Mission and Identity

• Youth in Council III
• ‘I don't want them to pass alone’
• SPX Winter Appeal: Supporting St Vincent de Paul and Jesuit Refugee Services
• Blessed Carlo Acutis Canonisation Youth Orchestra

Youth in Council III

Last week the third iteration of this synodal process saw over 90 students from St Pius X College and Mercy College gather with Our Lady of Dolours facilitators and Fr David Ranson to listen, reflect and respond on the topic of mental health and wellbeing. Guest speaker Matt Caruana, paraplegic to paralympian, gave testimony on the importance of healthy relationships and how to prioritise wellbeing to support mental health.

Matt’s powerful testimony was a story of brave vulnerability, stark honesty and courageous hope. His journey has been distilled into the following process that he believes is a pathway to positively improving mental health and wellbeing:

Step 1 Appraise: Look in the mirror - see it

Step 2 Accept: Own it

Step 3 Adapt: Shift it

Step 4 Advance: Do it

Step 5 Ascend: Rise with it

Students engaged again in the synodal process of deep listening to discern where the Spirit was calling them. Students also witnessed the launch of the Hub of Hope where social justice organisations connect centrally with the parish so that students can ‘plug into advocacy and action’ in one place as pilgrims of hope. This important venture was an outcome of student feedback from Youth in Council II. Thank you to Mr Balboa for developing this initiative.

Thank you once again to Fr David and the parish of Our Lady Dolours for this fantastic process and platform for connecting students with their faith. A powerful testament to parishes and schools working as one.

‘I don't want them to pass alone’

At our weekly Nursing Home visit yesterday, we had the privilege to gather in the chapel and listen to the testimony of one of the aged care workers who actively gives her time to hold the hands of residents who are dying, so they pass with company and dignity. She shared ‘I don’t want them to pass alone’. Our students asked profound questions that were both pragmatic and existential, as they navigated this fresh insight into the way in which we are called to care for the most vulnerable, which includes those in their final hours. 

Our students then joined dementia residents as they tested new laser technology prototypes that beam onto tables, thus transforming the table into an ‘Aged Care Playstation’ stimulating gross motor skills and cognitive engagement. The laughter was contagious. 

While some students experienced great surprise at having lost the digital soccer game to a resident from level two, our remaining students relished in the conversations with the remaining wisdom figures available to them. 

When I shared with the students that it was time for us to say our goodbyes, I was met with the common response of ‘No, please more time sir!’ What a blessing it is to serve alongside such extraordinary students.

May our young people always seek the wisdom of our elders and offer care to those in their twilight years.

An afternoon each week where hearts are full and all feel blessed.

SPX Winter Appeal: Supporting St Vincent de Paul and Jesuit Refugee Services

This week marks the start of our annual SPX Winter Appeal, with the College collecting goods for St Vincent de Paul and Jesuit Refugee Services. In this difficult time, those in need have found themselves pushed further into the fringes of society, with many volunteer organisations not able to cater for those who are less fortunate. Students are encouraged to consider the plight of those around us, and to act by giving to the poor in handfuls.

Driven by the Edmund Rice Society, the appeal will run until Wednesday, 18 June (Week 8, Day 3). Student volunteers will be collecting goods during homeroom.

 We are in need of the following items:

   Thank you in anticipation for your generosity.

Blessed Carlo Acutis Canonisation Youth Orchestra

Rehearsals recommence this Friday 30 May for the Blessed Carlo Acutis Canonisation Youth Orchestra. Students are to meet at RE1 before moving to Mercy College for the rehearsal.

The progress of the students has been a privilege to witness and we are delighted to have them regather in preparation for the canonisation. 

Mr Daniel Petrie - Assistant Principal, Mission & Identity