PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Dear Parents, Students, Staff & Friends of John Therry
34th ANNIVERSARY OF SAINT JOHN PAUL II ABORIGINAL ADDRESS.
November 27 has been set aside as a National Day of Celebration in recognition of Pope JPII’s address to Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal people on 29 November, 1986 in Alice Springs. As he spoke the wind arrived and whipped some of the red earth through the crowd and it seemed like the Holy Spirit was present.
“You are part of Australia and Australia is part of you. And the Church herself in Australia will not be fully the Church that Jesus wants her to be until you have made your contribution to her life and until that contribution has been joyfully received by others”.
This day was significant for the Catholic ministries working in AITSL communities amongst the 120,000 Catholic Indigenous peoples. Throughout the next few weeks the students will be re-visiting this momentous occasion.
END OF THE LITURGICAL YEAR
Last Sunday we celebrated the feast of Christ the King. This also signifies the end of the Liturgical year and the commencement of the next. This always begins with the Holy Season of Advent. This is a time of waiting and hope in preparation for the coming of the saviour, the birth of Jesus. To mark this occasion many Parishes and schools will prepare an Advent wreath.
This is made up of a circle of evergreen leaves and branches with four candles. The candles are white or purple and some customs have a pink candle for the third Sunday. A fifth candle, the Christ candle is placed in the centre.
On the first Sunday of Advent one candle is lit, on the second two and so on. The Christ candle is lit on Christmas Eve. The circle symbolises God’s everlasting love for us. Evergreen plants are also a symbol of endless life. The four candles represent the ever increasing light of Christ as we move towards Christmas, where Jesus comes into the world for us. 
I would ask all families to engage in the Advent activities in your local Church and encourage the students to explore the significance of this time of year.
