Faith & Mission Report

Advent is the beginning of the church year, a period of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ during the Christmas season. We often pray on the themes of hope, peace, joy, and love, corresponding to the four weeks of Advent.

1st Week of Advent

Prayer for Hope: Almighty God, grant us the grace to hope in you with unwavering trust. As we begin this season of Advent, may our hearts be filled with the hope that comes from knowing your promises are true. Amen.

2nd Week of Advent

Prayer for Peace: Prince of Peace, in a world filled with turmoil, grant us the tranquility that only your peace can bring. Help us to be instruments of reconciliation and harmony in our relationships and communities. Amen.

3rd Week of Advent

Prayer for Joy: Heavenly Father, fill our hearts with the joy that comes from knowing your love. May we rejoice in the good news of salvation and share that joy with others during this season of Advent. Amen.

4th Week of Advent

Prayer for Love: God of love, as we approach the celebration of the birth of your Son, help us to embody the love that He brought into the world. Teach us to love one another as you have loved us. Amen.

As we move into the season of Advent, we are reminded of the hope we have looking forward to celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas. As a school, we also get the chance to take a breath and look backwards to review what has happened in our last few weeks of the 2024 year.

We have been blessed to have Hoa Tran, and MSC Novice, spend most of the term 4 with us at Monivae. Below is an extract of the message Hoa sent to the MSC community.

“This semester, I've begun my summer pastoral placement at Monivae College in Hamilton. Psychology describes the Primacy Effect. It’s the tendency to remember the first experiences most vividly. My first day at Monivae was no exception. After meeting with the principal, Johnathan Rowe, to organise my activities during the placement. He then took me to the Year 8 Reflection Day at HIRL.

Education is not just about academics alone. It is firstly about connection and community. That's what Monivae experience has come to mean for me. The school’s mission statement beautifully puts it: “Monivae College is a heart-centred learning community that embodies the core MSC values of love, positive relationships, and compassion.”

At the Year 8 Reflection Day, I saw this relational dimension in action. Danny Franc, Monivae's Director of Faith and Formation, and other teachers tailored the activities to enable students to know and connect to one another like group discussions, contemplative walk, or create arts work. For me, one memorable activity involved crafting a paper heart and writing down a message of gratitude to someone they appreciate. This activity beautifully expressed the day's theme:  "I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36.26).

It’s hard to put into words all my experiences at Monivae. There’s so much to share. I feel truly blessed to have had the opportunities to join various teams, Religious Education, Humanities, Science, Learning Support, Well-being, Library and the Mental Health First Aid teams. The teachers and staff welcomed me into their classes and training sessions. They allow me to learn and witness their commitment to MSC core values of compassion and community.

What has made this experience even more special is their trust in letting me share my own journey with the students. I’ve had the chance to give them a glimpse of life as an MSC and draw from my pastoral experiences in different places over the years. It’s been so great to engage with the students, not just as a teacher but as someone walking a little further along the path of life, sharing stories and lessons along the way.

"So far, my time at Monivae has been an invaluable experience.”

Our St Vincent de Paul winter appeal has been a success with gifts donated for the tree, and funds raised through our Chupa Chup raffle. The winner of the raffle was determined at the end of the last day of school after this newsletter report was written.

Thanks to all who supported all our fundraising activities this year. All our money raised goes to Catholic organisations that support the Catholic Social Teachings we talk about every day at Monivae, including Human Dignity and Preferential Treatment of the Poor.

We finished the year with our Advent Mass and were pleased to have Father Paddy Mugavin to celebrate with us.

All the students got to learn a little about how Advent leads us into Christmas, and the importance of this for our Catholic community. As it was our last day, we also had a touch of Christmas thrown in.

The mass is also a time to celebrate those staff who are leaving the College. A shout out must go to Mr Terry Molan, who previously held the position of Director of Faith and Mission (among many other positions he has held over his time at Monivae). Terry certainly lives and breathes what it means to “Be on Earth the Heart of God”, and his Spirituality of Heart shines out. I wish Terry, and all the other departing staff, all the best.

Mr. Danny Franc

Director of Faith and Mission