As we settle into our Term, it is valuable to pause and consider one of our continuing themes for the Year, and what it might look like to us at this stage. As you likely know, this year has been declared a Jubilee year with the theme of “Pilgrims of Hope”.

A Jubilee Year is a special year in the Catholic Church, celebrated every 25 years (or on special occasions), where the Pope invites all people to renew their faith, seek reconciliation, and focus on God’s mercy and hope.

It is a time for:

• Pilgrimage - both physical and spiritual journeys to draw closer to God. There are a number of sites around our Archdiocese identified as key pilgrimage locations.
  
  
• Prayer and reflection - deepening our relationship with Christ. Prayer is the key to our relationship with God!
  
  
• Reconciliation - experiencing God’s forgiveness and offering it to others, participating in the Sacrament of Reconciliation lets us more truly embrace God.
  
  
• Renewed commitment - living our faith with hope and compassion in the world. What are some of the ways that we can live out our faith, as a family, parish and school? If you have thoughts on what the school can do to explore the Jubilee more fully, please do write to me to let me know!
  
  

The Jubilee invites families and communities to walk together in hope, to open their hearts to others, and to live more fully the Gospel message. At school, we are learning about the Jubilee in a number of different ways. I would strongly encourage you to explore the Pilgrimage Map, which has information about the different places and celebrations for the Jubilee this year!

As part of our continued journey forward, you may have seen on Compass an invitation to join in the discussion about the new name to be adopted for our merged parish. I would strongly encourage all families to discuss what names they would like and to put forward their suggestions and reasons behind them on the ‘Naming our new Parish - Nomination Form’.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful week,

Kind regards,

Christopher Evans

Religious Education Coordinator