SPREADING GOOD NEWS FATHER,

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NO. 73 TERM 4 2009 SPREADING GOOD NEWS FATHER, You have appointed your

MINISTERS OF WORD and SACRAMENT and help them to be faithful in

1 NO. 73 TERM SPREADING GOOD NEWS FATHER, You have appointed your Son Jesus Christ eternal High Priest, Guide those he has chosen to be MINISTERS OF WORD and SACRAMENT and help them to be faithful in fulfilling the ministry they have received. (Opening Prayer from the Mass for Priests)

2 My Dear SRE Teachers and Assistants, Thank you for your offers of sympathy on the death of my Mother. I do appreciate your thoughtfulness and prayers, as it helped to know others were thinking of me and my family during this time. Mum lived a long and fulfilling life. She was a wonderful Mother to us and we have many memories that we can be thankful for and to share with the younger generation. And so we begin the final term for Thank you all for the opportunity to visit with you as you teach in the classrooms. I m always in great admiration at the way you prepare your lessons, prepare the resources you use and present the lessons. Each SRE Teacher and Assistant has unique gifts to share and it s wonderful to see the interaction between yourself and the students. demonstrate the sacrificial love of Christ in their lives. (taken from the article by Bishop Denis Hart, Kairos Catholic Journal) Saint John Mary Vianney is an interesting person who lived a humble life, encountered many obstacles but always kept before him what he had confided to his mother many years before if I were to become a priest, I would like to win many souls. The Cure d Ars always expressed the highest esteem for the gift he had received of Priesthood. Read more about the Cure d Ars by typing in Saint John Mary Vianney on the web site. Our role is to a) Thank God for the Sacrament of Ordination. b) To pray for Bishop Michael and the Priests of the Diocese c) To pray for vocations to the Priesthood d) To actively support the priests YEAR FOR PRIESTS This year, June 19, 2009 June , has been declared the special Year for Priests by Pope Benedict XVI. The Holy Father inaugurated this focus so we could connect our focus on the priesthood to two commemorations in the liturgical calendar. The first is the 150 th Anniversary of the death of Saint John Mary Vianney (also known as the Cure d Ars ) the patron saint of priests. His feast day is the 4 th August. The second commemoration is the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The theme Pope Benedict XVI has outlined for us is the Faithfulness of Christ, Faithfulness of Priests. Over the next twelve months, we will have opportunities for reflecting on the inherent connection between the sacrificial love of Christ, our Great High Priest and the vocation of all priests to CONFERENCE ON SAINT LUKE This is another great opportunity for professional development. I have included the brochure. Watch your parish bulletins for further information, where this training will be held and the time. JESUS ALL ABOUT LIFE This media campaign will commence in the next week. You will probably have seen the Build Reach & Awareness signs on bus shelters near any of the churches and on the online media. The next phase will be Prime Time Media Television & Radio to ensure total state coverage. The object is to have interactive print and television commercial campaign to encourage positive public awareness of Jesus. Encourage the students to talk about the media campaign to stimulate interest in and pray

