Third Sunday of Easter

The Emmaus Story

Sunday Mass

On The Road to Emmaus...

Jesus walked with two of his disciples on the road to Emmaus but they did not recognise him until they broke bread together.

Jesus walked with his disciples, yet they did not realise it was him.  Did we walk with Jesus before COVID-19 but did not recognise him on our journey?

Before COVID-19, we lived in our own individual worlds, our thoughts and dreams were our own and our expectations were our own.  We may or may not have had time to slow down and let Jesus into our lives, to guide us, to show us the way forward.  If anything, this lockdown journey that we have lived for the last four weeks has enabled us to slow down in our lives to think about and reflect on where we've come from and where we are heading.  

Looking back to life before COVID-19, can you think of a time that you walked with Jesus and did not even realise it?

On the road to Emmaus, Helge Boe

Let this Easter story (The Road to Emmaus) remind us today that Jesus is always with us.  Matthew 28:20 tells us that Jesus is with us always until the end of time.  What a gift this is for all of us!

May the Risen Lord continue to bless you and your families in your bubbles.

"God is so good - we ought to cling to Him with love and hope" 

St. Mary MacKillop (28.4.1873)

The Most Important Season in our Faith

Easter

The following are images taken from the resource pack used to support teaching the R.E Curriculum in our classrooms.  The content below shows some of the learning the children receive at all curriculum levels.
All images are from the Faith Alive Website

Alleluia, he has risen!  He has risen indeed, Alleluia!

May the Risen Jesus continue to bless you all and keep your families safe at this time.

"Let us all have courage." St.  Mary MacKillop  (13.4.1874)

A New Term!

Term 2: 2020

We are about to start a new term on Wednesday.  So many things are happening in our school, due to the current lockdown that we are currently in, we will be learning online.

Religious Education Learning

The topics for learning this term are as follows:

Easter

Holy Spirit

Ascension

Pentecost

Imaginative Prayer

These topics will be covered by all teachers through use of activities from their learning platforms.  

"Hoping that you will patiently do your best to encourage those confided in your care. " 

St.Mary MacKillop

(To a Sister 15.4.1890)

Easter Alleluia!

Jesus has risen, Alleluia!

Today marks the beginning of the Easter Season!  Jesus has risen from the dead.  Let us celebrate this momentous occasion in our Catholic Faith!  

Here is the Easter story for children.

May the Risen Jesus come into our hearts, into our lives and into our world and heal those who are suffering.

Have a safe and Happy Easter to all our families within the school and wider community!

"Let us all have courage." 

St. Mary MacKillop (13.4.1874)

Good Friday

Jesus is the reason...

Jesus is the reason we have been saved.  He took our sin away when he died on that cross.

We remember this day as the day he died on the cross.  He came to remind us that we have a God who loves us.  How lucky are we!

Let us pray and reflect on the meaning of Jesus' life and death.

Let us walk the Stations of the Cross with Jesus, as we remember and reflect on his Passion and death.

A Good Friday Prayer

"Father, into your hands I commend my spirit"

picture source: Catholic Online 

 https://www.catholic.org/lent/friday.php

"Cling to God’s love and grace."

 St. Mary MacKillop (1890)

Holy Thursday

The Last Supper

On this day, we recall the story of The Last Supper.  We remember Jesus celebrating his final meal with his disciples before he continued on to be crucified on the cross.

Here are two Last Supper Videos reminding us about the story of the Last Supper as we know and believe it to be so in our faith.

The Last Supper for Children

Last Supper Information video

Click here to access more information about Holy Thursday and The Last Supper on the Catholic Online website.

Jesus showed us before this last meal, how to be of service to each other when he washed his disciple's feet.  He instituted the Sacrament of Eucharist during this meal.

As we celebrate the events of Holy Thursday in our own bubbles this year, let us remember each other in prayer. 

Our world needs prayer.  

Let us offer prayers for those in our communities and world who are in need.

Let us ask Jesus into our lives, ask him to lead and we follow in these uncertain times.  We can also ask Jesus to help us where we are at this point in time, to be of service to those that we live with in our bubbles today.

