Religious Education Coordinator – Ian Anderson
Shrove Tuesday
On Shrove Tuesday 4 March, Ms Mahoney led our Year 11 and 12 students took part in a delicious and meaningful tradition by making pancakes to raise funds for Project Compassion. The event was a great success, with students coming together to show their support for this important charity. A big thank you to everyone who participated and helped make this fundraiser such a tasty success. Your generosity will make a difference in the lives of many.
Ash Wednesday
Lent is a time of Preparation for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. A period of 40 days we fast, give alms and pray. As a College, we attended Mass with Fr James at St Aloysius Cronulla. We also received the ashes, a sign dating back to the Old Testament where Jewish people would mark themselves with ashes as a sign of repentance.
During lent we are called to fast (give up something). This could be anything that keeps us from living in a relationship with God. It might be food, but it could also be social media or a negative issue like procrastination. It is with this idea that we hope to make more room in our life to pray, the second pillar of Lent. Finally we are called to give charity.
With this in mind, I have been reminded of a story I heard about a young woman who went to Vietnam. She went to the markets where she saw clothing being sold very cheaply. She negotiated harshly to receive a great discount that the store vendor had to accept to feed his family. Later that day she went to an expensive restaurant where she was served and ended up leaving a very generous tip. I find it interesting that we are more inclined to be generous to those who do not need it and less generous with those who need it the most. During Lent, seek to think more about those who most need our charity. The communities that are served by Caritas through Project Compassion desperately need our support. You will find attached here a short video detailing one community that was assisted by Caritas through Project Compassion last year. Toefuata’iga’s story
I pray that you find this time of Lent an opportunity to grow in prayer and love.
Year 8 Reflection Day
The Year 8 Reflection Day is on Friday 14 of March. In partnership with both the local chapter of St Vincent de Paul Society and Caritas, the students will work towards considering acts of charity for Lent. The day will culminate with students making cards and snack packs that will be given to homeless people in Sydney who are serviced by St VIncent De Paul’s Night Patrol.
Mercy Action Group
The Mercy Action Group (MAG) has been meeting each Tuesday at recess in the Chapel. They have been assisting house leaders in running the Social Justice initiatives within the College. We are looking forward to introducing prayer experiences and reflections here also. Some upcoming events they have been discussing are the Year 7 bake sale, return to Stella Maris in term 2 and relaunching One Meal.
One Meal is an opportunity for staff, students and parents to feed people who are disadvantaged here in the Sutherland Shire. Generally it is a small team of staff, students and parents who arrive at 5:00pm at the Salvation Army in Miranda and set up. The people who attend, whilst they enjoy the food, are looking for companionship. The evening is over by 6:30pm. This is a great initiative to be considering during this time in Lent. If you are interested in encouraging this virtue in your daughter and would also like to support her, please email me at ian.anderson@syd.catholic.edu.au and I will share the application form process, which is very easy to complete.
Sacraments
The College has recognised that due to many contributing factors, we have an increase in students at the College who may have missed one or more of their sacraments. Secondly, there may be students at the College who may wish to become Catholic. Some Families have contacted me so that we can work together to support their daughters with the Sacramental Programme. If your daughter is missing sacraments or would like to become Catholic, please email me at ian.anderson@syd.catholic.edu.au. I will add you to the list and will be in touch very soon with the full process.
Jubilee Songwriting competition
In this year of Jubilee, the Archdiocese of Sydney in partnership with Sydney Catholic Schools have decided to launch a song writing competition. All lyrics and tunes should be unique and it is the hope that these songs can become part of our liturgies and maybe our masses into the future. This competition has been designed by songwriter John Boland. Further details are contained via the following link.
Ash Wednesday Mass
Religious Education Coordinator – Ian Anderson