Catholic Life @ MMCC

Crosio Fundraiser – Hearts for Vietnam

On February 13 & 14 Crosio House conducted its annual fundraiser in support of the Bong Hue Orphanage in Vietnam. The Crosio team sold lollipops and heart affirmation cards for students to share kindness with others. Congratulations to the Crosio team for their great fundraiser.

EastFest

Nearly 100 Mary MacKillop Catholic College students attended the annual EastFest at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College Kensington on the evening of Friday, 1st March. Over 600 young students and adults from across Sydney gathered to share in their faith as the future of the Church. The evening included adoration, reconciliation, a performance by Fr Rob Galea and talk from MMCC student, Sedra Wadeea on her experience at WYD 2019 and in meeting Pope Francis. The evening was a truly inspiring event for all who attended.

Lent

The forty days of Lent are a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving for Catholics. During Lent, we prepare for Easter, and reflect on the new life that Christ has given us. With this new life comes the obligation to share our gifts with all members of our human family.

Through prayer we respond to God’s call to live justly as Jesus teaches us. We reflect on the gifts of the earth that we enjoy in abundance and give thanks. In our prayers we are reminded that we have an obligation to share the fruits of the earth with the poor, the marginalised and the disempowered.

By fasting we walk with the poor for whom the pangs of hunger are a normal part of daily life. In giving alms we take concrete and meaningful action to give of ourselves to the lives of others.

The ashes we received on Ash Wednesday remind us of our own mortality and call us to repentance, to turn away from selfishness to the promise of new life. We gather to ask forgiveness for our human weaknesses and to pray for the strength to become better and more compassionate people.

Lent in 3 Minutes

Celebrate a Catholic Lent

Lent by Fr Rob Galea

XT3 – Lenten Calendar 2019 http://www.sydneycatholic.org/xt3lent/

Project Compassion Launch

The Justice Vice Captain and members of the Justice committee gathered at St Ursula’s College Kingsgrove on Shrove Tuesday for the launch of Project Compassion 2019. Joined by students from Sydney Catholic Schools, our students took part in an interactive workshop with Caritas Australia, commissioning of leaders to lead Project Compassion initiatives in their schools and an address from Super Dube, the Caritas Hwange’s Diocesan Coordinator.

Super Dube spoke about the project Caritas supported in Hwange to bring fresh, clean water to the Simangani community and the long term improvement this community has experienced. Super Dube said the “The project brought the community together.

Project Compassion

First Sunday of Lent 10^th March 2019

Thandolwayo, a 12-year-old girl in Zimbabwe, would walk seven kilometres each day to collect contaminated water for her family. She then went to school exhausted from hours fetching and carrying water. It looked like she would never realise her hope of finishing her education and becoming a nurse, until a Caritas Australia supported project created access to clean water helping Thandolwayo to stay at school and achieve a future full of hope.

https://lent.caritas.org.au/page/week-1#blank

Second Sunday of Lent 17^th March 2019

Tati lives in the remote forest of Indonesia with her husband and children. Earning an income working in a local rubber plantation, her Dayak culture has relied on the rainforest for generations. However, due to land clearing, many indigenous people are losing their land and livelihoods. Through eco-tourism training supported by Caritas Australia, Tati can now afford to send her children to school. With new hope and commitment Tati aspires to a future free from poverty for her family.

https://lent.caritas.org.au/page/week-2#blank

Third Sunday of Lent 24^th March 2019

Peter goes to a boarding school in the Solomon Islands which has experienced water shortages for 60 years. Previously, students would have to walk kilometres each day in search of clean water, which was particularly challenging for Peter who is living with a disability. With Caritas Australia’s support, the school has created a new reliable water system. With more free time and fewer illnesses caused by dirty water, Peter can fulfil his hope of focusing on his studies, providing him with brighter future.