From the Religious Education Coordinator

In our Church ……

FEAST OF ST JOSEPH THE WORKER (1st May)

To foster deep devotion to Saint Joseph among Catholics, and in response to the “May Day” celebrations for workers sponsored byCommunists, Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker in 1955. This feast extends the long relationship between Joseph and the cause of workers in both Catholic faith and devotion. Beginning in the Book of Genesis, the dignity of human work has long been celebrated as a participation in the creative work of God. By work, humankind both fulfils the command found in Genesis to care for the earth (Gn 2:15) and to be productive in their labours. Saint Joseph, the carpenter and foster father of Jesus, is but one example of the holiness of human labour.

Jesus, too, was a carpenter. He learned the trade from Saint Joseph and spent his early adult years working side-by-side in Joseph’s carpentry shop before leaving to pursue his ministry as preacher and healer. In his encyclical Laborem Exercens, Pope John Paul II stated: “the Church considers it her task always to call attention to the dignity and rights of those who work, to condemn situations in which that dignity and those rights are violated, and to help to guide [social] changes so as to ensure authentic progress by man and society.”

Saint Joseph is held up as a model of such work. Pius XII emphasized this when he said, “The spirit flows to you and to all men from the heart of the God-man, Saviour of the world, but certainly, no worker was ever more completely and profoundly penetrated by it than the foster father of Jesus, who lived with Him in closest intimacy and community of family life and work.”

Taken from: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-joseph-the-worker/

 Here is a beautiful reflection of the Feast of St Joseph the Worker from Sr Marie McAlister rsj:

We see work as a right and a privilege to be enjoyed by all. Through work, we share in the creative action of God. Joseph, being a man of integrity, shows us how to bring balance to our interior and exterior aspects of our working lives.

As St Joseph is very frequently looked on as the Husband of Mary and Foster Father of Jesus, we can forget his role as the Worker in the Family. Work, either paid or unpaid, in whatever form, undertaken in a way that enhances our being, gives glory to God.

Work which becomes the aim of our being, and thus an idol, can be a curse and not give life.

We ask St Joseph to give to our Youth the desire to seek work that will give them dignity and enable them to see work as a worthwhile objective. It is a much bigger picture than just asking for work – there are the multiple areas where we need to make sure that our work places are safe, just and fair. It is easy to be employed by unscrupulous bosses who use our young people in a way that does not allow them to grow into a work ethic that will assist them for life.

His role as the Protector of Jesus and Mary, especially when he was fleeing Herod into Egypt, shows us that his relevance, in the mass migrations of people fleeing their war torn, cannot be ignored. These people are barely surviving with no opportunity to be employed and appreciate the role of work in their lives.

St Joseph was the man closest to Jesus. He worked side by side with him, he was Jesus’s Dad. So we need to ask him to help us communicate our desires to the One who is forever asking us to: ‘Come to me and I will give you rest’ Matt.11:28, ‘Knock, and the door will be opened’ Matt.7:7, and ‘I am the Way the Truth and the Life’ John 14:6.

As we celebrate the Feast of St Joseph the Worker, let all of us who are gifted with the opportunity to work remember and pray for those who continue to walk the road of unemployment and despair.

Prayer to St Joseph

Joseph, Model of workers, Protector of Jesus and Mary help us to come to an understanding of the power of your Son to intercede for all those who seek your help.
Your silence is a strong challenge to values current in our society.
Help us to value that interior life which lead you to a total commitment to Jesus and Mary.
We ask this prayer through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

May – The Month of Mary

As we begin May we are reminded that this is the month the Church especially remembers Mary, the Mother of God.  The following is taken from a resource Mr Anthony Cleary, Director of Mission and Identity for Sydney Catholic Schools, published for schools to use to honour Mary throughout this month.

Why do Catholics dedicate the month of May to Mary?

If you practice your Catholic faith you may be aware that Catholics dedicate the month of May to Mary. However, have you ever asked the reason why for this?

