From the Religious Education Coordinator
In our Church ……
HABEMUS PAPAM! (We have a Pope!)
From our Executive Director, Danielle Cronin
Up until his election, Pope Leo XIV was Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. This was a great responsibility as he oversaw the appointment of Bishops all around the world. He is the first American-born Pope, and the first from the Order of St Augustine. Our new Pope’s background is fascinating and inspiring.
While born and educated in the United States, Pope Leo has lived and worked in different parts of the world. Unsurprisingly, he is multilingual. Pope Leo spent much of his life in Peru, where he was a missionary, teacher, Parish Priest and Bishop. He was greatly admired for his selflessness, his genuine love of others, and his outreach to the poor. This respect led to his promotion within the Order of St Augustine Order, where he served two terms as the Prior General in Rome.
Pope Leo’s work in Rome and Latin America was known and admired by Pope Francis and the two shared a very close, trusting relationship.
Pope Leo is also no stranger to Australia, having been here a number of times. Those who have met him, and who have worked with him, speak of his prayerfulness and humility, and his desire ‘not to be in the limelight’. In a very real way, Pope Leo’s life has reflected the Augustinian charism, for we know that this great saint of the early Church reminded us that, “you have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”
Pope Leo XIV is the sixth Pope of my lifetime. When I think back, I recognise that each of his predecessors was different and each did great things for our Church. They also had many things in common, especially their desire to make the person of Jesus Christ known and loved. And they did this with a missionary zeal. I know that Pope Leo will do great things also. This morning I was inspired by his greeting which wished us peace and spoke of justice, dialogue and unity.
As we share in the joy of this new day, with our new Pope, we pray that his pontificate will heal the wounds of the world, strengthen us in faith, and deepen our love of God and neighbour.
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.
In what ways can Mary be honoured in May?
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.
This article on College life meets The Archbishop’s Charter for Catholic Schools – Charter #1, #2
