A warm welcome back to the start of Term Three. I hope the mid-year pupil vacation break enabled all members of our St Anthony’s community the time to rest and spend quality family time. 

For our Year Six students, along with other children in the parish, they will commence an important milestone in the faith journey as they begin a time of preparation in order to be ready to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. This sacrament is called Confirmation because the faith given in Baptism is now confirmed and made strong. Confirmation means accepting responsibility for your faith and destiny. Childhood is a time when you’re told what to do, and you react positively to reward and negatively to punishment. Adulthood, even young adulthood, means that you must do what’s right on your own, not for the recognition or reward but merely because it’s the right thing to do. The focus is on the Holy Spirit, who confirmed the apostles on Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4) and gave them courage to practice their faith. Catholics believe that the same Holy Spirit confirms Catholics during the Sacrament of Confirmation and gives them the same gifts and fruits. Parents need to be aware for their children to participate in the sacrament of confirmation, one parent is to attend a mandatory registration session. This is an essential part of the preparation program. You are required to attend ONE of the following sessions: either today, Thursday 31 July at 7:00 pm or Friday 1 August at 1:00 pm. At this session, the Parish will provide important information about the Confirmation program, take enrolments, distribute the Confirmation workbooks and offer guidance and support for the preparation process. 

Term 3 has started with the celebration of an important whole school community event. St Anthony’s celebrated Naidoc Week with various engagement opportunities and activities and a wonderful celebration of the richness and diversity of Aboriginal culture and first nations peoples. Naidoc Week provided an opportunity for our community to come together to recognise and celebrate the rich traditions and culture of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples past, present and those of the future and their contributions to our communities. I would like to acknowledge a number of people who planned and facilitated the Naidoc Week liturgy and activities, Mrs Nicole Newton, Mrs Donna Spiteri and the staff of St Anthony’s.