Thursday night was a very special evening in the lives of many of our students and their families. After many hours of preparation, they received the Sacrament of Confirmation. With numbers capped this year there was an added intimacy to the evening making it more reminiscent of that evening when the Holy Spirit descended upon the first Disciples of Jesus. Just as the Spirit dwelled within the first Disciples, the Spirit was very much present within each of the candidates on Thursday evening. Candidates were reminded by Fr Tom that the  Sacrament of Confirmation is one of the most important Sacraments in the Catholic Church because it is where the students themselves choose to follow Christ.

I was so impressed by the maturity displayed by each and every candidate and I congratulate them for the way they approached their preparation for this Sacrament and their prayerful reverence on Thursday evening. I would also like to congratulate the Year 6 students who did not make their Confirmation but who provided wonderful support for their peers. I thank Skye McPadden, Ella Barry, Michelle Mason and Alisha Barrett for their preparation of these young candidates. Please continue to keep the candidates and their families in your prayers.

The following prayer is one which always speaks to me at this time and you may wish to spend some time with it for yourselves.

Spirit of God grant me the gift of wisdom that I may always respond in faith to whatever you ask me.

Spirit of God, grant me the gift of understanding that I may know the meaning of your word and live my life according to it.

Spirit of God, grant me the gift of courage to make the right decisions in my life in good times and in difficult times.

Spirit of God, grant me the gift of wonder and awe that I may grow in love and appreciation of your Word and always have love and compassion for my family and all the people who come into my life.

Spirit of God, grant me the gift of knowledge and help me to understand the meaning of life with others and the world around me.

Spirit of God, grant me the gift of right judgement to choose correctly when making decisions about the way I live my life.

Spirit of God, grant me the gift of reverence and respect for your name so that I may always respond in prayer and action to your presence in my life.

This term will have been the student’s first full term physically at school. It was wonderful to have students back again and to go the whole term without having to return to remote learning. However, I have also noticed that many are more tired than usual by the end of Term 3, so these holidays will be a welcome break for all. I know some of you will be taking the opportunity to travel over this break. If you are travelling, I wish you a safe journey. For those who are just taking some time, I wish you a restful break.

God Bless