From the Religious Education Coordinator
In our Church ……
We ponder as Mary did, we wait as Mary did…….
Throughout Advent, we engage in the practice of opening our hearts to the presence of Christ among us. We eagerly await glimpses of the truth that he is with us, yearning to experience the joy of his presence and the wonder of God’s love. Our God, who took on flesh and dwelt among us, continues to be with us through his Spirit, encouraging us to actively participate in the unfolding of God’s Kingdom in the present.
During the Advent season, our focus is on emulating Mary’s example by contemplating the Word of God, allowing its resonance to permeate our hearts and influence our lives. Spanning four weeks, our faith tradition guides us to explore the mystery of Christ as revealed in the Advent Gospels and artistic representations. We receive an invitation to come together, encounter, recall, reflect, share, connect, and contemplate how our lives can be transformed as a result of these experiences.
By fostering a sense of community through the sharing of our stories, questions, and open hearts and minds, we create a supportive environment that uplifts, honours, and learns from one another. As we venture forth with anticipation and joy into this Advent season, we carry with us the collective wisdom of our shared journey.
Send Us Out with Anticipation and Joy
At this time of Advent,
fire our imaginations
with the sweep of your salvation.
Catch us up
in the cause of your kingdom,
already breaking into this world
in our ransomed lives
yet waiting for its final fulfilment when Christ shall come again.
And let your Spirit,
wild as the wind,
gentle as the dove,
move within us and among us,
to enliven our worship and strengthen our faith
and send us out with anticipation and joy.
John Harvey
Faith in Action….
Advent Liturgy
The Marist Sisters’ College Community celebrated our Advent Liturgy this week.
The Liturgy focused on the Gospel of Matthew 1: 18 with a reflection on Joseph:
“Joseph yields his fears, worries and actions to the Lord and does just as the angel of the Lord commanded; he took Mary as his wife, he named the baby Jesus. And yet, not one spoken word of Joseph’s is recorded in the Scriptures. Joseph is silent, obedient and resolved. He is still and trusting, supportive to loving towards Mary and God reveals what is next. It is in Joseph’s silence that he is able to allow God to lead him to welcome the Christ child. And in his actions, he speaks louder than any words could. Following the model of Joseph, let us prepare our hearts in silence, awaiting the day when we will welcome Jesus Christ into the world. And in doing so, let us not forget Joseph and his Saturday. Let us not forget the power of silence or the strength of God. For it is in the silence of our Saturday’s that God does the heavy lifting.”
We also farewelled our staff who will be leaving us this year: Ms Gemma Muller, Ms Joanne George, Ms Ellie Phillips, Ms Kate Sinclair, Ms Claudia Calvi, Ms Laura Peacock, Ms Deborah Kellert (Crombie), Mr David Greenwell, Mr Evan Tancred, Ms Janet Rennie and Ms Marisa Incognito
And recognised those that will be on leave in 2024:
Mr Nick Muller, Ms Carly La Rossa, Ms Ellie Bonus, Ms Katie Ellis
We say ‘thank you’. You have provided expert guidance showing immense patience, generosity of your time and dedication to your students. Travelling alongside us in our secondary school journey, your passion for teaching and commitment has fostered a great sense of support that has inspired us to strive to achieve each day. Accept this gift as a sign of our gratitude for your lasting contribution to Marist Sisters’ College.
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
In our Community….
Purpose Conference
On 7 December, twenty five Year 9 and 10 students attended the Purpose Conference at Rosebank College, Five Dock hosted by Sydney Catholic Youth. The focus of the day was to help young people to find their purpose and to ‘grow’, ‘learn’ and ‘know’ Christ more intimately. There were two international guest speakers, Jason Evert and Matt Fradd, who presented topics on ‘Why be Catholic?’ and ‘God, the universe and everything’. These topics provided insights into questions many Catholic young people may struggle with and have trouble answering.
There were a range of food trucks with countless different foods, various stalls where we could purchase religious memorabilia and learn about many Catholic universities, programs and colleges. Throughout the day, students could participate in challenges such as inflatable obstacles courses, table tennis matches and throwing dart games in order to win prizes.
The day concluded with Adoration, which allowed everyone to kneel, reflect and pray in the presence of Jesus Christ. This sacrament opened the eyes of every individual present and reminded many how important it is to include and make time for Christ in our life. The smell of burning incense created a peaceful, sacred and reflective ambience that empowered everyone from within. Overall, the day was rich in the development of relationships with peers and God and most definitely helped many discover their purpose in life with Christ. We thank Mr El-Hage for supporting and supervising us throughout the day.
Lily Latham, Year 9 Student
Marist Sony Camp
From Thursday 7 December to Monday 11 December, eleven Year 11 students from Marist Sisters’ College Woolwich volunteered to participate in the Marist Sony Camp. Alongside St Joseph’s College, Hunters Hill and Loreto Normanhurst, students participated and contributed their time to look after children with disabilities. This unique collaboration went beyond the bounds of a typical camp, as our students spent the weekend dedicated to offering respite to families of children with disabilities, and offering their companion a fun holiday. Throughout the weekend, our students exemplified the Marist values of humility, service, and solidarity. The joy shared with their companions highlighted the transformative power of empathy and genuine connection. By actively engaging in activities designed to cater to the unique needs of each child, our students forged bonds that transcended differences and embraced the beauty of diversity.
As we reflect on this impactful cause, we are reminded of the transformative potential within our community. The experiences gained at the Marist Sony Camp will undoubtedly remain with our students, fostering a lifelong commitment to empathy, service, and building a more inclusive society.
