Faith and Mission

On Thursday, 8 August, our Secondary students proudly celebrated Ward House Day, a special occasion dedicated to honouring the remarkable legacy of Mary Ward, the inspirational figure after whom our Ward House is named. This day also coincided with the Feast Day of Mary Mackillop, Australia’s first canonised saint, highlighting the significance of these two extraordinary women in the life of the Church.

Mary Ward, born on 23 January 1585 in Northern England, grew up amidst significant turbulence and persecution faced by the Catholic community in her homeland. Inspired by the steadfast faith of her family and friends, she felt a calling to dedicate her life to God. Despite her father's wishes for her to marry, Mary chose a different path, initially joining the Poor Clare Community. However, she soon envisioned creating a new religious community for women, modelled after the Jesuits, aimed at providing education and care with apostolic freedom and spiritual purpose.

Mary Ward's journey was marked by numerous challenges, including significant opposition from the institutional Church, imprisonment, poverty, and illness. Despite these trials, her resolve remained unshaken as she travelled across Europe, advocating for her new community. Although her convents and schools faced suppression, her unwavering faith and dedication to the Church remained steadfast until her passing on 30 January 1645, in York, England.

Mary Mackillop, born in Victoria to Scottish immigrants, was the eldest of eight children and worked to support her family from a young age. At 24, she dedicated her life to God, adopting the name 'Mary of the Cross.' Alongside Fr Julian Tenison Woods, she opened a school in a disused stable in Penola, South Australia, with the mission of providing education to underprivileged children. This initiative led to the founding of Australia’s first religious order, the Sisters of St Joseph.

Mary Mackillop and her sisters committed themselves to serving the poor, often living amongst those in need in various rural areas across Australia. Despite facing fierce opposition and even excommunication, Mary remained a model of forgiveness and resolute in her convictions. Her strong leadership and determination have had a lasting impact on education in Australia, shaping it into what it is today.

As we commemorate Ward House Day and reflect on the lives of Mary Ward and Mary Mackillop, let us recognise the influence these two women have had on education within Australia. Their lives exemplify the power of faith, courage, and dedicated service. Their legacies continue to inspire and guide us, reminding us of the importance of resilience and commitment in our own lives.

Janeen Murphy

Deputy Principal Faith and Mission

Community Mass

Next week, Community Mass will be on Thursday, 15 August, to honour the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary. Students in Year 11 will prepare the liturgy, but all members of the community are welcome! See the article below, written by Australian Sister Mary Coloe pbvm.

Thursday’s celebration means there will not be a Friday Mass in Week 5.

Community Mass is held weekly in the Chapel on Friday mornings, commencing at 8:00am and concluding at 8:30am. As there are a few variations in Term 3, the schedule is shown below. 

If you any queries regarding Community Mass, please contact mary-anne.lumley@johnxxiii.edu.au 

The Feast of the Assumption of Mary[1]

The Feast of the Assumption can be hard to make sense of at one level – that Jesus’ mother is bodily taken into the life of God (heaven); but at the level of the human heart, it makes a great deal of sense. Thus, for centuries, it was taken for granted that Mary’s mortal body did not undergo corruption, perhaps based on the lack of a grave for this remarkable woman, coupled with the sense of filial love. Eventually, in 1950 Pope Pius XII declared this ancient tradition as a doctrine of the church.

To make theological sense of this decree we need to focus on Jesus, and his bodily resurrection, and what this then means for all human beings. In the resurrected body of Jesus, we glimpse with the eyes of faith, the resurrected future that lies ahead for all of us. While for us, such bodily resurrection seems to be a process which first entails the normal corruption of the material body, for Jesus, raised from the grave, his body did not undergo such corruption. [In his letter to the Corinthians (1Cor.15:20-26], Paul says that what happened to Jesus is like the first fruits of a harvest, it is a pledge of what is to follow for everyone. In August, as Spring approaches in Australia, already some trees are showing signs of first fruits – the blossoms are beginning to bud, small figs are already appearing – these indicate that change is happening and that soon the full flowering will follow…

The gospel account of Mary’s Visitation provides us with some insight into the place Mary held in the early church. Placed on Mary’s lips is a song of praise modelled on ancient prayers of her Jewish foremothers. First Elizabeth greets Mary with words recalling Judith: 

‘O daughter, you are blessed by the Most High God above all other women on earth; 

and blessed be the Lord God, who created the heavens and the earth (Judith 13:18).

Mary’s song of praise, the Magnificat, similarly, recalls the song of Hannah when she is granted a child, Samuel. In this way, Mary is linked with the great women of Israel who were chosen to be saviours of their people. Her song prefigures the ministry of Jesus to the poor and the outcast.[2] 

The readings [for the Feast of Assumption] present Mary as a woman within her tradition, a woman of faithful Israel, whose fidelity to Jesus models and prefigures the vocation of all believers. In her complete self-giving to God’s will and her intimate relationship with Jesus, she is gifted with the immediate consequences of his resurrection. Like Jesus, she moves through death, to life with God without bodily corruption. In Mary we are given the promise of our own future.

The above is an excerpt from a longer reflection by Mary Coloe, who is a Professor of New Testament within the University of Divinity. She is also a member of the Presentations Sisters of Victoria with many years of teaching in secondary schools and then at Australian Catholic University. She was appointed for seven years, to an International Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Church of Christ, as part of the work of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity.

[1] Coloe, Mary. "Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - 15 August 2024." Pastoral Liturgy 54, no. 3 (2024): 1-5. https://researchonline.nd.edu.au/pastoral-liturgy/vol54/iss3/13. Used with permission.

[2]Mary’s wonderful prayer, The Magnificat, can be found here: The Magnificat - Prayers - Vatican News. The illustration shows a contemporary rendition of this prayer. Text by Joy Cowley; Art & lettering by Robert Henry. https://globalworship.tumblr.com/post/154312698145/a-modern-magnificat