Mission
Supporting the Vinnies Christmas Appeal
Over the last year, the cost-of-living crisis has become increasingly dire as prices, driven by inflation, continue to soar. This financial crisis is hitting families and other vulnerable members of our community incredibly hard. Many are experiencing poverty and struggling to keep a roof over their heads. As the crisis deepens, so does their desperation. More and more people are so desperate to survive, they just don’t have the resources to think about Christmas. How can they begin to dream of buying the little extras that make Christmas so special when they can’t even afford to pay the bills?
Families are invited to consider how you might share some of your resources in a spirit of hope, as a gift for a family who is struggling this year. One deeply meaningful way is make a contribution to our annual Vinnies Christmas Appeal.
This is a wonderful tradition we have at Mater Dei. We are partnering with the Kooringal Conference of St Vincent de Paul again this year to share the joy of Christmas with our neighbours, who need a helping hand. This year, Vinnies have seen first-hand, the impact of rising costs of living in Australia. There are hundreds of families in our local community who are struggling to keep a roof over their heads.
Kooringal Conference will be delivering hundreds of Christmas Hampers around Wagga Wagga. We can support their efforts by giving donations of grocery and personal care items. Our Homegroups have already begun responding to this call and we challenge our young people to consider the festive food and drinks they enjoy on Christmas day and consider sharing something similar as part of their donation. Donations can be made right up until Friday 8 December. Thank you for supporting this worthy cause.
Mount Erin Heritage Centre Handover
On Tuesday, 21 November, the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mount Erin Heritage Centre handed over the Governance of its operations to Catholic Education Diocese of Wagga Wagga. The ceremony beautifully captured Mount Erin's history as a Convent, Day and Boarding School, along with the legacy of the Presentation Sisters and their ministry of Catholic Education in Wagga Wagga. Mrs Thomas, Mrs Bright and were accompanied by student leaders, Emily Saeki and Julian Garcia Cala at the special event. The Mount Erin Heritage Centre will continue to provide the Wagga Wagga community with a valuable service reflecting the history and charism of the Presentation story.
The Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Assembly Liturgy
On Thursday 23 November, we gathered as a faith community to celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary with an Assembly Liturgy. Known to us as ‘Presentation Day’, this special Feast Day is acknowledged every year on 21 of November. In the history of our College community, the Presentation Sisters, along with the Christian Brothers, hold a sacred place. The arrival of the Sisters to Wagga in 1874 brought with them the gifts and fruits of a distinctly Catholic Education for this regional community.
We reflected on how the inspiration of Mary nurtured the spirits, hearts and hands of the Sisters, enabling them to endure in their challenging work; sharing education, teaching life skills and inspiring hope to generations of students, families and communities throughout their vocation.
Mary’s unwavering faith, strength and courage has been honoured by Nano Nagle and the Presentation Sisters as they share in her conviction to serve God, his world and his people. They speak and act in partnership with others for global justice, from a contemplative stance, in a spirit of oneness with the whole of creation.
In the wider Presentation community, the focus is on the elimination of violence against women and children, care of the Earth and the needs of Indigenous peoples of Australia. Globally, the Presentation Sisters continue the mission of Jesus to bring forth a sustainable society founded on respect for the Earth, Universal Human Rights, economic justice and a culture of peace.
Students were encouraged to “listen to the heartbeat of our world at this time, in all its beauty and goodness, yet such chaos, suffering and despair, we are called and challenged by the Spirit to be a force for ‘Active Hope’ in our varied ministries and the ordinary happenings of daily life.”
Let us pray…
O Lord, open my eyes that I may see the needs of others
Open my ears that I may hear their cries;
Open my heart so that they need not be without comfort;
Let me not be afraid to defend the weak because of the anger of the strong,
Nor afraid to defend the poor because of the anger of the rich.
Show me where love and hope and faith are needed,
And use me to bring them to those places.
And so open my eyes and my ears
That I may, this coming day, be able to do some work of peace for thee.
Year 9 Girls’ Community Building Experience 2023
During Week 5 of this term, from the 6 to 9 November, our Year 9 Girls participated in their Community Building Experience at Feathertop Chalet in Harrietville. The Year 9 Girls have considered their time on camp and have reflected on the ways in which this experience has changed and challenged them, we share some of these highlights below.
“This camp experience changed my view on people. It also challenged me to go outside of my comfort zone and talk and try new things.”
“This experience changed and challenged me through going outside my comfort zone and having to make new connections. I had to have a digital detox which was challenging but being surrounded by my friends and always doing activities made it easier.”
“This experience changed me through making new connections and bringing our year closer. Being able to be myself in a non-judgemental zone.”
“During the Camp, I felt as if everyone was very accepting, I was talking to people I wouldn't normally have a conversation with. All of the activities brought the ‘tribe’ together and I found myself being supportive towards everyone and everyone was supporting me.”
Growing strength as a woman develops through life experiences, the Year 9 Girls reflected on the specific ways our Camp encouraged your inner strength to shine.
“The activities encourage me to give everything a go and never let fear hold you back”
“The camp encouraged my inner strength to shine by completing and overcoming activities I was scared of. The camp also encouraged my inner strength to shine because I got to connect and make new friendships.”
“The camp encouraged me to go up to more people I didn’t know and have the courage to start a conversation with them. All the girls were there for each other and everyone was always enthusiastic and lifting each other up when doing new activities. When people were scared the whole tribe would help them get through it.”
“The Affirmations we wrote and received gave me a different perspective of how people view me and how I present myself. They boosted my confidence and self esteem.”
“The affirmations were definitely my favourite part of the camp. It made me realise that I make people feel good in ways I didn’t know. It also made me feel like I belonged.”
“The affirmations showed there's a beautiful side of girls and this built my self-awareness and self-esteem by making me feel comfortable and happy with my life, body and friends.”
Alpha Youth Workshops
Our Alpha Youth Series Workshops have been running each Friday during Term 4. These sessions are designed to engage students in conversations about life, faith and Jesus. Students enjoy their lunch together and discussion time is interspersed throughout the short film clips to make it simpler for our young people to share their thoughts and questions.
We have had strong student and staff support of these lunchtime sessions and I would like to thank Mrs Keira Barnes for leading our Alpha Youth Series Workshops this term. Her support has encouraged our student community to come together to explore timeless questions about life, faith and God in such a relevant and appealing way.
Mrs Amelia Bright | Acting Leader of Mission