Lent begins this week today, Ash Wednesday. This is a season to ask for forgiveness and search our heart to also show mercy to those who have hurt or offended us. God shares his mercy and forgiveness with us so that we may share it with others. Children in Year 4-6 attended Mass with parishioners this morning in the Holy Spirit Church. Our Preps to Year 3 attended a Liturgy where they received the ashes.

The Gospel of the First Sunday of Lent (this Sunday) offers us a promise with the story of Jesus’ temptation in the desert. Jesus spent forty days praying and fasting in the desert. He was tempted 3 times; to change stones into bread, to become King of all the land and to jump off the roof of the temple to prove God’s love. But Jesus trusted in God’s love. With God’s help, he could turn away from temptation and choose to do the right thing. We can begin the journey of Lent with confidence, for this Gospel shows us that we, too, can change and turn back to God’s love. It is not always easy to turn away from temptation and choose to do the right thing. We, teachers and parents, can encourage our students to do their best and not give up so that they can achieve great things in their learning and in their behaviour.

This week at Holy Spirit, we value courage. Most often, we associate courage with physical prowess or bravery. Courage can also be seen in the form of being honest, fair, not giving up, being a peacemaker. This type of courage often requires us to sometimes step out of our comfort zone and do something we might not usually do but know we must as it is the right thing. This week we encourage our students to think how they can be courageous and help others. 

Project Compassion is Caritas Australia's annual Lenten fundraising and awareness-raising appeal. Millions of Australians come together in solidarity with the world's poor to help end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity. Over the coming weeks, a feature story from the Caritas Australia website will be shared.

The theme of Project Compassion 2025 is ‘Unite Against Poverty’. This year is an exciting time in the life of the Church. A Jubilee year only comes around once every quarter of a century and it brings with it a special invitation for each one of us. That invitation is close to the heart of Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion. The theme of Jubilee 2025 is Pilgrims of Hope. It is hope that calls us to come together and Unite Against Poverty.

Project Compassion shares feature stories on their website. Toefuata'iga (Toy-foo-ah-tah-ing-ah) is a 13-year-old student in Samoa, who faced frequent early dismissals and missed lessons due to severe water scarcity at her primary school. Teachers often had to leave class to fetch water, impacting health and hygiene for students.

The situation changed dramatically when Caritas Samoa, in partnership with Caritas Australia, installed a 10,000-litre water tank at her school. With clean reliable water access, attendance and enrolment rose, students health improved, and parents felt reassured. The new tank lifted financial and logistical burdens, allowing the school community to focus on education rather than the constant struggle for water. For more, please visit https://fundraise.projectcompassion.org.au/stories 

PROJECT COMPASSION BOXES: Each family will receive a Project Compassion box. We encourage our students to give up some foods they enjoy such as MacDonald’s, lollies, soft drink etc. or spend time doing jobs for family and placing the money saved into the boxes to help others in need. Boxes can be returned to the Office at the end of Lent. For more information about CARITAS and its work go to www.caritas.org.au 

Loving God,

In the life of Jesus, You have shown us the way of love.

Teach us to follow this way in the great and small events of life.
Grant us a spirit of self-denial and greater love this Lent.
Guide us in the way of compassion, to help our brothers and sisters in need.

We make this prayer through Christ our Lord

Amen.
( www.cathnews.com.)

God bless.
Caroline Fuller - APRE