From the Aprim

Dear Families,

Holy Week and Easter

There are a range of ways that we are being invited to join in the liturgical events of Holy Week and Easter in the absence of being able to attend services at Mass centres and in our parishes. Please find below initiatives shared from the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide through both live streaming and the use of Channel 44 on free to air television.

Live streaming and TV broadcast of Masses over Easter

Palm Sunday Mass was live streamed from St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral last Sunday. The Cathedral also commenced live streaming of daily Mass from today at 12.10pm. These can be viewed live and on demand on the home page of www.adelaide.catholic.org.au. They will also be available via Facebook or YouTube.

The following Easter services will be broadcast on free to air television on Channel 44, a community television station, at the following times:

• Holy Thursday – Mass of the Lord’s Supper, 6.30pm – 7.30pm
• Good Friday – Passion of the Lord, 3pm – 4pm
• Holy Saturday – Easter Vigil in the Holy Night, 6pm – 7pm
• Easter Sunday, 9am – 10am

In addition, the Passionist Community at The Monastery, Glen Osmond, has pre-recorded the 2020 Stations of the Cross. This can be viewed on YouTube at Stations of the Cross

The Lost is Found!
Every year during Advent, our school has its own nativity scene set up in the front office. It is quite fragile and a prayer is said each time it is displayed that curious little fingers will look, admire and not touch. That was until five years ago…

One day our office staff noticed that baby Jesus had disappeared. No amount of asking or help from our school ‘detectives’ could find him. We mourned his loss and continued to assemble the scene each year without him. “We really need a new nativity scene” was exclaimed every year and we still did nothing about it. He was lost and we would never get him back or so we thought…until recently.

We received a phone call from one of the other schools on our Campus to say that one of their children had found a baby Jesus. It wasn’t theirs so could it be ours?
It had been hidden under some bushes and their little detective had found it. Baby Jesus stayed with this child for a few days, perhaps too special to give back. Then there was an accident, baby Jesus was dropped and he broke!
The child took baby Jesus back to their school’s front office and told the sad tale. Now baby Jesus is back with us, cracked, broken but still baby Jesus.
At first, we looked at him and thought, “Look at how broken he is! We really do need a new nativity scene.” But now that he is back where he belongs, we’ve had a chance to think about it.

What prompted our little person to take him in the first place? Was it that baby Jesus was just so lovely and precious that they had to have him? He was eventually forgotten by that person but stayed in a quiet, safe place here on the Campus grounds, waiting patiently to be found again. And so, he was. He was loved and cherished by another little person for a short time, perhaps bringing some comfort and joy. Now he is back with us, awaiting the magical skills of our handyman to put him back together. He will never look the same but he is back. I don’t feel like buying a new nativity scene now and replacing him.

Baby Jesus lay under a bush on the Campus grounds for five years, unseen but he was still here.

Jesus has said, “I will never leave, nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

Stay strong, stay safe, stay connected.

Wishing you the blessings of Easter,
Sharyn Black
Assistant Principal Religious Identity and Mission