3 about ways to bring the person of Jesus into their lives and to the lives of their families. Four weeks of Lessons have been prepared for use during this time. Down load them from If you have any difficulty please ring me. WORLD MISSION MONTH Catholic Mission provides pastoral outreach and spiritual support which is paramount for the comfort of those who are suffering. This year s World Mission Month theme for 2009 has been inspired by the missionary life and faith of Father Damien of Molokai. Father Damien worked on the Island of Molokai, Hawaii, for 16 years, with the people suffering leprosy. The mission work of Father Damien continues a century later by Sister Cecily, a Cluny Sister who works in India with those affected by the disease. Father Damien will be canonized on the 11 th October. If you wish to read more of Father Damien s life go to Catholic Mission or World Mission Month 2009 or type in Father Damien of Molokai on the web sites. TERM FOUR OVERVIEW CONNECT This term the B2 program continues the theme of Living God s Way in looking at the Bible & Me, the disciples asking Jesus to teach them to pray, the Church at prayer, the persecution of the early church and their response, Faith in Jesus, Philemon. God Keeps his Promise continues with God keeping His promise to his people, the promise of Jesus and the fulfilling of this promise, Jesus will return, the Church at work today. WALKING WITH JESUS PATHWAYS OF DISCIPLESHIP The program will continue with the strands as for the three previous terms. The students will explore their relationship with God, the ministry of Jesus, celebrations at school, in the Parish and in their families; this includes the Sacraments, formal & informal prayers and stories from the Old Testament. SUNDAY SCRIPTURE ALIVE The Sunday readings, up until the Feast of Christ the King at the end of November, are from Year B. The last Sunday of November we begin the new Church Year with the First Sunday of Advent, Year C. The weekday readings will be from Cycle 2. The worksheets are all similar so be aware and use the appropriate sheet for the students. Kindergarten/ Early Stage 1 sheet 1, Years1&2/Stage 1 sheet 2, Years 3&4/Stage 2 sheet 3, Years 5&6/Stage 3 sheet 4. ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS There will probably only be seven or eight weeks of SRE during this last term. Discuss with the school SRE Coordinator when SRE will finish and then plan your program so that sufficient time is allowed for the Advent and Christmas program. At the beginning of the term select a couple of songs appropriate for the Advent / Christmas

4 season. Maybe one of the songs could be one the students learnt last year! Colin Buchanan, Jim Cosgrove, Monica Brown and Leigh Newton have some appropriate songs on CDs and these are available from the Resource Centre in Bathurst. CATECHIST SUNDAY 2010 Keep in mind we will celebrate Catechist Sunday early next year. Try to collect worksheets, writings, prayers, pictures that can be used for a display at the church. Also display the program that is used in your parish. Also display the brochure Special Religious Education and your child. Photocopy them and leave them where people can pick them up. VALUING VOLUNTEERS DAY This day was an opportunity for Volunteers to listen to Mr. Michael Ryan who is a lecturer in the School of Education at the Australian Catholic University. The forum provided an opportunity to hear the results of Michael s research and reflect on its relevance to SRE providers and non profit organizations. The workshops provided information, allowed discussion and sharing of ideas for Volunteers to take back to their communities. It was a wonderful opportunity for like minded people to talk together during the day. Advent Draws Near Jesus, beloved Savior, it s getting closer to Advent, a season I feel very strongly about. I want my class to know that waiting for your birth is a spiritual experience, a time of waiting different from all other waiting. I see their eyes light up when I say the word Christmas, but not for the reasons I would like. How can I make a difference in the little time I have with them? How can I observe Advent with these children in a meaningful way; in a way that will touch their hearts and change their lives? I know for certain that I can t do a thing without your help. Let your Advent light shine through me. Amen Jesus, beloved Savior, help me touch their hearts. Taken from Gwen Costello A Prayer book for Catechists 1999 THANK YOU Well done to each SRE Teacher and Assistant. The end of the year is fast approaching and I want to say thank you for your wonderful dedication and commitment to the SRE classes that each of you teach. I pray for you and your families.

