From the Religious Education Coordinator
In our Church ……
The Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary [8th September]
The Church has celebrated Mary’s birth since at least the sixth century. A September birth was chosen because the Eastern Church begins its Church year with September. The September 8 date helped determine the date for the feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8. Scripture does not give an account of Mary’s birth. However, the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James fills in the gap. This work has no historical value, but it does reflect the development of Christian piety. According to this account, Anna and Joachim are infertile but pray for a child. They receive the promise of a child who will advance God’s plan of salvation for the world. Such a story, like many biblical counterparts, stresses the special presence of God in Mary’s life from the beginning.
Saint Augustine connects Mary’s birth with Jesus’ saving work. He tells the earth to rejoice and shine forth in the light of her birth.
“She is the flower of the field from whom bloomed the precious lily of the valley. Through her birth the nature inherited from our first parents is changed.”
Reflection
We can see every human birth as a call for new hope in the world. The love of two human beings has joined with God in his creative work. The loving parents have shown hope in a world filled with travail. The new child has the potential to be a channel of God’s love and peace to the world. This is all true in a magnificent way in Mary. If Jesus is the perfect expression of God’s love, Mary is the foreshadowing of that love. If Jesus has brought the fullness of salvation, Mary is its dawning.
Taken from: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/nativity-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary/
The Feast of St Teresa of Calcutta [5th September]
On August 26, 1910, Mother Teresa was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in Skopje, Macedonia. As a young girl she was very involved in parish activities, and her mother told her many stories of missionaries, who inspired her greatly. In 1928, at age 18, Agnes joined the missionary order of the Sisters of Loreto in Dublin, Ireland. There she was given the name Sister Mary Teresa. As a young Sister in 1929 she travelled to Calcutta (today known as Kolkata), India, to teach at a school for girls. She continued to teach at various schools in India for 20 years. During that time, she was deeply moved by the number of sick and dying people on the streets.
On September 10, 1946, while travelling by train to Darjeeling, Sister Mary Teresa experienced a “call within a call.” She felt called to be God’s love in action: to serve the sick and dying, the hungry and homeless. She received permission to leave the Loreto convent. Then she sought medical training and became determined to serve the poorest of the poor. Eventually, she was joined by other women. Some of these women were her former students, and they helped her serve the poor. In 1950 she established an order of religious women called the Missionaries of Charity. Over time the Missionaries of Charity have built centres throughout the world. In 1979 Mother Teresa, as she was known by then, received the Nobel Peace Prize. She captivated the world as few other people have. Her simple message was: “We are put on earth to do something beautiful for God.”
Pope John Paul II chose October 19, 2003, as the date for the beatification of Mother Teresa. The ceremony was a celebration for the entire world. Mother Teresa’s life of holiness is respected on a global scale. Her example of humble and loving service is admired by millions of people. The process that led to Mother’s Teresa’s beatification was the shortest in modern history. Ordinarily, the cause for beatification cannot begin until five years after the candidate’s death. However, Pope John Paul II advanced the cause of Mother Teresa soon after her death on September 5, 1997. The pope explained that he was making an exception because of widespread admiration for the tiny nun.
Mother Teresa’s spiritual vitality can be described with these words.
“Don’t search for God in faraway lands. He is not there. He is close to you. He is with you. Just keep that lamp burning, and you will always see him.”
In our Community….
Father Daughter Mass
Last Wednesday we celebrated our Father Daughter Mass and Breakfast at Marist Sisters’ College. It was a morning of celebration and community spirit. Students and their Fathers, Father Figures and Grandfathers celebrated the Eucharist together at Mass and then enjoyed a delicious breakfast with great company and a wonderful view on Cerdon Plaza.
On Fathers day when we remember what it means to have a father or be a father, we recognise the importance of fathers in our community. Fathers come in many different forms; Fathers who are working day and night to raise children, fathers who took in others’ children through adoption and foster care, fathers who are expecting, but aren’t quite fathers yet, and those fathers who have lost children and must carry on. Fathers who right now have joined God in Heaven and whom we miss dearly here on earth. We pledge as a community to love and nurture the fathers and father figures among us so that they will manifest the love of God in all that they do.
It was within the family of Mary and Joseph that Jesus grew, he was nurtured and was loved. Joseph was willing to be there with Jesus in countless experiences that would be lost to history. This encourages us to find St. Joseph as a father and friend in the wonderful ordinariness of our own lives.