"See the protecting…hand of God in all that is happening." 

St. Mary MacKillop (1885)

The Way of the Cross...

Stations of the Cross

The Stations of the Cross remind us of what Jesus went through as he journeyed towards Golgotha. They are places for us to think about Jesus and what he went through on his journey.

Here are some links to Stations of the Cross that can be used as part of your prayers with your children this week.

Stations for children

Stations for everyone

This is most definitely a year that will go down in history as the year all church buildings closed and the year we had to practise social distancing because of COVID-19.

From our own bubbles, we can still walk The Way of the Cross with our families. Please remember we are all united in prayer. Remember, Jesus' promise in Matthew 18:20. Where there are two or more who are gathered in prayer, he will be present.

Have a blessed Holy week with your families.

"There where you are, you will find God. " 

St. Mary MacKillop (1871)

Palm Sunday

"Hosannah to the Son of David.  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosannah in the highest heaven."Matthew 21:9

Palm Sunday sees a triumphant return of Jesus to Jerusalem.  He entered Jerusalem on a donkey and the people joyfully welcomed him by waving palms.

He was very humble and the people loved him and welcomed him as he returned into the city.

This year, we may not be able to attend mass and participate the Palm Sunday procession we usually have at each of our churches, we can read Matthew 21:1-11 and reflect on the personal meaning of the reading to each and everyone of us.

Let us remember the journey that Jesus started on this day so long ago and offer up a prayer of thanks for the love that he had for each and everyone of us, the love that took him on his journey to the cross, during the last week of his life on earth.

Please check out this link for Palm Sunday activities that are easy to do with the children at home.  Click on the Catholic Icing Logo to access the website.

You can access daily masses if you follow Bishop Patrick Dunn on Facebook.  If not, Youtube has masses shared from catholic parishes around the world.

God bless you all on this day, the beginning of Holy Week in the year 2020.

"Have courage, trust in God, St Joseph and our Blessed Mother, and you need have no fear. "  

St. Mary MacKillop (4.4.1905)

Holy Week

The Way of the Cross

                                                                               

 by @arte_carde

As we enter into Holy Week we are conscious that the whole world is suffering with Jesus through Covid-19, and awaits a resurrection from suffering and death. 

In the latest Tui Motu this picture, accompanying a reflection by Neil Darragh, perhaps says better than words what we feel.

(Picture and reflection as shared by our R.E Advisor - Margaret from the Catholic Schools Office)

Prayer is a very important part of Holy Week, not only for our faith but also because of COVID-19 and the suffering that is happening in our world today.

 Click on the logo above to access prayer reflections provided by Emmaus Productions, for all families to use during this time.  There are some great resources here for children too.

This is also a great time for our children to learn the Traditional Prayers of the Church.

During this lockdown period, learning the following prayers will be a great help for our children.

Our Father

Hail Mary

Glory Be

Angel of God

The prayer cards above can be ordered from https://www.christiansupplies.co.nz/ after the COVID-19 lockdown has been lifted.

Stations of the Cross

As we walk the Stations of the Cross in our own bubbles this year, we remember Jesus' journey during his last week on earth.

Click Here to access the Stations of the Cross from the Catholic Online website.

As we walk the way of the Cross this year in our own bubbles, this is a great time to reflect and think about our own lives, think about the suffering that is happening in the world because of COVID-19 and offer up our prayers for everyone in need of it. 

Let us also take ourselves back to the Way of the Cross and the suffering that Jesus went through.  We remember his love for us.  He loved us enough to die on the cross for us.  His compassion and love for us was shown through his actions.  Jesus healed the blind man in Mark 10:46-52 and brought Lazarus back from the dead in John 11:1-44.
When we find ourselves down and out during this time, let us take our thoughts back to Jesus and remember, his suffering was greater.  Let us turn to him and ask him for the courage that we need in order to deal with what is happening in our world today.

"I cannot forget that there is a dear good God watching over us." 

St. Mary MacKillop (3.4.1871)