Pentecost

This week in the Church and at JPII we have been celebrating the great feast of Pentecost; the day on which the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles and they were emboldened to go out and share the news of Jesus’ death and resurrection with everyone.

At Karakia on Monday we used the symbol of flame coloured balloons to represent the effect of the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The air empowering the balloons to fly is like the Holy Spirit which empowers us and inspires us in our lives. Father Matthew also visited the senior Religious Studies classes to discuss this great Feast with them.

Youth Group

The youth group has begun on Thursdays after school and we had a lovely time on June 1 with a group of ten students who had a lot of fun, shared pizza and discussed what they would like to see in their youth group. We came up with some ideas related to service activities and community building and faith sharing activities like movie nights, fun sports activities, visiting rest homes and other great ideas which we will work on implementing in the coming weeks and months.

As you can see from the photos, there was lots of laughter and fun as we played games to break the ice for the group. All students are welcome after school on Thursdays. They don’t have to be Catholic or strong in their faith. We are an inclusive group who will grow and learn together.

Choir

We have begun a choir in conjunction with Ivory, the youth worker for the parish, who plays the guitar and leads the St Patrick’s choir as well. The group that we had on Wednesday sounded so beautiful. We look forward to the lovely music they will lead in our school masses when they develop a good repertoire of songs and some more confidence in their very real talent.

Champagnat Day

On Tuesday 6 June we celebrate the feast of St Marcellin Champagnat, the founder of the Marist Brothers.

Importantly for the sense of community we love here at JPII, Marcellin told his teaching Brothers, and the message is relevant for us today too, “Before you can teach a [young person] first you must love him [or her].” As teachers here in a school both Marist and Mercy in its heritage, we choose to love our students and work with them as the wonderful, precious individuals they are.

We pray that as a community we may be inspired by Marcellin and his love of young people, to serve our young people and our community with love and respect for all.

Defensive Driving Course