{"id":19750,"date":"2026-02-25T11:17:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T00:17:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/ssc\/?post_type=article&#038;p=19750"},"modified":"2026-02-25T11:17:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T00:17:19","slug":"deputy-principal-mission-and-pastoral-care-38","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/ssc\/article\/deputy-principal-mission-and-pastoral-care-38\/","title":{"rendered":"Deputy Principal Mission and Pastoral Care"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lent at Santa Sabina: a season of renewal, courage and community<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As we step into the sacred season of Lent, our Santa Sabina community embraces this time as an invitation to reflect, renew and return to God with open hearts. Lent calls each of us \u2013 students, staff and families \u2013 to make space for what truly matters, to deepen our compassion and to walk together in faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This year, our journey began with our Ash Wednesday Liturgies, beautifully led by our student leaders across Houses and in Grade groups at Del Monte. Through Scripture, prayer and the ritual marking of ashes, we were reminded that Lent is not simply about giving things up, but about &#8216;beginning again&#8217; \u2013 seeking honesty, courage and hope as we prepare for Easter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Praying the Angelus in Community Time<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A significant practice we have re\u2011introduced this year is the praying of the Angelus during Community Time each Tuesday. This simple yet profound prayer helps us pause, remember God\u2019s presence in our ordinary moments and reflect on Mary\u2019s courageous &#8216;yes.&#8217;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Taking just a minute or two, the Angelus centres us as a Dominican community \u2013 rooted in contemplation before action.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">40 Days of Renewal: a whole\u2011school Lenten journey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This Lent, Our Faith and Mission Prefect Olivia Santangelo launched a new College\u2011wide initiative: <strong>40 Days of Renewal<\/strong> \u2013 a weekly invitation for students and staff to take up one intentional practice inspired by Jesus\u2019 40 days in the desert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Each week of Lent focuses on a different spiritual discipline:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Week of Quiet<\/strong> \u2013 stepping back from noise and screens to create space for prayer and rest.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Week of Thanks<\/strong> \u2013 noticing God\u2019s blessings in the ordinary and practising daily gratitude.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Week of Prayer<\/strong> \u2013 building a rhythm of morning and evening prayer, with opportunities for meditation, Rosary and Scripture.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Week of Service<\/strong> \u2013 embracing almsgiving by saving, simplifying and giving generously, especially to Caritas.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Week of Forgiveness<\/strong> \u2013 letting go of resentment and embracing the grace of reconciliation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Week of Kindness<\/strong> \u2013 choosing empathy, intentional kindness and gentleness in our relationships.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Week of Sacrifice<\/strong> \u2013 making small but meaningful choices that draw us closer to God and others.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Together, these practices encourage our students not only to &#8216;give something up,&#8217; but also to grow in character, compassion and awareness of the world beyond themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Caritas Australia: love in action<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As a Dominican school committed to justice, we once again stand alongside Caritas Australia\u2019s Project Compassion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our students are encouraged to practise true almsgiving by donating not simply their spare coins, but the money saved by choosing simplicity \u2013 one of the key invitations of our Week of Service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Caritas reminds us that even the smallest acts of generosity can help create a more just future for communities experiencing poverty, displacement and inequality.<a href=\"https:\/\/sscnsweduau-my.sharepoint.com\/personal\/m_vandermeer_ssc_nsw_edu_au\/Documents\/Microsoft%20Copilot%20Chat%20Files\/40%20Daysof%20Renewal%20(1)%20(1).pdf\"> <\/a>This year we also participate in the Carry for Caritas initiative \u2013 a symbolic act of solidarity where students &#8216;carry&#8217; something to represent the burdens borne by so many across our global family.<br><br>By giving up unnecessary purchases, simplifying habits or completing practical acts of service, our students contribute meaningful donations that support Caritas\u2019s mission of hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A season of hope and courage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Lent asks each of us to consider:<br><em>What do I need to let go of? What do I need to take seriously? What kind of person do I want to be?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a community, we are embracing this season with sincerity and joy. Through prayer, service and intentional renewal, our College continues to grow as a place where young people are encouraged to be courageous, compassionate and grounded in faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>May this season of Lent draw us closer to God and to one another, as together we seek to be &#8216;the women God calls us to be.&#8217;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Melanie van der Meer<\/strong><br>Deputy Principal Mission and Pastoral Care<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lent at Santa Sabina: a season of renewal, courage and community As we step into the sacred season of Lent, our Santa Sabina community embraces this time as an invitation to reflect, renew and return to God with open hearts. Lent calls each of us \u2013 students, staff and families \u2013 to make space for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":311,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","article_category":[3],"article_tag":[],"class_list":["post-19750","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","article_category-highlights"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/ssc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/19750","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/ssc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/ssc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/ssc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19750"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/ssc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/311"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/ssc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19750"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"article_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/ssc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_category?post=19750"},{"taxonomy":"article_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/ssc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_tag?post=19750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}