From the Religious Education Coordinator
In our Church ……
The Feast Of St Padre Pio (23 September)
In one of the largest such ceremonies in history, Pope John Paul II canonised Padre Pio of Pietrelcina on June 16, 2002. It was the 45th canonisation ceremony in Pope John Paul’s pontificate. More than 300,000 people braved blistering heat as they filled St. Peter’s Square and nearby streets. They heard the Holy Father praise the new saint for his prayer and charity. “This is the most concrete synthesis of Padre Pio’s teaching,” said the Pope. He also stressed Padre Pio’s witness to the power of suffering. If accepted with love, the Holy Father stressed, such suffering can lead to “a privileged path of sanctity.”
Born Francesco Forgione, Padre Pio grew up in a family of farmers in southern Italy. Twice his father worked in Jamaica, New York, to provide the family income. At the age of 15, Francesco joined the Capuchins and took the name of Pio. He was ordained in 1910 in 1917, he was assigned to the friary in San Giovanni Rotondo, 75 miles from the city of Bari on the Adriatic. On September 20, 1918, as he was making his thanksgiving after Mass, Padre Pio had a vision of Jesus. When the vision ended, he had the stigmata in his hands, feet, and side.
Life became more complicated after that. Medical doctors, Church authorities, and curiosity seekers came to see Padre Pio. In 1924, and again in 1931, the authenticity of the stigmata was questioned; Padre Pio was not permitted to celebrate Mass publicly or to hear confessions. He did not complain of these decisions, which were soon reversed. However, he wrote no letters after 1924. His only other writing, a pamphlet on the agony of Jesus, was done before 1924.
Padre Pio rarely left the friary after he received the stigmata, but busloads of people soon began coming to see him. Each morning after a 5 a.m. Mass in a crowded church, he heard confessions until noon. He took a mid-morning break to bless the sick and all who came to see him. Every afternoon he also heard confessions.
Padre Pio saw Jesus in all the sick and suffering. A number of people have reported cures they believe were received through the intercession of Padre Pio. Those who assisted at his Masses came away edified; several curiosity seekers were deeply moved. Like Saint Francis, Padre Pio sometimes had his habit torn or cut by souvenir hunters. Adapted from: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-pio-of-pietrelcina
Prayer for the Intercession of St. Pio of Pietrelcina
Dear God, You generously blessed Your servant,
St. Pio of Pietrelcina,
with the gifts of the Spirit.
You marked his body with the five wounds
of Christ Crucified, as a powerful witness
to the saving Passion and Death of Your Son.
Endowed with the gift of discernment,
St. Pio labored endlessly in the confessional
for the salvation of souls.
With reverence and intense devotion
in the celebration of Mass,
he invited countless men and women
to a greater union with Jesus Christ
in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist
Through the intercession of St. Pio of Pietrelcina,
I confidently beseech You to grant me
the grace of (here state your petition).
St Padre Pio…pray for us.
YEAR 12 GRADUATION MASS
The Gospel for our Graduation come from Matthew’s Gospel:
You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
Graduation is a time that we celebrate the achievements of all our Year 12 students, we acknowledge their many skills and talents, we reminisce on the six years they spent at the College and we look forward to what may lay ahead for each of our them. Fr. Steve Drum built on this theme when reflected on the Gospel passage in his Homily, “Jesus wants you to shine your light – not just to this College – but to an unsuspecting world! And your own world of friends and family has stopped and dropped everything to ‘watch you shine’. To shine, like the lamp of the Gospel. A ‘lamp’ that is meant to be placed on a lampstand, so that it will shine for the whole household”.
As our Year 12’s leave our community we look forward to how they will bring their talents to the world to shine the hearts and minds of our world. How they will shine a light on the injustices and darkness in our world. We wish you all the best! Let your light shine!
Graduation Mass
On Wednesday afternoon, we had a beautiful celebration of the Eucharist for our Graduating Year 12, 2023. We acknowledged their significant contribution to our College and we prayed that they may continue to be Marist women of action; who are capable, committed and compassionate members of our society who will continue to live out the Marist Sisters’ motto, “Goodness Above All” into the future.
