these conditions are contained in the directives which are available on our Parish website and the Diocese of Wollongong website.

As you enter and leave the Church, there will be baskets clearly marked first and second collection. Please give generously and thank you to those who have continued to donate while we have been in lockdown. Direct debit is the easiest way to contribute to the income of the parish. If you would like to join, please contact the office.

Mass and liturgy services will continue to be posted online through the Parish YouTube channel. I encourage you to still participate in Mass by viewing them online.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7S6wrESEOUqrF9Ppp7mDvg

Have a lovely week.

Kayleen Petzer