Dear Parents and Carers of Good Samaritan,

Last weekend our Year 6 students celebrated the sacrament of Confirmation. The ceremonies were all beautiful focusing on the children and this terrific moment in their faith journey.

Being  able to celebrate Confirmation on Pentecost makes the occasion all the more special. Pentecost is that time of the year where we recognise the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Holy Spirit is God’s energizing presence among us. The Spirit of God moves us to new heights of understanding, to new types of witness, to new dimensions of life needed in the here and now. 

The Confirmation candidates were able to  come to recognise how they could work with the Spirit in their lives. Bishop Brian spoke to the children about what they could do to show others that they stood for and with the Spirit. One response was to ‘Be an upstander - not a bystander!’

What a great response! Being an upstander means that they recognise when something is wrong and they work to do something to make it right. This isn’t easy for 11 and 12 year olds. At times it is easier to be a bystander, not say too much, allow things that may make them feel uncomfortable go without saying or doing anything. 

However, often children don’t feel skilled enough to call out poor behaviour or to get extra help when things aren’t going well. It’s important that, as adults, we lead them to come to  recognise the Holy Spirit and access the gifts that are the treasures of the Confirmation. Our faith allows us to believe that we will have the courage to stand up for what is right.

We are given the gifts of the Spirit so that they bear much fruit  in our daily lives. As we experience the fruits they  grow  and intensify allowing the Spirit to be recognised more and more often.

Our challenge in this season of Pentecost is to reconnect with the fruits of the Spirit, lead our  children to recognise them and, most importantly, allow them to flourish in our lives.

Enjoy the week ahead as we journey together, with Jesus,

Toni Sillis

Principal