NAZARETH SCHOOL PRAYER

Lord, teach me to be generous,

Teach me to serve you as you deserve;

To give and not to count the cost,

To fight and not to heed the wounds,

To toil and not to seek for rest,

To labor and not to ask for reward,

Save that of knowing that I do your will.

Amen

This week, Nazareth has celebrated The World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. Pope Francis stated “This day invites us to reflect on the bond that unites young and old. The Lord trusts that young people, through their relationship with the elderly, will realise that they are called to cultivate a memory and recognise the beauty of being a part of a much larger history” (Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for The World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, 23 June 2023).

We know that our students derive great joy from Grandparents Day and we hope that all of our visitors also had a wonderful time joining us for Mass, partaking in refreshments and visiting their grandchildren in the classrooms.

This year's day is characterized by its close connection with the NAIDOC theme “For our Elders”. It is also connected to the World Youth Day, which will be held in Lisbon, Portugal in August. This relationship is evident in Pope Francis' message to elders, inviting them to pray for and bless the youth who will participate in the WYD, and to young people, urging them to visit and listen to the grandparents and the elderly in their community. The Pope stressed that between the two generations there is a communion of life and faith, a mutual giving and gratitude, a witness of hope and charity. Miss Megan Biggs has been chosen by the Diocese of Wollongong as a Diocesan representative at World Youth Day this year. We wish Megan all the very best for her journey with the confidence that she will be a marvelous ambassador for the youth of our Diocese. We look forward to her sharing her stories with us upon her return in Week 5.

On behalf of the Nazareth school community, I extend congratulations to the Year 6 students who received the Sacrament of Confirmation on 18th and 19th July. We extend our thanks to Fr Joe for his ongoing support and guidance, to the parents and school staff for preparing the students, to the parish secretarial staff who assisted with the smooth operation of the sacramental program and to the All Saints parish community for their ongoing prayers.