Dear Parents, Guardians and Carers,

Friday was definitely a reminder of how quickly things can change!

Stage 4 restrictions have been a new experience for us in regional Victoria and we hope you are all coping with going back into (hopefully) a short-term lockdown. The CBD has been eerily quiet over the past two days.

Whilst as a school we decided that we will use a “homework” approach for these three days, please be assured that the staff have been working hard to put things in place for the continuation of learning if the current restrictions are extended. Please keep checking your emails for updates.

This week is also the start of the Lenten season and in his message for Lent 2021, Pope Francis calls on the faithful to “renew our faith, draw from the living waters of hope, and receive with open hearts the love of God.” He reminds us that every moment of our lives is a time for believing, hoping, and loving.

In these times of trouble, when everything seems fragile and uncertain, it may appear challenging to speak of hope. Yet Lent is precisely the season of hope, when we turn back to God who patiently continues to care for his creation which we have often mistreated.

In Lent, may we be increasingly concerned with “speaking words of comfort, strength, consolation and encouragement, and not words that demean, sadden, anger or show scorn”. In order to give hope to others, it is sometimes enough simply to be kind, to be “willing to set everything else aside in order to show interest, to give the gift of a smile, to speak a word of encouragement, to listen amid general indifference”.

To experience Lent with love means caring for those who suffer or feel abandoned and fearful because of the Covid-19 pandemic. In these days of deep uncertainty about the future, let us keep in mind the Lord’s word to his Servant, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you” (Is 43:1). In our charity, may we speak words of reassurance and help others to realize that God loves them as sons and daughters.

The full transcript can be found: https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2021/02/12/210212a.html

Stay safe!

Kind regards

Jodie