Liturgy
SACRAMENT PROGRAM
'Family focused, parish-based, Catholic school-supported'
"Your unique and indispensable role in your child's Catholic Christian formation is one that both school and parish endorse and support. It is your privilege and responsibility, which follows from your commitment when your child was baptised, to present your child for the sacraments."
John XXIII College prepares children for the various sacraments during the course of this year's religious education programs: Year 3 - Reconciliation, Year 4 - Eucharist, Year 6 - Confirmation.
Your family celebrates that sacrament in your home parish, the parish community in which you regularly participate.
Image © Tony Kiely,
Emmaus Productions
Some of our local parishes have supplied the following information. Further details on the College website.
Nedlands Parish (Holy Rosary)
FIRST RECONCILIATION
Celebration of Sacrament: Saturday 17 October - 10:000am
Parents' Adult Education Evening: Wednesday 29 July - 7:30-8:30pm (Parish Centre)
CONFIRMATION
Celebration of Sacrament: Saturday 19 September - 6:00pm & Sunday 20 September - 8:45am
Parents' Adult Education Evening: Wednesday 2 September - 7:30-8:30pm (Parish Centre)
Claremont Parish (St Thomas Apostle)
FIRST RECONCILIATION
Celebration of Sacrament: Tuesday 20 & Wednesday 21 October - 3.30-4.30pm
CONFIRMATION
Celebration of Sacrament: Friday 4 September - 6.00pm
Don't see your parish here?
Like further information? Contact: Mary-Anne Lumley, Parish Liaison lumley.mary-anne@johnxxiii.edu.au
Alternatively go to the archdiocesan website:
http://www.perthcatholic.org.au/parishes-priests/index.cfm?loadref=16
CONGRATULATIONS
To the following students from the parishes of Cottesloe and Floreat who received Holy Communion for the first time last weekend.
COTTESLOE
Harry Court
Nathan Flack
Marshall Lalor
Benjamin Mignacca
Kieran Smith
Samuel Owen
Benjamin Toms
FLOREAT
Evelyn Arundell
Emily Barbour
Sienna Carroll
Tiffany Cesare
Georgia Gourdis
James Mitchell
Elizabeth Newton
Luke Seery
Amelia Warner
'GOOD NEWS' for 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
"A prophet is despised only in his own country. …" (Mark 6:1-6)
The following is taken from Fr Richard Leonard's homily on this Sunday's gospel and is printed here, with kind permission. Fr Richard Leonard SJ is the author of Preaching to the Converted, Paulist Press, New York, 2006.
If ever we needed convincing just how fickle a home town crowd can be, all we have to do is recall what happened around the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. Only two weeks before she died, London papers sold out with headlines which read, 'Diana, say No to Dodi', or 'Soap-opera queen flees England to be with Muslim lover', and 'Diana: a national disgrace'. We were told that Diana was mentally ill, spoilt and a scheming temptress.
The death of a 36-year-old mother of two is always an immense tragedy. But who could have predicted that we could change our minds, literally over one Paris night, and come to see that Diana was in fact the 'queen of hearts' and a modern icon. How could we have missed that two weeks earlier?
What happened to the memory of Diana is not far from what happened to the memory of Jesus in the earliest Church. In today's wonderful reading from Mark's Gospel we would expect to find Jesus' home town accepting and welcoming him with open arms. Jesus' ability to teach so well, his wisdom, and deeds of power, however, cause so much offence that the hometown crowd turn on him because he claims too much for himself. Jesus, literally, gets the hell out of there.
The Gospel of Mark, written at the beginning of the persecution of the Christians, finds great consolation in these stories of Jesus' suffering and rejection. And is it any wonder? The first generation of Christians were being expelled from the synagogue and, no doubt, many of them were experiencing similar rejection from their families and friends. Maybe some of them had to leave town as well. In this context their fate was an identification with that of Jesus. It gave meaning and direction to their plight. It gave them hope.
The experience of rejection, misunderstanding and frustration is also a reality in many of our lives. Even having Christian faith these days can see us derided as fools or pushed out of certain circles. In this context, we can draw on the same hope and courage that has always sustained the Christian community.
On a more worrying level, however, as a community we can run the risk of acting like the residents of Nazareth. No matter how much wisdom, authority or goodness some people demonstrate in our Christian community, it seems some people are told they are not acceptable, we take offence at them and drive them away. Some Catholics have simply walked away from us because our community disbelieves that Christ's gifts can be manifest through them as well. Nazareth did not value what was in its midst because it thought it knew better.
Today's Gospel also has a practical impact in our homes, where we don't get away with very much, and affirmation can be sparingly given. This can be taken to unhealthy extremes when parents and siblings speak highly of their spouse, children, brothers or sisters to everyone except to the person being praised. We are often so worried about a family member 'getting a big head' that they never hear from us the encouragement they deserve. As Christians we should look for opportunities to build up and praise those we know and love.
When Diana died it was a bit late for the world to decide she did worthwhile things. It was too late for Nazareth after it rejected Jesus as well. In Mark's Gospel he never returns there. But it's not too late for us. May it never be said that we despised wise people who have something to teach us, and that we dragged down those whose gifts and talents reflected the power of God.
This Sunday Jesus reminds us that it's never too late to stop our disbelieving.
COMMUNITY MASS
Next Community Mass will be Friday 24 July.
Our College community celebrates the Eucharist each Friday morning in term time, and everyone is always welcome.
If you have any questions, please contact:
Lumley.mary-anne@johnxxiii.edu.au
Where: Chapel
Time: 8:000am - 8:30am
When: Fridays in term time.
SACRAMENT PROGRAM
