How to be a saint like Mother Teresa without leaving home.

Transcription

1 How to be a saint like Mother Teresa without leaving home. I knew two people who had met Mother (now Saint) Teresa and both gave interesting insights into her sanctity. The first was an Australian nun, travelling in India. By happenstance, she was seated on a train with a nun in the habit of the Missionaries of Charity. The Australian said both had a pleasant time and she felt her companion was so interested in what she had to say that she had made this woman s day. Only afterwards, when the woman left, did she realise she had been speaking with Mother Teresa and that it was the quality of her attentiveness that made the time so special. The other, a friend, spent time working in her order and her experience was that St Teresa was not necessarily soft and kind. She had a vision of what was needed for the poor and helpless, and those who were there to help could be treated with a real tough love in order for them to learn how to serve. True loving care of children requires both those qualities. As parents, teachers, guardians we need to give our children a level of attentiveness that often is difficult and self-effacing but true care will never take place without it. It is not enough to be around children. We need to stop, listen to the stories or the reading, watch their reactions and just be with them. We have to go out of ourselves. As we get to know them well, we come to realise where the tough love needs to be applied. We are not our children s friends and, at times, for their good we have to make decisions, say things, take a stand in ways our children will not like. Often, we will feel that we need to be a saint to rear with our child/ren. And indeed you do they are God s way of making you a saint. May St Teresa pray for you and for all parents who serve God with love when they serve their children in love. Loving Father, thank you for the gift of my child/ren. May my care of them be the way you make a saint of me. I ask this in Jesus name and through the intercession of St Teresa of Calcutta. Sr Kym Harris osb From the Principal St Theresa of Calcutta Over the weekend, Pope Francis declared Mother Theresa of Calcutta a saint. Father Raj delivered a wonderful homily to celebrate this momentous occasion at Mass on Sunday, and with his permission I include parts of this with this week s newsletter: As an Indian, I am most grateful to Bishop Michael for asking me to preach on this great occasion of the Canonisation of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. None of you can be my disciple, unless you give up all your possessions. These are strong words! Words which cause most of us to feel uncomfortable. How many of us have given up all our possessions? But as discomfiting as it is, there is also something attractive about this call to radical poverty. So many saints have imitated Jesus poverty down through the ages. St. Francis is one and Mother Teresa, who is going to be canonised as a saint by Pope Francis in Rome today, is another. Their poverty invariably stirred something in their contemporaries. Mother Teresa s Canonisation today is a Great Joy for all of India For the world today, she has become the face of Christ. The Year of Mercy seems like the perfect time for canonising Blessed Mother Teresa because of her major works of mercy. According to the calendar for the Jubilee of Mercy, September 4, 2016, is the Jubilee for Workers and Volunteers of Mercy, which would be one day before the anniversary of her

