Catholic Identity & Mission News

The end of the 2025 school year may be fast approaching but our Year of Jubilee continues until the Feast of the Epiphany in early January! This Jubilee year has called for us to be ‘Pilgrims of Hope’ and as we prepare for Year 12 Retreats, Headstart and Advent, I can’t think of a better way to witness to this theme than by supporting our annual Christmas appeals on each campus. 

At Christmas time, we celebrate the birth of Jesus, our saviour who lived and taught the ‘corporal works of mercy’: to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, visit and tend to the sick and to welcome the stranger (Mt. 25:35-46). Our annual Christmas appeals, coordinated by our Social Justice groups with some support from our Youth Ministry classes, invite us to express our support and solidarity with those in need through donations. 

The generosity of our College community supports the work of the Cranbourne conference of St Vincent de Paul (‘Vinnies’) in providing hampers, food items, gifts and financial support to those in our local community who are experiencing financial and social hardships. We are all aware of the strains caused by the increase in the cost of living and know that there are people in our local community facing short- and long-term financial pressures. Vinnies are very active and practical in providing meaningful support for those who are ‘doing it tough’. They have a mantra that they look to see the face of Christ in everyone they assist, an approach that is based on the lessons of Jesus’ works of mercy. As we are asked to be thoughtful and respond to our Christmas appeals, let’s keep this message in mind too for when we help those in need, we are the reason for hope and care for others as Jesus wants us to. 

Ably led by our Social Justice Leaders, Ms Cathy Michael and Ms Melanie Bell, and our Social Justice Captains, Lauren East and Antonio Alonday, each Social Justice group collects for their appeal in their own way. I invite you to peruse their promotional materials below and if possible, contribute to this very worthy cause via collection boxes placed in each House area. All contributions will be very gratefully received.

As fellow Pilgrims of Hope, let us give thanks for the volunteers at Vinnies who do God’s works of mercy in the world. We pray that we can support them in prayer, solidarity and through our generous support of our Christmas appeal this year, Amen.

CRANBOURNE CAMPUS CHRISTMAS APPEAL: 

CLYDE NORTH CAMPUS CHRISTMAS APPEAL:

Ms Fiona McKenna

Deputy Principal – Catholic Identity & Mission