Liturgy and Parish Liaison

This Sunday's Gospel

Salty and Radiant

Rev Fr Michael Tate describes the "extraordinary" description of who we are as a community in this Sunday's gospel. See below for the first part of his homily. We are grateful for his permission to print here.

"'You' is in the plural. 'You are the salt of the earth.' 'Our Lord describes who we are, not who we ought to be, but who we are by virtue of our being his disciples trying to live out the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount.

'Salt of the Earth'

Salt in the ancient world was used not just for flavouring but, most importantly, as a preservative for food, preventing deterioration or decay, keeping it life-giving.

So, when Jesus says: 'You are the salt of the earth', he is saying: 'You are the ones who are to preserve the earth, to prevent its deterioration or decay, to keep it life-giving, to ensure it provides a place of habitation, hospitable to billions of living beings, including human beings.'

This is the basis for a Christian charter for ecological sensitivity of the highest order. Gross pollution in a crime against the earth and a sin against the Creator of the earth.

That is fairly obvious. But we can reflect a little more. Our Lord warns us that we can lose our saltiness, we can lose our tang, we can become useless.

Salt has to penetrate food to have an effect. We have to penetrate the world with our Sermon on the Mount values. Staying self-contained as a perfect little band of Christians is about as useful as salt remaining in the saltshaker. In Our Lord's scary opinion we would quite rightly be trampled underfoot.

We retain our saltiness by becoming the greatest humanitarians the world has ever seen. In a hundred different ways, not just ecological, every time we do something which makes the earth more habitable, more life-giving, we retain our tang - we are the salt of the earth."

© Rev. Father Michael Tate.

Community Mass

Begin the year by joining the community of parents, students, staff and friends of the College community as we gather each Friday in the Chapel at 8:00 for the celebration of the Eucharist. Next Friday, 14th February, we particularly celebrate our new Student Leaders for 2014.

Fridays in term time

8:00 - 8:30

College Chapel

All welcome - especially if you are new to the College. You do not have to be a regular mass-goer. All the responses are on a powerpoint.

Sacramental Program

'Family focused, parish-based, catholic school-supported'

Do you have a child in Year 3, 4 or 6?

If you have not already done so, you will need to enrol your child for the Sacraments in your home parish.

Year 3 - RECONCILIATION

Year 4 - EUCHARIST

Year 6 - CONFIRMATION

Is your parish one of the following?

Your parish has forwarded this information to assist you.

Families in St Cecilia's Floreat/Wembley

Closing date for registration in Sacramental program is this weekend - Sunday 9th March.

Registration form available through the parish. Alternatively, download from the College website: http://www.johnxxiii.edu.au/upload/pages/parish/floreat_wembleyenrolment-form-2014.pdf?1391577415

Rev Fr Andrew Albis

Catholic families whose home parish is Holy Rosary Nedlands,

wishing to present a child to receive a sacrament of initiation (Eucharist, Confirmation, Penance/Reconciliation) this year.

Registration is required and takes place in the parish centre:-

either on Saturday 22nd February, 11.00am-12.30pm

or on Wednesday 26th February, 4.00-4.30pm

Full details:-

on the parish noticeboards,

or www.holyrosarynedlands.org.au

or hrpnedlands@bigpond.com

or 9386 1870.

Rev Fr Joseph Sobb SJ

Families in St Mary Star of the Sea Cottesloe/Mosman Park

Enrolment Date for Sacraments: Tuesday 25th February 4:00 to 5:30pm in the Parish hall
Rev Fr James de Souza

St Joseph's Subiaco 2014 Sacramental Programme

First Reconciliation - First Communion - Confirmation

Catholic families/guardians of children who live within the parish of St Joseph's Subiaco are invited to a compulsory registration afternoon at St Joseph's where all relevant information of the Programme will be outlined. We look forward to welcoming you at 4.30pm on Tuesday, March 18, in the Upper Room at St Joseph's, 3 Salvado Road, Subiaco.

2014 Enrolment forms are available on St Joseph's website www.stjosephssubiaco.org.au . Please download a relevant form, complete it and bring that and relevant certificate copies with you to the registration. Thank you.

Rev Fr Joe Walsh and the Sacramental Team.

St Thomas the Apostle, Claremont

Enrolments for the Sacraments at St Thomas Claremont close on Friday 11th April - ie end of term.

If your child attends a Catholic school he/she will receive sacramental preparation at school but will need to enrol to receive the Sacraments in the Parish by 11th April.

For either of the above enrolment types please fill in and return the form<http://www.johnxxiii.edu.au/upload/pages/parish/st-thomas-apostle-enrolment-form-2014.pdf?1391502679>.

The dates for Reconciliation, First Communion and Confirmation will be printed soon.

For more details please contact Silvia Kinder 93844925 kinder.silvia@cathednet.wa.edu.au<mailto:kinder.silvia@cathednet.wa.edu.au

FAQs

Do I need to enrol my child for classes in the parish?

Children attending Catholic schools receive the sacramental component through the RE program, so do not attend parish classes.

What do we need to take to enrolment?

Relevant earlier certificates - eg Baptism, Reconciliation etc.

Where can I find more information?

College website

Archdiocesan parish website

http://www.perthcatholic.org.au/parishes-priests/index.cfm?loadref=16

Mary-Anne Lumley, Parish Liaison lumley.mary-anne@johnxxiii.edu.au