Halloween became famous as a kind of fun and festive event with costumes and games in the Seventies in America; Australians have recently adopted this tradition. The party vibe of Halloween nowadays is so strong that it often loses its religious connection. 

Although Halloween is not considered a Catholic holiday, it actually originated from All Saints’ Day, also known as All Hallow’s Day. All Hallows’ Eve, now called Halloween, traditionally celebrated on October 31st, was a great vigil and a time of preparation and prayer for the feast of all Hallows (an old English word for Saints). On the feast of All Saints, November 1st, we remember those people who made a positive difference to their communities of their time. They remained faithful to God and their cause despite the many hardships faced. We remember those people who have been saints to us in our lives and all holy women and men who have lived lives of integrity with hope and a deep faith in God. We look to them as examples of how we can make a difference in our world.  

All Souls Day, November 2nd, is a day on which we honour the memories of all those who have passed away, especially those who have died in the past year, through prayer, scripture and reflection. Our year 2 and 3 students will host our All-Souls Day mass this year. We want to pray for those in our community who have passed away throughout the past year. If you would like us to pray for your recently parted loved one, you are invited to pass their name on to Mrs. Perre by Monday, the 30th of October.  You are warmly welcome to celebrate the feast of All Souls with us next Thursday at 9:00 am in the church.

SOUTHERN CROSS   

The current edition of the Catholic newspaper put out by the Archdiocese, called' The Southern Cross,' is available at; The Southern Cross, October 2023. 

Loving God,  

We keep in our hearts and our prayers, all those holy men 
and women whose lives were guided by the spirit. 
Inspired by their lives we pray that we 
answer the call to be children of God 
and have the courage and strength to 
listen to the spirit guiding us and leading us. 
We ask this prayer through Jesus your son. 

Amen

May you follow in the footsteps of the Saints and be examples of God’s love in our world. 

APRIM
Rosemary Perre