Religious Education Coordinator – Ian Anderson
Religious Education
As we move towards the end of the year, the Church has many great moments of celebration. The Church in her tradition will celebrate All Saints Day, All Souls Day, we will prepare for the season of Advent and end with the great feast of Christmas, Jesus being born into the world. Due to this, our College will be promoting these events and engaging students in the preparation and celebration of these events.
Australian Catholic Youth Festival – Pilgrims of Hope
In December, some of our Year 10 students will be travelling to Melbourne to participate in the Australian Catholic Youth Festival (ACYF). On 24th October, those students attended a preparation night at Mt St Joseph College Milperra ,where they learned more about what they will be doing and met the students they will be travelling with. The night was one of fun and excitement, with dinner provided. The students are attending a pilgrimage where they will deepen their faith with other students from around Australia. Please keep our ACYF students in your prayers:
- Mia Murray
- Nikita Sullivan
- Rosalie Barnes
- Melina Hetherington
- Addison Metcalfe
- Eliana Maceri
- Hayley Woods
Halloween
Friday 31st October is Halloween. There are many misconceptions about Halloween in the media but ultimately, Halloween has Catholic origins and it is important to hold onto this, celebrate, but also to know how to celebrate this appropriately today.
November is the month we pray for all those who have died. The Church offers plenary indulgences for the souls of the deceased. There are a number of ways to attain these. If you would like to learn more about indulgences, please watch the attached video.
The word Halloween comes from a contraction of the words “All Halo’s Eve”. It is the day before all Saints Day. Throughout the middle ages in Europe, children would dress up the night before All Saints Day as their favourite Saint and knock on doors. They would not say, “Trick or Treat”, but would offer prayers for the family inside the house and the souls of their family members in exchange for a “Soul Cake” and a promise not to return until next year. These soul cakes, quite common in the middle ages, would also be baked and given to families who would visit at Christmas whilst carolling. The practice was called “Souling”. The earliest reference we have to the practice of “Souling” dates back to Sir John Mirk’s description in the 1400’s.
Over time, people began dressing as priests, nuns and bishops for the good that they did, and the community also wanted to acknowledge family members who had passed. From here, people began dressing as ghosts and skeletons. Today people dress as witches and vampires, which is not really in line with the original ideas of dressing as a good person. If we wish to reclaim this holiday and celebrate in an authentically Catholic way, consider what is an appropriate costume for a Christian to wear, offer treats in good spirit, and never play that “trick” on someone who does not show support for the holiday. Below is a recipe for a Soul Cake you could try making with your families and a traditional song dating back to 1893.
Traditional All Halo’s Soul Cakes
Religious Education Coordinator – Ian Anderson