2 passing from this life to the next. Millions of people around the World believed Mother Teresa was a living saint. Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu of Albanian parents on August 26, 1910, in Skopje, in what is Macedonia today, Mother Teresa came to eastern India s Kolkata city, in 1929, as a missionary nun. Christ had said to Mother Teresa in a vision: Go into the houses, I cannot go alone, you be my face. Indeed, for the world today she has become the face of Christ, Affectionately known as the saint of the gutter for her unconditional love for the poor and the abandoned, she founded her Missionaries of Charity congregation in She earned numerous national as well as international honours for her works of mercy, including the Nobel peace prize in She died on September 5, 1997 at the age of 87 and on October 19, 2003, Mother Teresa was beatified after Pope St. John Paul II recognized her intercession in the miraculous healing of an Indian woman with a tumour in her abdomen. And On December 17, 2015, Pope Francis recognized the miraculous healing from the late sister s intercession of a Brazilian man with multiple brain abscesses. And now Pope Francis will declare her a saint. My mother often tells me that Mother Teresa is a transformative saint who emanated the personification of Christ. She taught the world a lesson: Jesus lives in the hearts of the poor. We shall find His face in them. Hindus in India are also convinced that she was a saint. Some Hindus wonder why the Church needs to go through a canonisation process. They say, Mother Teresa was a saint anyway. But if the Church needs these formalities, then so be it. Hindus also understand that service to the poor is service to God. Mother Teresa trusted in the power of the Eucharist, she started each day with Mass then went out, rosary in hand, to find and serve the Lord amongst "the unwanted, the unloved, the uncared for." Once she was cleansing the wounds of a man dying of leprosy. A journalist kept his distance because of the stench. "I wouldn't do that for a million dollars," he said. Mother Teresa replied, "Neither would I." She was a woman passionately in love with Jesus. We can do no great things only small things with great love. - said Mother Theresa. Like St Mary of the Cross the first Australian saint, St Teresa of Kolkata had great compassion for vulnerable children. Both of these saintly women had a passion for the children s education and welfare. In 1986 Pope John Paul II visited Mother Teresa s Home for the Poor in Calcutta. Mother Teresa later called it the happiest day of her life. In an address following the visit, the Holy Father called the home a place that bears witness to the primacy of love. In spite of increasingly severe health problems towards the end of her life, Mother Teresa continued to govern her Society and respond to the needs of the poor and the Church. By 1997, Mother Teresa's Sisters numbered nearly 4,000, they had established 610 foundations in 120 countries; today the order is present in 139 nations and the number of sisters has increased from 4000 to I think Australia is blessed to have 85 Missionaries of Charity sisters working in the country. When Mother Teresa's earthly life came to an end she was given the honour of a state funeral by the Government of India and her body was buried in the Mother House of the Missionaries of Charity. Her tomb quickly became a place of pilgrimage and prayer for people of all faiths, rich and poor alike. When Our Bishop Michael and Fr Don White travelled to India earlier this year to visit our superiors, Bishop Michael celebrated Mass at the tomb of Blessed Mother Teresa to pray for our diocesan family. And Bishop Michael often says Mother Teresa is an icon of Mercy. St Mother Teresa and her sisters continue to be a prophetic witness to the Gospel and sign of God s love among us. Today, I wish all fathers present here a Happy father s day. I invite you all to meditate upon the graciousness and mercy of God our Father, and thank Him for giving us generous and kind fathers who dedicate and sacrifice their time and energy to make us strong, wonderful and responsible citizens in the world. Let us thank God for fathers who raise strong and faith-filled children and who dedicate their lives to their family. May God bless all fathers. May St Teresa of Kolkata help you and guide you. St Teresa of Calcutta pray for us Father Raj

3 Where s Kellie? This week I am in Toowoomba for the state conference of the Queensland Primary Principals Association. Please direct any queries to Mr Robertson in my absence. Touch Football Sponsorship Our touch football jerseys are not only quite aged now, but with our growing numbers, we are running short of jerseys to disperse. Please take note of the P and F s request for sponsors. Thank you in advance for your support! Father s Day I hope that all of our dads and grandads had a very enjoyable Father s Day on Sunday. Thank you to everyone who supported our Father s Day breakfast and stall. We raised $468 from the breakfast which goes towards the graduation costs of our Year 6 students, and $ which will be presented to the P and F to spend on resources for our students. A great effort by our school community! Congratulations to Sarah Wadsworth who has won the Morning Bulletin s Young Writers primary school award for August, with her short story, Lucidity in Dreaming. We are very proud of you Sarah! Welder Needed We are hoping that someone clever in our school community will be able to build/weld some sort of trolley to help store and move the tables that we use for functions and events such as the High Tea. These tables are very heavy, and it is a big job to move them from one place in the school to another! If anyone has any ideas or would like to volunteer their services, please see the school office. Change to school fees 2017 Please note the information included with today s newsletter regarding some changes to 2017 Fees and Levies, in particular fee discounts and the introduction of a means tested Concession Card discount initiative. Kathy Fishburn or I are only too happy to answer any queries about this that you may have. Parking Notes I have been made aware of the fact that some people parking in the church car park have received reminder notes on their cars. Please note that these flyers are not from the school or parish. Out of consideration for our neighbours requests, we do encourage people not to reverse park against the boundary to the house in the church car park. Reminders: Year 2 excursion Next Monday, 12 th September, our Year 2 classes are exploring some heritage listed buildings in Rockhampton. Please ensure the excursion fee is paid to the office before this date Debating Round 3 of the Debating Competition will be held here next Tuesday, 13 th September. Whole School Mass To celebrate the end of term, please join us for a whole school mass in the hall on Wednesday 14 th September at 9am. Now that Friday afternoon sport has concluded, Years 3-6 are to wear their formal uniforms on PE day (Monday) only. Good Luck To the SJW staff touch football team who will be seeking fame and glory in the Catholic Schools Staff Touch Football competition this weekend. We are hoping to go one further than our second place from last year. Go team!

