This year at Sts Peter and Paul, we are all called to ‘Let Your Light Shine”

Confirmation – Year 6

As you would be aware from previous newsletters, the Sacrament of Confirmation will be celebrated in our Parish this Term. Children who have already celebrated their First Reconciliation and First Eucharist and are in Year 6 or above may be enrolled.

To enrol your child, please

1. Download the Qkr! App
2. Search for ‘Woden North Transfiguration Parish’
3. Click on ‘Parish Payments and Sacraments’
4. At the top, Click on ‘Sacrament’
5. Then select ‘Confirmation’
6. Fill out the Enrolment form and pay the $40 (This helps to defray the cost of a workbook, commemorative certificate, medal and administrative costs. If you have difficulty meeting the offering, please contact the parish office for a confidential discussion.)

The Enrolment Form asks for your child’s confirmation name and sponsor.  If your child has not yet decided on a confirmation name or sponsor, you should still return the form ASAP and provide this information when it becomes available.  (A confirmation name is the name of a saint who inspires the candidate to follow Jesus).  The sponsor assists the candidate to grow in their Catholic faith.  The sponsor must be a confirmed Catholic normally not less than 16 years of age, living a life of faith consistent with that role, having a good relationship with the candidate and being neither parent nor sibling of the candidate as they are sponsoring on behalf of the wider family of faith. 

Preparation for this Sacrament will be done through a Family-Based Program

The Parish Family-Based program affirms the direct participation of parents in their child’s faith journey with the prayerful support of the Parish community.  The program compliments but does not replace the religious instruction given at Catholic schools or through a School of Religion.  Parents have found the program to be a graced time with their child and that in turn has made the celebration of the sacrament all the more meaningful.

Home Groups and Host Nominations:

All hosts must have, or have applied for, a Working With Vulnerable People (WWVP) card. There is no cost involved in applying for a WWVP card for volunteers.

You can nominate yourself as a host at the following link, and you can also use this link to place your child into a Home Group.

Please note, homegroups will only go ahead if they have a  hosts, so ensure your group has a nominated host. Thank you.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1i8-3PGSXoMyacLuK5KGt9ITdj015z-g9WhX5eY4xV_g/edit?usp=sharing

The Sacrament of Confirmation:

The Sacrament will be celebrated in the Parish of the Transfiguration, North Woden, on Tuesday 21 June 2022 at 6pm and Wednesday 22 June at 6pm. 

What does the program involve?

The program includes:

• Four Family Group Meetings for parents and children.
• Presentation Mass. Each family must attend either of the Saturday 4 June 6pm, Sunday 5 June 9.30am or 5:30pm Mass, at Holy Trinity Church, Curtin.
• Parent and Child Stole Night, June 9th in the Holy Trinity School Hall, 18-20 Theodore Street, Curtin.
• Pending COVID-19 restrictions, a children’s Retreat Day and practice, Friday 17 June, 9.15am-2.15pm, in the Holy Trinity School Hall.

If you would like your child to celebrate Confirmation this year, you must complete enrolment and payment to the Parish Office ASAP. Enquiries can be made to the Parish Office (9am – 3.30pm Mon, Wed and Fri, 6281 3999, or email to wodennorth@cg.org.au)

MacKillop House & CatholicCare Call for Assistance

CatholicCare are seeking financial assistance with their Canberra based ministry, MacKillop House. Mackillop House in Lyneham nightly accommodates some 20-22 women of all ages, as well as many mothers and their children in need. The ACT government has agreed to provide some funding towards the upgrading of the bedrooms and common lounge areas at MacKillop house, however more funding is needed to complete the project.

To read more about the lifechanging work that CatholicCare do through MacKillop House, click here

If you are in a position to make a small donation to CatholicCare and MacKillop House, please go to Qkr! - school payments section and follow the links to ‘MacKillop House & CatholicCare’.

Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year C   John 13:31-35

The passage from the Gospel of John actually comes from the Last Supper account, as is indicated by the opening line: ‘When Judas had gone’. However, the passage is being used during the post-resurrection Easter season. The passage about being glorified can be read in this context as referring to the crucifixion that was, rather than the crucifixion that is still to come in the original setting. The reference that Jesus will not be with the disciples much longer can also be read as an indicator towards the Ascension. It is a clever liturgical use of a gospel passage out of its intended context.

The second half of the gospel passage is perhaps the more familiar section. It is a common text for marriage ceremonies. However, sometimes its selection is purely based on the use of the term ‘love’. Earlier in His ministry, Jesus was asked which commandment was the most important. He replied that you must love the Lord your God with all your heart and that you must love your neighbour as yourself. (Mt 22) The ‘new’ commandment that He issues at the Last Supper is not so much a new commandment as a variation on a theme. The newness highlights the changes that are occurring in the small group of friends. His language conveys an imperative: you must love one another, ‘just as I have loved you’. He tells the disciples – and us – that the way they behave towards one another must be with the same love that Jesus treated them. And the love that Jesus gave was the love of God for all the world. So the love that Jesus commands the disciples (us) to show one another is nothing less than the powerful love of God.

(Reflection by Greg Sunter)

Blessings for the week ahead,

Stephanie Burns