Catholic Identity

Lent, Project Compassion and Living Our Faith in Action

As we begin the season of Lent, we take time as a school community to reflect, pray, and take meaningful action. Lent is a special time in the Catholic calendar where we are called to focus on prayer, fasting and almsgiving — thinking beyond ourselves and supporting those who experience hardship or injustice. It is a time to grow closer to God by showing compassion and care for others through our actions.

We would like to begin by saying a big thank you to Laura, Jess and our Catholic Identity leaders for organising our Shrove Tuesday celebrations. This was a wonderful way to launch our Lenten journey, with students generously giving gold coin donations to raise money for Caritas Australia. Their enthusiasm and generosity set a fantastic tone for the weeks ahead.

Project Compassion and Caritas Australia

During Lent, Catholic schools across Australia support Project Compassion, the annual fundraising initiative of Caritas Australia. Project Compassion helps communities around the world break the cycle of poverty and build brighter futures through sustainable solutions such as access to education, clean water, health care, and opportunities for employment.

By supporting Caritas, our students learn that even small actions can make a big difference when we work together as a community.

Catholic Social Teaching in Action

Our fundraising and learning during Lent link strongly to Catholic Social Teaching, which reminds us that every person has dignity and that we are called to stand with those who are vulnerable. Key principles we focus on include:

• Human Dignity – every person deserves respect and opportunities to thrive.
• Solidarity – we are one human family, responsible for supporting one another.
• The Common Good – working together so everyone has what they need to live well.
• Preferential Option for the Poor – giving special care and attention to those experiencing hardship.

Through fundraising and acts of service, students see that faith is not just something we talk about — it is something we live.

How Our School Community Is Supporting Project Compassion

Our Catholic Identity leaders have been busy organising a range of initiatives to help our school contribute to Project Compassion this Lent:

• Icy pole Fridays — Catholic Identity leaders are selling icy poles each Friday, with all proceeds going towards Caritas.
• Casual Clothes Day — Friday 27th February — students are invited to wear casual clothes and bring a gold coin donation to support the cause.
• Act of Solidarity — students will participate in a meaningful experience by carrying buckets of water around the school oval. This activity helps build understanding that many communities around the world do not have access to clean, running water and must work hard each day to collect what they need.

These experiences help students move beyond fundraising alone and develop empathy and awareness for the challenges others face.

Living Lent Together

Lent reminds us that simple acts — giving, serving, and standing in solidarity with others — can create real change. As a St Patrick’s community, we are proud of the way our students continue to show kindness, empathy and leadership as they live out our Catholic values.

We look forward to continuing our Lenten journey together and thank all families for supporting these important initiatives.

St Patrick's Feast Day

St Patrick's Feast Day is held on the 17th March and is fast approaching. We have some wonderful things planned to help celebrate this important day for our school. We will have more information closer to the events. Here is the information to date:

Ash Wednesday

We came together as a school community in prayer to acknowledge Ash Wednesday and mark the beginning of the Lenten season. Our Catholic Identity Leaders did an amazing job leading the prayer, guiding us with confidence and care. It was wonderful to see our students participate with such reverence and respect, creating a calm and reflective atmosphere as we began this important time in our Church year.