Firstly, I would like to thank Fr. Steve Drum for celebrating mass with. I would like to thank the many staff members involved in the Graduation Mass, especially Ms. Emma Hughes and Ms Marissa Spiteri for leading the choir and music. To Ms Samantha Ison, the Assistant Religious Education Coordinator, for her support throughout the day. Finally, a huge thank you to the Leadership Team, the House Coordinators and all the staff who attended. Your presence demonstrated the great care we have for this special group of students and without a doubt a very special moment of the evening was the Staff Blessing.
In our Community….
Year 8 Reflection Day
Last Friday, we held our Year 8 Reflection Day centred on Jesus’ question; “Did I not choose you?”. Our response focused the day on the value of LOVE. In particular, a type of love that each and everyone one of us deserve being chosen by God in His image and likeness. The day consisted of a variety of activities including Chat-A-Box discussion cards, reflective journaling and picture frame decorating with a focus on each students’ image and likeness.
“The Year 8 students participated in their reflection day which taught us about the moral actions and different qualities of Christ that we demonstrate in our everyday lives and what we can aim to do in the future. This reflection day was very fun and led us to engage in various enjoyable activities in which we learnt about the year 8 value which is ‘love’. Some of the activities we did on the day were making a fruit basket, as a group, about certain gifts in which we think are our strongest. We also drew a dinner table displaying the people whom we love and who have had an impact on our lives.
St. Therese Collaborative Network – Stage 2 Faith Retreat
On Thursday 7th September, Year 9 students Sarah Mourani and Mia Morganti had the opportunity to accompany Stage 1 students from St. Therese’s Primary School, Denistone on their Faith Retreat to Holy Name of Mary Parish in Hunters Hill. In collaboration with Marist College, Eastwood, our students helped to facilitate the day.
“We were both honoured to participate in the St Therese Stage 1 Faith Retreat as it was a great experience. It enabled us to expand on our leadership qualities and confidence when presenting ourselves in front of large or small groups. When assisting Stage 1 through their Faith retreat, we reconsigned the loving and welcoming community St Therese obtains and provided for us both. Overall, it was an amazing experience with activities that were fulfilled with faith and fun!”
Sarah Mourani and Mia Morganti, Year 9 Students
“Both students were very respectful and fully engaged in the student faith formation experience. They were great and confident in their role of supporting the younger students. Both girls co-led reverently with the Marist College, Eastwood secondary students in prayerful experiences.”
Mr Justin Salar, Religious Education Coordinator, St. Therese’s Catholic Primary School, Denistone
Thank you Sarah and Mia!
In our Curriculum
During Term 3, every Year 8 class has completed their study of the Sacraments of Initiation based on Romans 5:5; “and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” In this topic, students have learnt to appreciate that the sacraments guide and enrich people’s lives, to describe the nature and significance of the Sacraments of Initiation and to consider and attribute meaning to the signs, symbols and rituals associated with it.
Currently, Year 8 students are studying Alive in Christ based on Romans 5:6; “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” In this topic, students “develop values, understanding and skills in relation to Catholic moral teaching, its relationship to moral character, the way it addresses moral issues and the call to work for justice in the world.” In this topic, Year 8 developed their skills through learning activities such as analysing classical artworks, assessing the Gospel values in application to different scenarios and a project where students design an initiative proposal.
To demonstrate and apply their understanding, students completed an In Class Exam in Week 9 to apply their skills and understanding.
Thank you Year 8 for your continued efforts in Religious Education this year! Thank to the Year 8 Religious Education team for their ongoing commitment:
- Ms. Leoni Hopkins
- Ms. Kathryn Ellis
- Ms. Irena Jajcevic
- Ms. Rosario Poli
- Mr. Federico Manica
Ms Samantha Ison, Assistant Religious Education Coordinator
Mary’s House Walk 2023
Students, parents and staff are invited to Mary’s House Walk on Sunday, 29 October.
The 10-km walk is a fundraising event to support Mary’s House in their mission to aid women and their children escaping domestic and family violence.
If you are interested, please refer to the website for more detail and registration.
Mrs Caroline Morizzi, Religious Education Coordinator
This article on College life meets The Archbishop’s Charter for Catholic Schools – Charter #1, #2
