This week our Holy Spirit value is forgiveness.  Lent begins today – Ash Wednesday – and 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. Today, our students from Prep-2 attended an Ash Wednesday Liturgy and our Year 3-6 students Mass in the Church.  During the Liturgy and Mass, the students were marked with ashes as a symbol of being sorry for the things we do wrong and how we can change to live the Gospel values as God wants us to.

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.

This year’s theme for Project Compassion is “Let’s Go Further, Together”.  The first week’s feature story is with Shirley from the Philippines.  Shirley, 36, is an indigenous Manide woman living in a remote province of the Philippines.  She is a mother of four and the sole breadwinner of the family, as her husband is sick. But Shirley was struggling to support the whole family and keep her children in school.  With Caritas Australia’s support, Shirley trained to become an indigenous health worker and a leader in her community. She has learned to supplement her income and is able to feed her family.  The programme has also helped Shirley’s children with school fees, uniforms and supplies. For more information on Shirley, please visit https://lent.caritas.org.au/page/week-1

PROJECT COMPASSION BOXES:  This week, each family will receive a Project Compassion box.  We encourage our students to give up some of the 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 

God Bless,

Caroline Fuller