Catholic Identity

Project Compassion

This Lent, we’re invited to Unite Against Poverty with Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion. This year is especially significant as we celebrate the Jubilee Year - a time of renewal and solidarity. 

This week we hear the story of Toefuata'iga from Samoa and how Caritas has supported her community. 

Toefuata'iga's story

Toefuata'iga - (Toy-foo-ah-tah-ing-ah) is a 13-year-old primary school student from Samoa. Samoa may be a country surrounded by water, but access to clean drinking water is scarce in some areas, with many families facing extreme hardship as a result.

Toefuata’iga’s school community struggled without reliable access to clean water, which impacted students’ education and hygiene. Teachers often had to leave the school to fetch water from nearby homes, disrupting lessons and adding strain to the community. When the water ran out at the school, students were sent home which meant they missed out on valuable learning time.

Thanks to the support of Caritas Australia in partnership with Caritas Samoa, Toefuata’iga’s school now has a 10,000 L water tank through a Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) program. Teachers and students are now able to focus on education and improved hygiene. 

“Now that we have the water tank, things are so much better, we can stay at school all day, and I get to spend more time learning and playing with my friends. I’m happy that we don’t have to go home early anymore.” – said Toefuata'iga.

This transformative story is just one example of how Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion creates waves of change around the world. 

You are invited to be a part of the change:

Donate spare change, or money saved from Lenten fasting via the Project Compassion money boxes.

Invite friends and family to donate via our school's Project Compassion Fundraising Page

or

Sponsor our students for the Big Water Walk via their School House Sponsorship Page.

Owens Red -House sponsorship page

Taylor Blue - House sponsorship page

Farrell Green - House Sponsorship page

Marriott Gold - House Sponsorship page

Upcoming events

The Big Water Walk 

Thursday the 3rd of April commencing at 9 am.

The students will be participating in the Project Compassion Big Water Walk alongside the St. Therese's Cross Country. Students are invited to wear house colours, and raise sponsorship money for each house. As they walk the 1 km track they will carry with them water, to walk in solidarity with those all around the world who do not have access to clean running water. 

Sunday Gospel - Luke 4:1-13

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over he was hungry. The devil said to him,

“If you are the Son of God,command this stone to become bread.”

Jesus answered him,

“It is written, One does not live on bread alone.”

Then he took him up and showed himall the kingdoms of the world in a single instant. The devil said to him,

“I shall give to you all this power and glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I may give it to whomever I wish. All this will be yours, if you worship me.”

Jesus said to him in reply,

“It is written You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.”

Then he led him to Jerusalem, made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him,

“If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you, and: With their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.”

Jesus said to him in reply,

“It also says, You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”

When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.

Reflection

This is such a fitting Gospel to begin the season of Lent. We know our 40 days of Lent reflects these 40 days Jesus spent in desert. This was a time of prayer and training for Jesus, just as Lent is a time of prayer and spiritual training ourselves. 

Jesus in the desert meets temptation. He experiences three temptations, each temptation is asking Jesus to deny his humanity, and raise himself above the human experience to that of divine nature. 

Each time, Jesus chooses to remain in his humanity, knowing that this will cost him greatly, eventually costing him his life. 

In remining in his humanity, Jesus opens the kingdom to us all. Jesus is the Son of God, the second person of the trinity, yet he was also human, he lived, he felt, he hungered just as we do. Jesus shows us what is possible through the love of God, and invites us this Lent to journey with him, just as he chose to journey in solidarity with humankind over 2000 years ago.