Mission and Social Justice Updates
This term has been busy in the Mission and Social Justice space, with many opportunities for students to deepen their understanding and faith. I invite and encourage all students from Years 5 to 12 to join one of the many initiatives below available.
I also thank and congratulate students who have represented our college at the Solemnity of Mary Help of Christians Mass and completed the Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion training Ella Hodge, Isabel Aunedi, Carmel Mayo, Teresa Mayo, Hannah Lockington, Yasmin Hannah, Alysia Rostirolla and Lucy Gee.
Lastly, let us wish the best of luck to the students preparing for the upcoming World Youth Day pilgrimage in Portugal.
Ryan Reyes
Dean of Mission
Thursday lunchtime Mass
Students on the 5 – 12 campus are invited to spend time away from the business of the school day to attend Thursday’s Lunchtime Mass in Week B, celebrated by Fr John Hayes from St Martha’s Parish, Strathfield.
Mass will begin promptly at 12:50 pm and conclude with enough time for students to eat lunch.
Please keep an eye out for reminders on Veritas Online.
Prayer Group
Students on the 5 – 12 campus are invited to join the Prayer Group in Room 2111 at lunchtime every Thursday.
The Prayer Group aims to foster a sense of belonging and allows the members to deepen their relationship with God. The group reflects, prays and contemplates on scripture and its application to their lives.
Curious About Christ
Curious about Christ (CAC) is a group that meets every Week B Monday to discuss questions and topics within Christianity. It allows students to experience the depth of Christianity and live more like Christ.
Each session will be focused on one question or topic, and students are encouraged to bring forward topics or questions within Christianity. The group will discuss all questions and draw on sources such as our Religious Education Teachers and Dominican Sisters, who will give unique insight.
Students on the 5 – 12 campus are invited to attend!
St Vincent de Paul Winter Sleepout and Donation Reminders
The St Vincent de Paul Winter Sleepout is when participants step out of the comfort of their homes for one night and sleep outside to understand what it’s like for the more than 120,000 people experiencing homelessness around Australia.
Year 12 students are invited to sleep overnight on campus to spend the evening hearing from speakers about the issue of homelessness, packing snack packs and participating in fun activities that can create advocacy for homelessness. But we need all of your help.
Over the coming weeks, each grade will be given a specific snack they need to bring in through Homerooms, and we will collect these in the lecture theatre over the next few weeks to use these items to pack the snack packs.
Gunagulla: Packets of sultanas or fruit cups
Kurrawa: Cans of tuna or two-minute noodles
Mundawara: Small packets of chips or single-serve biscuits (tiny teddies)
Teangi: Popper juice
Weelya: Chewy Muesli bars (nut-free) or Le Snack
Yetinga: Black garbage bags / medium zip lock bags or cup-a-soup sachets
The house that brings the most items will get points for the house cup, so bring generously!
Vinnies Night Patrol
Your family can get behind Night Patrol – the St Vincent de Paul’s outreach program – by volunteering to join the team that takes the truck out, making sandwiches or donating the little extras such as chips, muesli bars or fruit.
Making sandwiches can be a family project: one mother told me it’s when she really gets to talk to her daughter. The children learn about doing something for others (and can add the hours to their service record). If you think you might be interested, please contact Ms Sulis j.sulis@ssc.nsw.edu.au or 9745 7034.
Solemnity of Our Lady Help of Christians
A group of Years 8 – 11 students, accompanied by Ms El Azzi and myself, attended Solemnity of Our Lady Help of Christians Mass along with staff and students from schools in the Sydney Archdiocese.
The feast day to Mary Help of Christians has been celebrated in Australia since 1844, but the history to this day dates back to the start of the 1800s.
The infant church in Australia had a special reason for turning to Mary. No priests were sent to the colony in its early days, and Mass was not allowed except for one brief year until 1820. It was largely the Rosary in those early days that kept the faith alive.
Catholic Australia remained faithful to Mary and was the first nation to choose her under the title Help of Christians as principal Patroness.
St Mary’s Cathedral was dedicated in her honour by the Irish pioneer priest, Fr John Therry, who arrived in Sydney in 1820 and assumed responsibility for the planning and initial construction of the Cathedral.
When Australia became the first country to have Mary Help of Christians as Patroness, it became the first country to have a mother-cathedral under the same title.
Adapted from Catholic Weekly
World Youth Day 2023
Our World Youth Day representatives began their journey towards the pilgrimage by attending the formation event ‘Journey Of Truth’ at De La Salle College, Revesby.
Student pilgrims across the Archdiocese of Sydney gathered together to sing, pray and learn about the World Youth Day host country, Portugal.
We look forward to hearing about their spirit-filled experiences during their pilgrimage from 21 July – 11 August and wish all the best to Isabel Aunedi, Erin Allan, Antonia Abounajm, Lara Millward, Sienna-Marie Maround and Rochelle Dias.
