From the Religious Education Coordinator
In our Church ……
THE FEAST OF ST. ALOYSIUS GONZAGA, SJ (21 June)
The 21 June is the feast day of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, an Italian Jesuit known for his courage in serving the sick and his dedication to the education of young students.
As a young boy, St. Aloysius always had a great desire to know and serve God, but his
family life was not always supportive of this desire. He was born into a noble Italian family, and his father was a compulsive gambler. He grew up in a castle and was trained from a very young age to be a soldier and courtier, and despite the opposition of his family, he taught catechism to poor boys.
He encountered many holy people in his lifetime; he received his first Communion from St. Charles Borromeo and studied under St. Robert Bellarmine. As a teen, he suffered from a kidney disease which he considered a blessing, as it left him with plenty of time for prayer.
At 18 he signed away his legal claim to his title and his family’s lands and entered the Jesuits. He died shortly thereafter of the plague at the age of 23, having devotedly cared for plague victims in Rome in the outbreak of 1591.
He was canonized in 1726 and is the patron saint of youth, AIDS patients and AIDS caregivers.
In our Curriculum ……
Year 9 Religious Education
This week we highlight the fantastic work Year 9 students are applying in their Religious Education classes. Throughout this term, Year 9 students have begun exploring the unit; Sacraments of Healing on 2 John 5;
“But now, dear lady, I ask you, not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning, let us love one another.”
The Sacraments of Healing include the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation and the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. This unit will address the Scriptural foundations of the Sacraments of Healing, with a focus on Jesus’ acts of healing and inclusion. Through their investigation of the Sacraments of Healing, students will consider the nature of sin and forgiveness, and healing and suffering in the world, in their community and in their own lives. Students will come to an understanding of the hope and restoration offered through the Sacraments of Healing. To achieve this, students have been consolidating their knowledge, values and skills through activities such as journaling, creating posters on forgiveness and care studies of suffering.
Thank you to Year 9 for your efforts! Thank you to our teaching team for their continued commitment and dedication to Year 9; Ms. Veronica Barbagallo, Mr. Justin Hodges, Ms. Angela Bowland, Ms. Irena Jajcevic, Ms. Rosario Poli and Ms. Rebecca Bombaci.
This article on College life meets The Archbishop’s Charter for Catholic Schools – Charter #1, #2
