Leader of Mission

“Love, following in the footsteps of Christ, in concern and compassion for all, is the highest expression of our faith and hope”

 (Message of the Holy Father Francis for Lent 2021)

Dear Marian Community,

I hope that the opening weeks back have been delightful for you, full of new experiences and inspiring learning opportunities. 

This week we embarked on our Lenten journey, and with this, so did our first College initiative Caritas - Project Compassion. The Community Action Team has been working hard behind the scenes to ensure that the promotion of this meaningful initiative comes to fruition within our College community. In this time of Lent, we have the opportunity to reflect on our lives and the mission of discipleship called upon us by Jesus when he said: 

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34) 

During this time, the theme of Caritas - Project Compassion is “BE MORE”. If we begin to reflect on the words of Jesus, the common theme that begins to arise is the importance to love one another. Essentially, this is teaching us that we should be undertaking a life of giving and assisting those who are less fortunate than ourselves. As people of Faith, we are living disciples in expressing this message and bringing it to life. 

In each of the College Homerooms, the posters of Caritas - Project Compassion have been placed to be seen by all. The poster I would like to draw your attention to is the poster that illustrates the effects that your donations can have on certain communities. In previous years, there have been targets such as $3000 for the College to fundraise. When looking at the impact this amount of donations can have, $3000 can provide a small rural community in Indonesia with the materials to build a clean water system. Having access to clean water is something we take for granted everyday and with your support, we can work towards providing a community with a basic necessity that will be life changing now and in the future. When we put such things into perspective, if each Homeroom could set a target of $70, we as a community can assist another community in need, following in the footsteps of Christ and live a life of compassion during our Lenten journey. 

Preparations for Harmony Day 2021 are well underway, with many staff and students collaborating to bring to life this momentous College event. The window is now open for anyone who would like to run a cultural stall on Harmony Day. We already have a diverse range of stalls, but we would love to see a wider range of cultures to showcase the richness of our Marian diversity. If you are interested in contributing to Harmony Day, please do not hesitate to contact myself or Mrs Segrave. Let's all work together to make Harmony Day 2021, the biggest and best ever.

Finally, this week is the start of a new College wide initiative with the launch of MCC-TV. On a fortnightly basis, students from the Leadership, Community Action Team, Well-Being Committee and other College initiatives will have the opportunity to promote or showcase the amazing things happening at Marian Catholic College. This week, there is a clear focus in the promotion of Caritas - Project Compassion. The Community Action Team has collaborated together to bring to life this foundation that inspires hope to those in need and challenges us to be more as individuals and live the life and message as Christ intended for us all. 

I leave you with the mission statement of  Caritas that we can all learn from and work towards: “Working together for Justice and Dignity, walking together in Hope and building together a thriving future for us all. Walk with us towards a world of Hope”.

Gabriel Abdala

Acting Leader of Mission