2. Special Character - Term 1 Week 1 2016

Year of Mercy Logo

Welcome back to another great year. I hope you all had a lovely break with your family and friends.
This week the children will be hearing about the school's Charism and why we are here at a Catholic School. The Charism of St. Joseph's centres around the life of Jesus. The meaning of Charism is; a spiritual power or personal quality that gives an individual influence or authority over large numbers of people. Jesus has this spiritual power and through his teachings he shows us how to live and in turn influence others in our daily lives. In Week 3 we will begin our Religious Education programme with 'The Jesus Strand'.
In Week 2 we begin the Lenten Season with Ash Wednesday on 10th February. Years 5-8 will attend Mass at 9.15am and receive their ashes at this Mass. Years 1-4 will have a liturgy in the hall at 10.30am (after Father Wayne has said mass) to receive their ashes.

Throughout the world, all Catholic schools will also be delving into what the 'Year of Mercy' means. Throughout the year we will be looking into this as well... so why a 'Year of Mercy' you may ask?
In his letter to the Church announcing the 'Year of Mercy' Pope Francis gave his reasons. He said that "At times we are called to gaze even more attentively on mercy so that we may become a more effective sign of the Father's action in our lives. For this reason I have proclaimed an Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy as a special time for the Church; a time when the witness of believers might grow stronger and more effective".

To me Mother Teresa was a great believer who showed so much mercy her whole life and was a wonderful witness to all those around her.