2. Special Character News Term 4, Week 5

Reconciliation

From: htrcc.org

Father Wayne has invited everyone to attend the second rite of Reconciliation after mass on Sunday 30^th November.  It would be great to see a good turnout for this as we prepare for the season of Advent.

Purgatory – what is it?

As we are teaching and learning about the Community of Saints, some concepts come up which can be difficult.  One of these is purgatory.  I want to say a few words about this, hopefully without the going getting to heavy:

The concept of purgatory is one that has been part of Church teaching since the time of Jesus and has its roots in Biblical Judaism.

At its very beginning, Church teaching could be described as the disciples’ response to the teaching of Jesus.  Jesus told the apostles to go and, “Preach the Gospel to all creation,” (Mark 16:15).  At that time of course there was no written Gospel to preach – they were preaching the Good News which Jesus had taught them directly.  In the telling of any story, there is interpretation – decisions had to be made about which bits were the important bits – the parts they should choose to focus on.  So there has always been an active interpretation of the Good News by the disciples.  

How does the Church make decisions?  Through Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came to the Church and we believe that throughout the ages the Church has been guided in its teaching by the Holy Spirit.   The interpretation is not one made by individuals and never has been, it is one made by the Church in communion.

Jesus also told the disciples, “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven,” (Matthew 18:18).  So the authority of the Church was given by Jesus.  It is not something the Church takes lightly.  No Church teachings suddenly come into being, there is a long tradition, stemming back to those first apostolic interpretations guided continuously by the Spirit.   By the same token, no Church teachings suddenly change or disappear.

There’s evidence that the idea of purgatory, a purification period where souls are prepared for heaven (and can be prayed for) stems from Jewish teaching prior to Christianity and continued as a belief into Christianity.  Biblical references which support the teaching on purgatory are: 2 Maccabees 12: 41-46, 2 Timothy 1:18, Matthew 12:32, Luke 16:19-26, Luke 23:43, 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, and Hebrews 12:29.  The exact nature of what purgatory might be like has been subject to change over time but the belief in purification for souls who are in God’s grace but have some conditions of sin, has been constant over time, as has the idea that our prayers can help them.

The New Testament was compiled by the church at the Synod of Carthage in AD397 – nearly 400 years after the events.  The books chosen to be in the New Testament at that time were chosen from a variety of possible books.  So the church, inspired and led by the Holy Spirit, could be said to have defined the New Testament.  That is why Catholics believe that Church teaching and biblical sources have equal authority.

If this subject interests you, you can find out more at: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12575a.htm

3. School Notices, Week 5, Term 4

(a)  Altar Servers
Saturday 15th November - Ben Cullimore, Antonio Frances-Rees, Elizabeth & Nicholas Plieger
Sunday 16th November - Jerome & Michael Misiloi, Tia Hunter and Tess McAtamney

(b)  Birthday Greetings to:
Isaac Kelcher, Brendan Tiffen, Sylvia Lavrijsen, Zyanya Pe, Jacob Fowler, Mackenzie Cunningham and Cody Marshall.

(c)  Lost Property
Frankie Finn and Arthur Cartlidge have both lost their named school jerseys and Arthur has lost his named hat.  Please check your child's clothing to see if they have the correct ones.

(d)  Subway Lunch Orders
You can now order orange juice for $2.00 with your Subway order.  Other drinks available are chocolate and strawberry milk for $2.00.

(e)  Pastoral Care
Ruma Kawakawa is on Pastoral Care for the rest of November.  This means they can bring in food for contribution to the parish freezer.  Please bring any food donations to the office on Friday mornings.  Thank you.

(f)  St Joseph's School Pens
The school has some pens for sale which are left over from the Yr 7 & 8 camp fundraisers.  They write red and blue and are ideal pocket pens as they have flat sides.  They are selling for $1.00 each and are available from the school office. 

(g)  Community Notices - Please check the notice board for full information.

• Waitaki Newcomers Picnic - Sunday 16th November - held at the Oamaru Gardens by the children's paddling pool at midday.  Bring your family, food and seating.

4. Congratulations - Week 5, Term 4

Students from Giant Leaps Speech and Drama recently achieved their respective NZ Speech & Drama grade examinations.  They all delivered their prepared work and impromptu skills to a high standard which resulted in some fantastic results.  Well done.

5. Sunsmart Schools Update

Sports Days: Remember to be SunSmart on Sports Day!  Provide shade and sunscreen for students and ensure everyone covers up and wears hats while they're watching.

6. Yr 8 Camp 2014

Last week the Yr 8 students went on their annual camp to Staveley and to tramp over the hills in amongst all weather. Here are some photos of what they got up too. You can also access the Yr 8 blog which will show a video of their camp by clicking the link to www.rumamatai2014.blogspot.co.nz

7. Yr 6 Education Outside the Classroom 2014

This week the Yr 6 children are experiencing Education Outside the Classroom and have tried team building activities, rock climbing, cooking and other exciting activities.  More photos will be displayed next week.