4 School Hats We have noticed of late, a resurgence in our students wearing alternate hats instead of the approved school uniform hat. We take pride in our uniform and the school hat is as compulsory as the shirts. Please note your children will neither play or participate in PE without their school hat as per our school s uniform policy. Please name your child s hat clearly so that if lost, it can be returned to them immediately! There are currently thirteen (yes thirteen!) unnamed winter jumpers in the lost property box. Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier. Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta Have a great week everyone, Kellie APRE News PRAYER CORNER Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love, Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta THE LITTLE THINGS IN LIFE ARE OFTEN THE BIG IMPORTANT THINGS Mother s Day, Father s Day, birthdays and Christmas are great times of giving and receiving. We plan to pick the perfect gift that the person will be impressed with and will appreciate. These are four days in the year that we make a special effort. If we had the choice of having four big presents a year and encouragement for the remaining days of the year, or a daily life of smiles, friendly welcoming, greetings, thank yous, encouraging words, phone calls, s etc and no big presents, the choice amongst most people would be the latter. We can become givers of compliments, smiles, thank yous, sorries, winks, nods etc it makes our home life and school life so much easier. These are great people skills to practice everyone likes the cheerful giver. It is a WIN WIN situation as the giver of smiles, compliments and thanks is happy and so is the receiver. Catholic Education Office Hobart PRAYER ASSEMBLY with Prep L Please join Prep L, Mrs Lidster and Mrs Kerrisk for their Prayer Assembly on practising Prayer. Assembly will be held at the Hall at 8.35am this Friday.

5 PREPARATION FOR THE SACRAMENTS OF CONFIRMATION AND EUCHARIST (First Holy Communion) for primary-aged children who have been baptised will soon begin in the Catholic Parish of Rockhampton South. It is not too late to register your child/children in this process. Registrations for this years preparation for Sacraments will close on 16 September. Please contact the Cathedral Centre if you still wish to register your child/children Also a reminder that the first step to our Sacramental Journey begins with Ritual of Remembering Baptism. Ritual of Remembering Baptism Sat 10 September Sun 11 September Ritual of Remembering Baptism (during Mass) (Registration forms to be handed in during the Ritual) St Mary s Church St Joseph s Cathedral (for St Paul s, St Joseph s Wandal and St Peter s) Vigil Mass at 6.00 pm Mass at 10.00am CHILDREN S LITURGY OF THE WORD A reminder that Children s Liturgy is held most Sundays at St Peter s Church 9am and St Joseph s Cathedral 10am during the school term. It is wonderful to see our students attend. If any parishioners would like to assist in the leading of Children s Liturgy, please feel free to contact me at school. Father s Day Breakfast Thank you to our Year Six parents for being great chefs and parents for supporting this fundraising event.

6 Year Three Excursion: On Monday the Year Three students travelled to the Dreamtime Centre to further their History work into Australia's first people. The students went to the Torres Strait Islander Hut where Grace spoke to them about how her ancestors lived off the land. They listened to a story about how the Milky Way was formed and how to keep your children safe. While they were there they learnt how to make a variety of noises on the