Here’s a brief explanation:

The custom has its remote origins in the days of the Roman Empire. Ancient Romans dedicated the month of May to Flora, the goddess of blooms, or blossoms. They celebrated the festival of ludi florals, or floral games, starting at the end of April and invoked Flora for all that blooms. It was the same Romans who gave the month the name of May, after Maia, the goddess of Spring. As Christianity grew within the Roman Empire it was customary for the Church to ‘baptise’ pagan practises or festivals and give them a Christian flavour. It would be only natural that the month of May would eventually be re-dedicated in favour of a Christian personification of Spring, fertility and new life, namely Mary.

The modern practice of a month dedicated specifically to Mary can be traced back to the 17th century, with special devotions organised on each day in May. This custom became more widespread during the 19th century and remains in practice today.

In what ways can Mary be honoured in May? The ways of honouring Mary are as varied as the people who honour her. The most common way is through praying the Rosary, either at home or in parishes. It is common for parishes to have a daily recitation of the Rosary during May, and many parishes erect a special ‘May altar’ with a statue or picture of Mary as a reminder of Mary’s month. It’s also traditional to crown a statue of Mary during May – a custom known as ‘May Crowning.’ Usually, the crown is made of flowers representing Mary’s beauty and virtue, a reminder how we should strive to imitate Mary’s virtue in our own lives.

In addition to the Rosary, there are litanies and specific prayers such as the Angelus, the Regina Coeli, the Memorare, the Hail Holy Queen. Readings from Scripture can accompany these prayers, especially from the Gospels and Matthew and Luke relating to Mary’s role in salvation history. Mary’s great prayer of praise and thanksgiving – the Magnificat – can also be recited and/or reflected upon. 

Why have devotion to Mary? Because she is Jesus’ mother and hence Mother of God. At the foot of the Cross, Jesus gave Mary to St John to be our spiritual mother, to care for all the followers of Jesus day-in-and-day-out without fail, interceding before the throne of God on our behalf for all our needs. For that, Mary deserves an entire month in her honour.

In our Community……

CAMBODIA IMMERSION WORKSHOP

Our students with Mr Ryan Leonard and Ms Carolyn Criss have been preparing for their Cambodia Immersion Experience in July. A Catholic Mission Immersion is an educational program designed to provide students the experience of immersing themselves in a local community and culture to gain and understanding and appreciation of cultures different from their own, viewed from a faith perspective. 

The Cambodian Immersion Team were involved in a pre-trip workshop last week run by Catholic Mission.

The team are super excited to be going on this wonderful journey together.

YEAR 11 REFLECTION DAY

The Year 11 students had a wonderful day at their Year 11 Reflection Day on Monday. A Reflection Day is significantly different from an incursion or excursion.   At Marist Sisters’ College Woolwich, Reflection Days are an integral part of our communities focus on faith formation. They are an integral part of the Religious Education program and allow students throughout their time at Marist Sisters to build on, extend and deepen the reflection on their emerging self in relationship to their family, their peers and God.

The purpose of the Reflection Day program is to assist students to recognise the importance of their holistic development, to give them further understanding of “fullness of life”.  Activities are designed to open students to their spirit dimension as well as fostering a sense of community and a heightened awareness of their own faith and that of others. 

The Year 11 Students participated in a range of activities that focused on Servant Leadership and the qualities of what makes a good leader. The students were asked the question: what does leadership look like for you? What courage do you need to be a leader? This reflection day is the first step in the process of Senior Leadership for our Year 11 students.

I would like thank the following teachers for being a wonderful support on the day and for leading their small groups: Dr Anne Ireland, Mr Joshua Allen, Ms Jennifer Dove, Ms Samantha Ison, Ms Irena Jajevic, Mr Matthew Iskander Ms Mary-Anne Boutros, Ms Grace Spurr and Ms Angela Bowland.

This article on College life meets The Archbishop’s Charter for Catholic Schools – Charter #1, #2