Faith and Mission
Indigenous Culture
‘Warami Mittigar’ – which means “Hello friends... welcome!” in the local Darug language.
Growing in Understanding Through Indigenous Perspectives
As we continue through Term 3, our students have been deepening their understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures through meaningful learning experiences across the College.
Our Year 12 Mission students have continued to work with students in our School of Foundations, sharing Aboriginal Dreaming stories and exploring the importance of Reconciliation. Through storytelling, discussion and hands-on activities, our younger students have had opportunities to learn more about First Nations cultures, caring for Country and the importance of respect and understanding.
These experiences have also provided our Year 12 students with an opportunity to lead and share their learning, strengthening connections between our senior and younger students and supporting our ongoing commitment to Reconciliation.
As we move towards the end of the term, we are also looking forward to an important tradition within our College community. Our graduating Year 12 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students will pass the College Message Stick to our next group of Indigenous student leaders. This symbolic handover recognises the leadership and contribution of our Year 12 students while entrusting the next generation with the responsibility to continue sharing culture, strengthening connection and walking together on our journey of Reconciliation.
Faith and Formation
Liturgy
Liturgy and Prayer Highlights in Term 3
Over the past three weeks, our College community has continued to strengthen its prayer life through student leadership, daily prayer and meaningful liturgical celebrations.
Students from the Year 4, Year 8 and Year 11 Leadership Teams have taken an active role in leading prayer each day. Working collaboratively, they have prepared and facilitated prayer experiences that invite students to pause, reflect and deepen their relationship with God. Their leadership has been a wonderful example of students sharing their gifts and helping to build a strong culture of prayer across the College.
On Monday, the College celebrated the Assumption of Mary into Heaven, a significant feast celebrated by the Church over the weekend. Through our liturgies, we reflected on the beautiful reminder that we have a mother in Heaven who continues to watch over and pray for us. SOF students participated in a special liturgy with Fr Gayan, who reminded us that Mary was taken into Heaven to be with God and to look after us. Students joined together in prayer and song, creating a reverent and joyful celebration.
SOL/E students also participated in Mass to celebrate the importance of this Marian dogma and to reflect on Mary’s special place in the life of the Church. These celebrations provided our students with an opportunity to deepen their understanding of Mary, strengthen their faith and experience the beauty of the Church’s liturgical tradition.
Faith In Action
Social Justice Friday - Socktober
In Week 5, on Friday 21 August, St Luke’s students participated in Socktober in support of Catholic Mission. Students wore their team colours and created sockballs using recycled materials, which they then used to play soccer.
This experience encouraged students to develop empathy and solidarity, helping them understand the challenges faced by children who may not have access to the same opportunities and resources. Through Socktober, students supported children like Yamikani to access education and helped displaced families rebuild their lives.
By participating, our students demonstrated our school motto of “Living the Good News” by showing compassion, generosity and care for others.
Operation Christmas Child
This term, St Luke’s Catholic College will once again be supporting Operation Christmas Child, an initiative that gives our students and families the opportunity to bring joy and hope to children experiencing hardship around the world.
Operation Christmas Child, coordinated by Samaritan’s Purse, invites families to fill a shoebox with simple and thoughtful gifts such as small toys, school supplies, personal care items and other useful essentials. The boxes are then distributed to children living in communities affected by poverty, conflict, natural disasters and other challenging circumstances.
More than simply giving a gift, Operation Christmas Child provides an opportunity for our students to put their faith into action. It connects strongly with the Catholic Social Teaching principles of human dignity and solidarity, reminding us that every person is valued and that we are called to care for others, particularly those experiencing hardship.
How can families get involved?
Families wishing to participate are asked to contribute $13 per shoebox, which covers the cost of postage and delivery. When registering, families will need to select the age and gender of the child they would like to pack a shoebox for:
- Boy: 2–4 years, 5–9 years or 10–14 years
- Girl: 2–4 years, 5–9 years or 10–14 years
Once payment has been made and an age and gender selected, families can collect their shoebox from the College Office to take home and fill.
Families can use the information linked here for guidance about what to include in the shoebox, as well as items that should not be packed.
All completed shoeboxes need to be returned to the College Office by Monday, 19 October.
We hope many of our St Luke’s families will join us in supporting this worthwhile initiative. Each shoebox may be small, but it is a meaningful way of showing a child that they are valued, cared for and remembered.
Together, we can continue to Live the Good News through kindness, generosity and hope.
Emmaus Encounters - Intergenerational Program
The Emmaus Encounter Program is an intergenerational initiative developed by Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese in partnership with Marsden Park Care Community. Over four consecutive Tuesdays, selected Year 10 students will visit residents building meaningful relationships through conversation, shared activities and companionship. The program encourages students to live out the Gospel values of compassion, respect and service while learning from the wisdom and life experiences of older members of the community. So far our students have made meaningful connections with the residents and are learning a lot about each other. During our most recent visit students brought a significant ‘item’ to share, things like family photos, keepsakes and awards. They then enjoyed residents sharing their special items and deepening their connection. In our next edition we hope to share some student reflections and photos of this initiative. We hope that this program will continue into the future. |
Current Year 10 Students only - Expression of Interest – Catholic Mission Philippines Immersion 2027
We are excited to be exploring an opportunity for our current Year 10, 2027 students to participate in a Catholic Mission Immersion to the Philippines during the October 2027 school holidays.
The proposed immersion would take place from 1–11 October 2027 and would be facilitated by Catholic Mission, with Bacolod or Manila as the possible locations. This experience would provide students with the opportunity to encounter communities in the Philippines, deepen their understanding of mission and social justice, and experience what it means to live our faith through service, solidarity and accompaniment.
For the immersion to proceed, we require a minimum of 12 students, and students must be at least 16 years old on the day of departure.
At this stage, we are seeking expressions of interest from families. Families who express interest will be invited to attend a Zoom information meeting, where further details about the immersion, including the proposed location, itinerary, costs, preparation and expectations, will be shared.
If you and your child is interested in this opportunity, please complete the Expression of Interest Google Form by Wednesday September 2. We will be in contact with interested families soon to organise the Zoom meeting and provide further information.
From our Parish Community…
AFRICAN MASS 2026
Date: Sunday 27 September 2026 Time: 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Principal Celebrant: Very Rev Peter Williams AM, Vicar General & Moderator of the Curia Venue: Mary, Queen of the Family Parish (St Patrick’s Church), 51-59 Allawah Street, Blacktown
Refreshments and entertainment will be provided after Mass.
OCIA – ORDER OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION OF ADULTS ~
The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) will begin on Tuesday, 1 September, at 7:00 pm in the parish office. If you are interested in becoming a Catholic, or if you know someone who would like to learn more about the Catholic faith and explore becoming Catholic, we invite you to attend the Inquiry Night.
SENIORS GROUP
We're looking at starting a Seniors Group at our parish—a welcoming place to connect, make new friends, and enjoy fellow-ship together. If you're interested, please complete the questionnaire forms available at the welcome table or contact the Parish Office
Parish Contacts
Should you need to contact the St Luke’s Parish Community, the contact details follow here:
Fr Gayan Thamel: gayan.thamel@parracatholic.org
Parish Priest
For general inquiries and sacramental process details:
Ged Oblea: ged@stlukesmarsdenpark.org.au
Parish Secretary
Ph: (02) 7261-0246.
Mobile: 0422 724 160
Website: https://stlukesmarsdenpark.org.au/