Welcome back for Term 3.  It was lovely to see so many smiling faces on Monday as our families returned to school.  A special welcome to those families and students that are new to our school this term.  This week our Holy Spirit Value is ‘Mercy’.  Mercy is all about a combination of compassion and forgiveness.  It is easy to be angry with someone and to treat that individual badly.  It is very important to discuss with children what mercy is so they can show it to those around them.  This week as we return for the start of a new term, we pray our students be merciful towards other by encouraging them to show compassion and take the time to show kindness to others.  

A good shepherd always puts the needs of his flock first.  In Sunday’s Gospel, we will

hear how Jesus the Good Shepherd put the needs of others before his own.  ‘The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”  So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognised them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.  When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.’  Jesus never grew angry or impatient with people; he never let them down or turned them away.  Just as a good shepherd guides and looks after his sheep, he loved people and cared for them.  

Celebrated annually in Week 3 of Term 3, Catholic Education Week is an opportunity for all 309 Catholic schools in Queensland to celebrate and promote their distinctive mission and ethos.  Catholic education strives to make a difference in the lives of those in our schools and in the wider community by challenging young people to live out the message of Jesus and to reach their full potential as compassionate, contributing, life-giving members of society.  Catholic Education Week in 2021 will be celebrated in Queensland from 25 July – 31 July.  The theme for 2021 celebrations will be A Spirited Tomorrow.

God bless

Caroline Fuller