From the Religious Education Coordinator
In our Church ……
SHROVE TUESDAY – 13 February
Shrove Tuesday is the traditional feast day before the start of Lent. The other name for this day, Pancake Day, comes from the old English custom of using up all the fattening ingredients in the house before Ash Wednesday, so that people were ready to fast during Lent. The fattening ingredients that most people had in their houses in those days were eggs and milk. It was a simple recipe to use up these ingredients, combined with some flour, to make pancakes!
Our Marists in Action team and staff volunteers assisted with Shrove Tuesday at recess to support Caritas’ Project Compassion. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who purchased pikelets and supported this initiative.
Ms Jenny Vu
Youth Ministry Coordinator
ASH WEDNESDAY – 14 February
Ash Wednesday, preceded by Shrove Tuesday is the start of the Lenten period leading up to Easter. It is our holy day of prayer and fasting. This week our Marist Sisters’ Woolwich community gathered together in their House Groups to celebrate Ash Wednesday with a liturgy and distribution of Ashes.
Ash Wednesday comes from the ancient Jewish tradition of penance and fasting. The practice includes the wearing of ashes on the head and symbolise the dust from which God made humanity. Following tradition, our foreheads are marked with ashes to humble our hearts and reminds us that life passes away on Earth. We remember this when we are told “Remember, You are dust, and unto dust you shall return.” The ashes also symbolise grief, in this case, grief that we have sinned and caused division from God. Sin is human and to seek forgiveness and reconciliation is also human. Therefore, this is a universal invitation, not just one for Catholics…it is a way to acknowledge that we all make mistakes, do things we regret, and need to be reconciled with one another and with the God who blesses us with the fullness of life.
The ashes are made from the blessed palms used in the Palm Sunday celebration of the previous year. The ashes are christened with Holy Water and are scented. While the ashes reflect penance and contrition, they are also a reminder that God is gracious and merciful to those with repentant hearts. God’s Divine mercy is of utmost importance during the season of Lent, and the Church calls on us to seek that mercy during the entire Lenten season with reflection, prayer and penance.
Adapted, with additions from: https://www.catholic.org/lent/ashwed.php
In our Community……
LAUNCH OF PROJECT COMPASSION
Project Compassion was launched at the end of the Ash Wednesday Liturgy this week. Our House Captains spoke about Project Compassion being Caritas Australia’s main annual fundraising campaign, mobilising Australians to raise much-needed funds to help alleviate poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity in the most vulnerable and marginalised communities in the world.
The 2024 theme of Project Compassion is ‘For All Future Generations.’ It challenges us to venture into a new experience of compassion, and is taken from the invitation of St. Oscar Romero, to “Aspire not to have more, but to be more.” This message invites us to step up and step out for those who do not have the essential resources they need for their survival. Those whose needs at this time are far beyond ours.
We are encouraged as a Marist Sisters’ community to have hope. Along with love and faith, hope is one of the three pillars of Christian virtue. It is a powerful force for good and helps to transform lives. Hope helps us to face life’s challenges and sustains us as we work alongside the most marginalised and vulnerable communities to achieve better lives.
During this time of Lent we reflect on the challenges which face our world. Too many people live their lives in poverty. We have the power to change our world, to make it a world of justice and peace where people, and creation, are respected.
Opening Mass……
On Tuesday we gathered together as a Marist Sisters’ College community to celebrate our Opening Mass as St Mary’s Cathedral. This was a wonderful opportunity to bring parents, staff, students and parishes together to celebrate the Eucharist and to mark the commencement of the 2024 academic year.
Our Year 7 students were blessed and presented with their Marist Sisters’ College badge to welcome them as our newest members of the College and Year 11 students were blessed and presented with their Senior Student badge to acknowledge their transition to the senior school. Candles were also blessed and presented to new staff members welcoming them into our Marist community.
Our Marist Heart, a symbol of the great love of Christ was carried in the entrance procession expressing our Marist tradition. As Marists, we follow Christ by “thinking, judging, feeling and acting” as Mary in all things. Mary’s presence is kept alive by us living her spirit of faithfulness and compassionate service, so that others may feel God’s tender and merciful love. By adopting Mary’s approach, each of us can walk in the shoes of others with “delicacy and sensitivity”, holding them close to our hearts. This is why the symbolism of a heart is a significant symbol for us, as Marists.
The names of every member of the College community, printed on scrolls was enclosed in the Marist Heart within our Marist Heart, a symbolism of the importance of our community who we love and support.
Thank you to Father Greg Walsh from St Anthony’s Marsfield Parish, Father Tomasz Lepek CSMA from St Kevin’s Eastwood Parish for celebrating our Opening Mass.
Thank you to the College Leaders, Readers, Altar Servers and Ushers who were involved in the Mass. A huge thank you to Mrs Caroline Marsh and the choir for their wonderful and beautiful singing throughout the Opening Mass. Thank you to Dr Anne Ireland, Mr Justin Hodges, the Leadership Team and staff for all their support in the preparations leading up to the mass and on the day.
It was wonderful to see such a strong sense of community through a celebration of our faith and tradition at Marist Sisters’ College Woolwich.
Back to Parish…….
Each year, Marist Sisters’ College participates in a Collaborative Network initiative with St Therese Catholic Primary School, Denistone and Marist College, Eastwood to enhance their faith and deepen their relationship with God. To celebrate the beginning of Lent, ex-St. Therese’s students from the secondary schools attended and participated in the Ash Wednesday Mass at St. Therese Catholic Church..
The Mass held a sense of community and solidarity, reinforcing the friendship and collaboration between our schools. It was an opportunity for our students to deepen their understanding of the Lenten season and its significance in the faith. Through scripture readings, prayers, and the distribution of ashes, we were reminded of the call to repentance and the importance of embracing humility and simplicity in our lives.
We extend our appreciation to our students who attended the Mass, to Anna Frodsham and Amelia Van who lead the congregation in the Readings, and to Mr. Justin Salar, Religious Education Coordinator at St. Therese’s Catholic Primary School for his leadership and organisation of the Mass.
Ms Samantha Ison
Assistant Religious Education Coordinator
This article on College life meets The Archbishop’s Charter for Catholic Schools – Charter #1, #2