7 didgerdoo and how to throw a boomerang. All of the students had an enjoyable time and learnt more about the history of Australia. Year Four Excursion: On Monday the Year Four students went to the Rockhampton Botanical Gardens. Ranger Mark took us around the gardens and spoke to the students about plants. He shared with us about the lifecycle of a plant, showed us ways that seeds are dispersed by different plants, how plants reproduce and how fruits are formed by plants. He also took us to the rain forest, desert and tropical plant areas. After our time with Ranger Mark we went for a walk around the Zoo. P & F News Are you a local business? Would you like some fantastic exposure for your business? Well we have a deal for you. St Joseph s P & F wish to invite local businesses within our school community, an opportunity for sponsorship too good to miss. We are about to provide our Junior Touch Football teams with new playing shirts and would like to offer you some advertising, with great exposure. You don t need to be involved in Junior Touch Football in Rockhampton to know just how popular it is. You just need to drive by Cyril Connell Fields on a Saturday morning to see for yourself! The amount a sponsor may contribute is flexible. You could assist us through one of the following options: $300 Your name, and logo to appear on the front and back of our team shirts $150 Your logo to appear on the sleeves of our team shirts We are looking for at least 6 major sponsors, as we are aiming for 6 new sets of playing shirts. If you are interested in sponsoring St Joseph s Wandal Junior Touch Football or would like some more information, please advise the office by close of business this Friday 9 th September 2016 so that we can get the ordering process underway. Thank you very much for your time. P & F Committee

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9 Writing Guide for Parents St Joseph s Catholic Primary School Wandal September 2016 this issue In this issue The Importance of Writing W The Importance of Writing riting is such an important part of your child s The Six Traits Model education. It is a process that begins even before the first day of school and continues throughout their lives. The Australian Curriculum: English aims to create confident communicators, imaginative thinkers and informed citizens.. The Benefits of the Six Traits How can you help? The Writing Process

10 The Six Traits of Writing Writing at St Joseph s Wandal provides opportunities for our learners to be creative and competent communicators through engaging with the Australian Curriculum, using the Six Traits Model of Writing. This brochure contains information to help you support your student writers at home. We use the Six Traits Model of writing and school, and you can use the same language and approach to support your writers at home. The six traits of writing provide a language for describing the qualities that are the basis of good writing. What are the Six Traits? The desire to write grows with writing. Erasmus The Six Traits Model in Summary A trait is a specific characteristic of a successful performance. The traits a successful musician might need would include a sense of rhythm, a love for the music, Organisation is the framework of the writing. It is what holds the ideas together to convey meaning. Word Choice is choosing exactly the right words to get the message across to the reader. Sentence Fluency is about sentences making sense. Sentences need to be easy to read, vary in length and structure and be easy to read aloud. Conventions are the mechanics of writing. Conventions are spelling, grammar, paragraphing and capitalization. The six traits are a way of teaching and assessing that improves written expression by focussing on quality examples of literature and identifying the key building blocks of writing that are necessary for effective communication. technical skill, and dedication to their craft. The traits of good writing are Ideas, Organisation, Voice, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency, and Conventions. Ideas are the main message. They are the thoughts, the content, or the main story line of the piece. Voice is when writing becomes unique and personal. Writing should be individual in ideas, tone, and style.

11 What are the Benefits? The Writing Process 1. It gives teachers, parents and students a common language to talk about writing. 2. It breaks down the complex process of writing into easier to manage bits. 3. Students know what quality writing is. Thinking, brainstorming and planning Drafting Pre-Writing Putting thoughts on paper 4. Teachers (and parents) have a way to respond to student writing. 5. It establishes consistency from year to year and teacher to teacher. Revising Rewriting to improve ideas, sentence fluency and organisation 6. It gives a framework for editing. 7. It allows students to become more responsible for their own writing. Revising to improve conventions Editing 8. Teachers have a framework for providing feedback. 9. It moves away from the lock-step approach of teaching text types in isolation, and moves towards a more integrated approach of teaching writing. Evaluating Share your writing with others Student and teacher assessment of writing Publishing How can you help? Encourage your writer to share their writing aloud. Focus on ideas and content first conventions are not the most important part of writing. Encourage writing is tricky and takes time to get right. Coach don t write for your child. Question, listen and suggest. Don t rewrite whole sections for your child. Let them see you write. Read, read and read with your child. Provide a suitable place to write. Create a climate for writing. Share s with family, write plans for events and write about things done as a family.