Advent in 2 minutes video

Advent

Exaltation of the Cross

Feast of the Assumption

Its a big day on Friday, its the Feast of the Assumption. We have the opportunity to celebrate mass together with our children this Friday at 9.15am.

The feast day of the Assumption of Mary, also known as Assumption Day, celebrates the day that God assumed the Virgin Mary. It is the principal feast day of the Virgin Mother.
The children will be preparing this week for our Feast Day.
Share the "Hail Mary" together this week at some stage of the day.

Feast Of Mary MacKillop - 8 August

Mary MacKillop is Australia's first saint who also had a lot of influence in New Zealand. Mary MacKillop believed in education for everyone and realised that country children in both Australia and New Zealand were being denied this opportunity. She founded an order of sisters - The Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart and these nuns set up many schools in New Zealand - many of these are called St. Joseph's (Papanui and Rangiora). The Sister of St Joseph were also at Our Lady of the Assumption School.

One of Mary MacKillop's favourite sayings was:

"Never see a need without doing something about it"

Friday 25 July

Young Vinnies Christchurch - Faith In Action Afternoon – July 17th

The Christchurch Young Vinnies team will be running their second “Faith in Action Afternoon” during the school holidays. This event is for Young People who are Year 7 to 13 and above from throughout the region. You are invited to join us on July 17th 2014 from 1 to 5 pm at 265 Stanmore Rd, Richmond, Christchurch. This time our main aim will be to plant a large vegetable garden that will allow us to provide some fresh veggies to send out with our food parcels for those in need later in the year. Please register for the afternoon online or for more details go to www.youngvinnieschch.org.nz or contact James 029 771 1678.

Young Vinnies

http://www.youngvinnieschch.org.nz/latest-news--blog

Ascension

"Let us ascend in spirit with Christ, that when His day comes, we may follow with our body. Let us do this by trampling on our vices and evil inclinations; thus building a ladder by which we can ascend." - St. Augustine

Our Lord remained forty days on earth after His Resurrection, to prove its truth, to encourage His Apostles, and to give them all the instruction necessary for the preaching of His Gospel and the organization of the infant Church. "And He led them out as far as Bethania: and lifting up His hands He blessed them. And it came to pass, whilst He blessed them, He departed from them and was carried up to Heaven. And while they were beholding Him going up to Heaven, behold men stood by them in white garments. Who also said: Ye men of Galilee, why stand you looking up to Heaven? This Jesus Who is taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come as you have seen Him going into Heaven. And they, adoring, went back into Jerusalem with great joy" (Acts 1.).

Feast of Our Lady of Fatima

HOLY SPIRIT STRAND – THEOLOGICAL FOCUS

The Holy Spirit…..

• is the Third Person of the Holy Trinity

• gives life to the Church

• works in the minds and hearts of people calling them to lead good lives

• calls people to serve others and worship God and Christ in the Church

• is God at work in and through people – known as the indwelling of the Holy Spirit

• enables people to live with faith and hope in God and act with love

• is the source of all life and all holiness which comes from God (the Father), through Jesus Christ by the working of the Holy Spirit

• enables people to cooperate with God’s loving plan

• enables people to honour the Father in worship and do the work of Jesus on earth with tika, pono and aroha

• is understood through a variety of titles – Advocate, Consoler, Spirit of Truth

• is understood through a variety of symbols – water, fire, wind etc

• is celebrated at Baptism – bringing gifts and enabling people to share in the life of the Trinity in the Church

Palm Sunday Song

http://crossroadskidsclub.net/portfolio/music-video-from-us/

The Annunciation

Saint Joseph - Feast Day

https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=4

http://www.marypages.com/StJoseph.htm

St. Joseph was the foster father of Jesus and he is the patron saint of workers. He is a patron of workers partly because he was a worker himself – a carpenter – but also because of the gift that he gave of himself when he agreed to take care of Mary and Jesus.

Joseph and Mary were not yet married when Joseph found out that Mary had been chosen to be the Mother of God, created to give birth and take care of Jesus. Mary and Jesus would need someone to care for them. That person was St. Joseph.

Through an angel, God asked Joseph to take Mary to be his wife. This was so that Jesus could grow up in a holy family with two holy parents. It was very important that Mary and Jesus have someone to care for both of them. Joseph was a hard-working carpenter, so he was able to give Mary and Jesus the things they needed to live. Joseph gladly gave of himself to be a husband to Mary and a father to Jesus.  Although it is such a big job to take care of a family, it was even more important when you consider that the family he was caring for were Mary, the Mother of God, and Jesus, the Son of God.

Saint Patrick - Feast Day

St. Patrick's Day falls on March 17th. It honours Saint Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland, who was executed on March 17, about A.D. 461.

http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=89

Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is credited with establishing 300 churches in Ireland and of having converted most of the population to Christianity. Patrick was born in Great Britain to a wealthy Alderman and Christian. At 16 Patrick was kidnapped by pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland. During his captivity as a shepherd, he dedicated himself to his religion. He managed to escape captivity six years, later. Returning to England he believed it was his responsibility to bring Christianity to the Irish. He studied in the monastery of Le'rins off the south east coast of France and in Auxerre, France with Saint Germanius, a French bishop. Pope Celestine I later sent Patrick to Ireland. He was an Apostle to the Irish.

The legends about Saint Patrick are what most people associate with St. Patrick's Day. It is said he used the shamrock to explain the concept of the holy trinity to the Irish. Showing them the three leafed clover he explained that God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit were three parts of the same divinity. Many people believe this is how shamrocks came to be identified with St. Patrick as well as Ireland, becoming it's national symbol. He is also said to have driven the snakes out of Ireland.

Calendar for Lent 2014

Shrove Tuesday

Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent in the Roman Catholic Church. "Shrove" is the past tense of the word "shrive," which means to hear a confession, assign penance, and absolve from sin. Shrove Tuesday is a reminder that we are entering a season of penance.

Shrove Tuesday is also known as Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras (which is simply French for Fat Tuesday). So Pancakes for dinner today! Recipe Below if you haven't got one !

Pancakes

125g flour
3 eggs
250ml milk
30g melted butter

Mix all together in one go until well blended. Allowing the mixture to stand for half an hour may improve it marginally, but use it straight away if necessary.

Heat the frying pan and rub it with a little oil or butter. Any more and the pancake will be heavy. As there is butter in the pancake batter, it’s often not necessary to add more oil or butter to the pan later.

Pour the pancake batter into a jug and pour a skim of batter onto the hot pan.

Roll the pan quickly so the batter spreads over the pan and replace on the heat.

Allow to cook until brown without moving it around. The pancake will only flip successfully when well cooked.

Tilt the pan away from you so the pancake almost slides off, and flip so the uncooked side goes onto the pan.

Allow another minute to cook the second side.

Serve immediately or stack and put in a warm oven to keep hot while cooking the rest.