“The student companions looked after the children around the clock for four days, feeding, bathing, entertaining and attending to all of their needs. It was truly a heartwarming sight to watch everyone stop at nothing to provide their children with the best holiday each and every day. Many students gave up hours of sleep, some only managing an hour each night, and giving support at meals to be at their child’s side. The work was extremely challenging for every single student both mentally and physically but the reward was amazing. The camp allowed us all to see the person behind the disability, dancing for hours on end to see your child laugh, or painting the Joey’s boys’ nails to make someone smile was the best Christmas gift we all could have wished for. There were so many takeaways and eye-openers from this camp and every student has grown tremendous amounts. We felt the key takeaway was to approach everything with kindness. Change starts with us and there was no doubt that the key to success in this camp was kindness. Greeting everyone with a tired but kind smile in the mornings or lending someone a helping hand to pick up toys makes the biggest difference. Over the course of four short, action-packed days we all learnt what it meant to support one another and we will all leave this changed people.”
Jade Dunleavy and Gabrielle Foster, Year 11 Students
We congratulate the following students for attending the Marist Sony Camp: Jade Dunleavey, Gabrielle Foster, Indie Roberts, Rachel Eagleton, Katie Kyneur, Lila Novati, Eimhin Mchale, Evie Gilroy, Rihanna Duldulao, Zara Yildrim and Alicia Jordaan.
We would like to thank our staff who supervised our students to make this possible:
- Mrs Leonie Clarke
- Mrs Jennifer Mathews
- Mr Angus Bray
- Mr Matthew Iskander
- Ms Jenny Vu
- Ms Lili Negrine
- Mrs Karin Anthony
- Mrs Caroline Morizzi
St Therese Collaborative Network Kindergarten Faith Retreat
On Friday, 1st December, our Year 10 students, Katia Minadeo and Amelia Van had the opportunity to accompany Kindergarten students from St. Therese Primary School, Denistone and St. Anthony’s Primary School, Marsfield on their Faith Retreat. In collaboration with Marist College, Eastwood, our students supported the staff to facilitate the day.
“During our time with the St Therese and St Anthony’s Kindergarten students on their Faith Retreat, we were given the opportunity to guide them on their spiritual journey. We participated in a variety of fun activities such as story-telling, singing, arts and crafts and prayer writing, which was focused on building a deeper connection to God and their faith. Upon reflection, this opportunity was greatly appreciated as we grew our connection with our feeder schools, and the Kindergarten students were reminded of the foundational values of our shared faith. We recommend taking this opportunity to volunteer and lend a helping hand to other primary schools!”
Amelia Van and Katia Minadeo, Year 10 Students
Thank you to the staff at St Therese Catholic Primary School, and to Amelia and Katia for providing a faith-filled experience for the Kindergarten students.
Ms Samantha Ison, Assistant Religious Education Coordinator
As a Marist Sisters’ College community we have put our service into action by giving generously to fundraising campaigns and appeals. An example of this was the collection of items for the St Vincent De Paul Christmas Appeal Hampers and the Baabayn Aboriginal Corporation. A huge thank you to all students, families and staff for your generous donations
God wants us to be active in life. We are not passive observers. If everyone was, then nothing would ever happen, and praise of God is multiplied when done in union with others. Joy comes from being part of something, and here we have had the opportunity to be part of something much bigger than ourselves and our families. We are a part of the universal Church and ultimately a citizen of our world. Our relationships are what will exist long beyond our marks. “The greatest gift one can give is thanksgiving. In giving gifts, we give what we can spare, but in giving thanks we give ourselves.” (Brother David Steindl-Rast, Gratefulness, the Heart of Prayer)
May this gratefulness help us move through this Advent season, designed to prepare us, and make us wait, as we are reminded of the core values of the season – hope, faith, joy, peace and love. This season gives us the chance to reconnect and think about how we can bring these values to life.
In our Curriculum
Year 9 Philosophy
The Ethics Olympiad involves school groups coming together to engage with interesting ethical cases. It is not a debate in that teams from different schools can agree with one another. Eth-letes and coaches practiced in the lead up to the event rather like they would in any sporting venture only in this case they are training their mind to draw conclusions carefully, collaboratively, and clearly. Teams are awarded scores by tertiary academics and trained teachers throughout the day. This year five Year 9 Philosophy students; Leia Gonzales, Xinyue Miao, Harriet O’Connor, Isabel Purkiss, and Alissa Tosh, represented MSCW. Throughout the day students participated in a series of heats that required them to answer questions from eight different ethical case studies. By being paired up with other schools, students were able to hear and consider a wide range of different ethical arguments and perspectives that at times challenged their own way of thinking. The MSCW team received honourable mentions from the judges throughout the day and should be proud of their efforts. Their achievement was acknowledged during the last House assembly for the year where they received their certificates.
Ms Giulia Laurenzi, HSIE Teacher
As our school year draws to a close, I thank all of our students and families, our staff and our Parish Priests for making me feel welcome as the new Religious Education Coordinator at Marist Sisters’ College. Thank you for allowing me to share their journey in faith with them.
I take this opportunity to wish each of you a joyous and peaceful Christmas, filled with the love offered to us in the coming of Christ. May we, individually and collectively, be people who put Jesus at the centre of our actions, who ensure that others are included in our communities, who work for justice and solidarity for all peoples and the earth, and who reflect our blessings and knowledge in the way we work to liberate others from hardship and oppression. May 2024 unite us on all that is good, and may God bless each of you.
Mrs Caroline Morizzi, Religious Education Coordinator
This article on College life meets The Archbishop’s Charter for Catholic Schools – Charter #1, #2
children to navigate the content they watch. It is better to model and mentor screen use, rather than monitor it. 