5 ADVENT & CHRISTMAS RESOURCES CATHOLIC RESOURCE CENTRE Many resources are available from the Centre s collection to support teaching about the season of Advent and Christmas including music recordings, activity books, videos and DVD s. Four Australian produced resources that a new to the collection are noted in the table below. Call/Order No: MC /PRO MC /PRO Title and details: Hope & joy [DVD] / Australia / 15 minutes / The Promise of Advent series; No. 1 / Primary Adult. Making memories [DVD] /Australia / 17 minutes / The Promise of Advent; No. 2 / Primary Adult. MC /WON The Christmas story [DVD] / Australia / 10 minutes / The Wonder of Christmas; No. 1 / Upper Primary Adult. MC /WON The meaning of Christmas [DVD] / Australia / 20 minutes / The Wonder of Christmas; No. 2 / Upper Primary - Adult. The songs of Advent and Christmas are special and great teaching tools. Children love to sing and it is lovely to hear them singing. Below is a selection of music resources relevant to the season. Some are more suited to primary, others to secondary. If you are after a particular song, contact the Centre and we will be able to check our Song File data base to identify whether it is held on a compilation recording or set in the collection such as As One Voice. Call/Order No: HRM COM HRM WIL MC MAN MC MOV MC SIL MC NEW MC DEC MC LYO MC DIL MC DUF MC VER Title [medium]: Peter Combe's Christmas album [Compact Disc] Sing we now of Christmas [Compact Disc] Follow the star : songs & prayer celebrations for Advent & Christmas. [Kit] Move! pray! celebrate! : Music & movement for religious education [DVD] Silent, holy night [Kit] Christmas in the shed. [Sound Recording] Night to remember, a : a christmas musical [Music] The three drovers : an Australian musical Christmas play for children [Music] A Christmas carol pageant [Music] Come hear the story : a christmas pageant for unchanged voices [Music] Disney's very merry Christmas songs [videorecording] MC BEH Behold that star : a Christmas anthology / SCD BUR SCD COS SCD COS SCD BRO SCD BRO SLC CHR Christmas star [Compact Disc] Songs of hope and harmony [Compact Disc] Sacred celebrations for Advent and Christmas : Year A : celebrating our unexpected God [Compact Disc] Accompanying book is Sacred Celebrations for Advent and Christmas - Year A by Rina Wintour in Main Collection. Our God is near : children's hymns and songs for Advent and Christmas [Compact Disc] Comfort my people [Compact Disc] Christmas. [Sound Recording]

6 SMB CHR SMB MAN SMB GRA SMC SON SMC CAR SMC CHR SMC WIS SMC MAN SMC GRA Christmas classics [Music] Follow the star : songs & prayer celebrations for Advent & Christmas. Music book [Music] A christmas album [Music] Songs for religion in life : levels 1 and 2 [Sound Recording] Carols of many nations [Sound Recording] Christmas classics [Sound Recording] He has come songs of Christmas [Sound Recording] Follow the star [Sound Recording] A christmas album [Sound Recording] NOTE: Prefixes to call/order numbers denote where the resource is housed in the collection. Some titles are held as kits and as single items which is why they appear more than once in the list. Titles also appear twice where a music book (SMB) is held as separate item to the sound recording. Where the medium is denoted as sound recording, the item is on audiocassette tape. The internet has some handy resources suited to use in classrooms too, such as the ones noted below: Christmas Action Ryhmes and Finger Plays for Children for young children and the young at heart. RE: Quest Tell Me About Christmas Suited to interactive whiteboard use. DIRECTORY Helen C. Ryan P.O. Box 720 DUBBO NSW 2830 H mob hcryan@nsw.chariot.net.au Mrs. Vicki Mair 191 Piper Street BATHURST NSW 2795 H Catholic Resource Centre For information about borrowing resources or other services, contact Mary Liesch or Anne Griffin Telephone: (02) Fax: (02) recentre@ceo.bathurst.catholic.edu.au

No 76 Term SPREADING GOOD NEWS IN THIS LIFE WE CANNOT DO GREAT THINGS. WE CAN ONLY DO SMALL THINGS WITH GREAT LOVE.

No 76 Term SPREADING GOOD NEWS IN THIS LIFE WE CANNOT DO GREAT THINGS. WE CAN ONLY DO SMALL THINGS WITH GREAT LOVE. No 76 Term 3 2010 SPREADING GOOD NEWS IN THIS LIFE WE CANNOT DO GREAT THINGS. WE CAN ONLY DO SMALL THINGS WITH GREAT LOVE. Mother Teresa My dear SRE Teachers and Assistants, Welcome back to each of you