I would like to thank all the teachers, support staff, students and parents that assisted with the mass and to Father Aliki from celebrating the Mass. A huge thank you to our parent helpers, support staff and teachers for cooking and serving the breakfast, and to the Year 9 PDM students Niamh, Lily, Lola, Alice, Seanna and Mia for taking the photos. It was wonderful to see our Marist Sisters College community come together for such a significant event.
Marists In Action (MIA)
Marists in Action is the MSCW social justice action group that meets Day 1 at Lunchtime in 131. The agenda is set by the Social Justice Co-Captains, Amy Davis and Mia Bartram in collaboration with Jenny Vu, Youth Ministry Coordinator, and Samantha Ison, Assistant Religious Education Coordinator prior to the meeting. All students are invited to attend the meeting to collaborate on planning initiatives in response to contemporary issues within our community.
In previous years, MIA have facilitated many initiatives to engage our students in community life such as:
- Coin lines for Project Compassion in Lent
- Writing letters to women and children in refugees
- Creating a Kahoot for the Social Justice Week
- Sorting and packing up clothes donated for Marist 180
- Sorting and packing the hampers and presents for the Christmas appeals
- Snack Packing for Vinnies Van Services.
Marist Service Hours Initiative
– Producing over 8500 hot meals, salads, fruit kebabs, breakfast boxes, snack packs and care packs with empathetic, positive messages, which were distributed to 15 charities around Sydney.
– 1800 servings of soup served at a twice weekly soup kitchen.
– Students learn about service such as: building leadership qualities, compassion, and a strong sense of civic responsibility.
Further information about Kids Giving Back programs can be found here: Home | Kids Giving Back.
What is Social Justice Chalk Initiative
Last Friday, 1st September, the Marists in Action (MIA) team organised a chalk driveway initiative where students were invited to write or draw ideas relating to the term ‘social justice’. Through this initiative, students collaborated together to identify important topics through creative expression. What a fabulous turnout!
Ms Jenny Vu, Youth Ministry Coordinator
In our Curriculum
YEAR 11 PRELIMINARY EXAMINATIONS
This week, our Year 11 students commenced their Preliminary Examinations, marking a significant milestone in completing their Preliminary courses in Studies of Religion I, Studies of Religion II and Studies in Catholic Thought.
Loving God, we ask to bless and uphold our Year 11 students who are preparing for and sitting their Preliminary Examinations.
We ask that you give them courage and wisdom in their endeavours.
We pray that you will sustain their teachers and exam invigilators in supporting the students and conducting the exams with integrity and diligence.
Loving God, we know that this can be a time of stress and challenge, so we humbly ask for Christ’s peace to prevail for all at this time. We pray that each and every student will be able to perform to the best of his or her ability.
We ask all this in the name of Jesus, our teacher and friend,
Amen.
In Studies of Religion I and II, students ‘acknowledge religion as a distinctive answer to the human need for meaning in life and its significance in Australian society, as well as the importance of Aboriginal belief systems and spiritualities in Australia.’ This is particularly important within Australia’s multifaith and multicultural context, and its place within the global community. Through various activities such as timelines, discernment tasks and applying knowledge to contemporary issues, students have been challenged to develop their “skills of analysis, independent research, collaboration and effective communication.” In Studies in Catholic Thought, students’ have been provided “with an understanding of humanhood and personhood understood by the Catholic tradition.” By engaging in different activities such as, jigsaw activities, discussions and analysing classical artworks, students have been able to explore the human person as “a foundational concept of the Catholic Church, founded in Scripture and informed by philosophy and theology.” These skills draw on our Marist Compass, Empower for Life, to ensure our students become critically reflective life-long learners.
Thank you Year 11 for the fantastic commitment to your learning and to the Year 11 Religious Education teaching team for their continued dedication:
- Ms Irena Jajcevic
- Ms Rebecca Bombaci
- Ms Caroline Morizzi
- Ms Angela Bowland
- Ms Leoni Hopkins
- Ms Katie Ellis
Ms Samantha Ison, Assistant Religious Education Coordinator
Mrs Caroline Morizzi, Religious Education Coordinator
This article on College life meets The Archbishop’s Charter for Catholic Schools – Charter #1, #2
