Prayer and Reflection
Prayer
Jesus,
Help me see you in the hidden ordinariness of my daily life.
Give me the desire and courage to be a sacrament of you
to all those I love and serve in my family and at work.
Help me be truly attentive to the moments
when you transcend the ordinary to be present to me.
As people seeking to grow in faith,
We offer this prayer in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Our Lady of the Rosary. Pray for us.
St Dominic. Pray for us.
Blessed Edmund Rice. Pray for us.
Mission and Spiritual Formation Report
In the formation session at the most recent staff meeting, teachers were introduced to the concept of sacramentality – which is considered an essential feature of a Catholic school community. Thomas Groome says “Nothing is more significant to what makes us Catholic.” Sacramentality refers to the process whereby God makes his presence known and real to us through nature and the ordinary, everyday events, objects and experiences of daily life. We in turn can respond to God’s presence through nature and the ordinary, everyday events, objects and experiences of daily life. In this way our daily reality is made sacred. In our formation session staff were encouraged to develop this sense of the sacred in all things through morning prayer and daily reflection on the events and experiences of each day as a way of nurturing our openness and ability to “see God is all things” (McBrien).
Retreats
In the first three weeks of Term 4 students in both Year 11 and Year 9 have attended retreats. Approximately 106 Year 11 students and staff attended a three day retreat at Bonnie Hills which focussed on gratitude, resilience, moving forward and the seed within. On Monday 5 and Tuesday 6 November all Year 9 students attended a "Catch the Wave" youth retreat run by four youth minsters from CSYMA (Catholic Students Youth Ministry Australia). This was the first time such an experience has been offered to our students and overwhelmingly engendered a very positive response from them. During the day the students participated in faith formation, reflection activities and listened respectfully to the personal testimonies given by the four youth ministers.
On 24 October seven staff participated in a twilight staff retreat run by the CSO Renewal team which focused on the Parable of the Generous Landowner and what it reveals about the Dignity of Work.
Condolences
Our thoughts and prayers are with Corey Sutherland, Ashley and Joshua Cornthwaite and their families following the passing of their grandmothers.
Mrs Cate Allen - Mission and Spiritual Formation Coordinator