Year Six have begun their Confirmation journey!

Learning about Saints of the church is a wonderful way to expose students to the idea that being a Saint does not mean never making a mistake or bad decision, it does mean that the person made a sacrifice, often of their life, to God. Their faith stood above all of their faults. 

In their breakout space the Year 6 teachers display about 30 quotes. Just the quote, not any information about who said it. The students were asked to choose 2 or 3 that spoke to them. We shared a few and discussed why they were drawn to them. Then they had to Google the quote.

They of course realised pretty quickly that all the quotes were attributed to a Saint.  They were surprised, however, to feel connected to those who were part of Church history. 

Here are some quotes chosen and reasons why they were chosen….

Nelson chose St Ignatius of Loyola who said “Hate what the world seeks and seek what it avoids”. Nelson reflected that it means to chase your dreams; if someone does something because they are your friend you don’t have to do the same.

Archie chose St Augustine who said “ There is no saint without a past and no sinner without a future”. He reflected that “It made me feel good about myself and that I don’t have to be perfect.”

Evie chose St Patrick who wrote the beautiful words:

 “Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,

Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ on my right, Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in the eye that sees me,

Christ in the ear that hears me.”

She reflected that “God is with you and the Lord is always with you.”

Star chose St Elizabeth of Hungary  who said “How could I wear a crown of gold when my Lord wears a crown of thorns and He wears it for me.” She reflected that “Some people would sacrifice themselves for you and that is how life works. People will do things for you without being asked and stick up for you.

What wise students we have. Please keep all of these students in your prayers as they prepare for the Sacrament. 

What staff are learning about

(The disciples Peter and John running to the tomb on the morning of the Resurrection 1898 by Eugene Burnard.)

At the Staff Meeting this week we reflected on this striking image of John and Peter running the empty tomb on Easter morning.

What do you see? What are you drawn to? What symbolism do you see?

We discussed times in our faith we are running towards God (the empty tomb) but we don’t know what awaits us and what we are going to find but we do know that God will be there.

You may be interested in reading the article we shared as well.

https://www.ssje.org/2008/05/03/running-to-the-empty-tomb/

We went on to reflect on the 40 days of the Easter story, that Easter does not “finish” with the resurrection.

Staff chose scriptures to explore with their class about the appearances of Jesus after the Resurrection.

Amazingly, this image is over 100 years old!

Catholic Life and Reflection

I have been thinking a great deal about the sort of teacher I want to be, which may seem odd considering I started my teaching journey in 1993. It was right here at St John the Apostle in a Kindergarten class with Jenny Cunliffe.  

I know I have come a long way since then but despite my many years in the classroom it has only been in the last few years that I have swallowed my pride and understood the truth of what it means to be a teacher. The reality is that I will be shaping my craft until my very last day in the classroom.  

I became a teacher because my own experience of school was lonely and isolating but I was a reader and I loved to learn new things. I have reignited that passion since arriving back at St Johns, to read, to learn, to consider and to question. Both in my faith journey and my classroom practise. 

It is never too late to seek the truth.  May the risen Christ be your guide and comfort. 

God bless you all,
Stephanie Stewart

Religious Education Coordinator