Mission and Identity 

• Year 10 Formation Day
• 1 Peter 4:10 Christmas Appeal - thank you 
• Immersions
• Final Youth Mass
• Advent - Church New Year
• The Road to Bethlehem - A Liturgical Pilgrimage

Year 10 Formation Day

As part of the Term 5 Program for Year 10, students engaged in their final Formation Day on Tuesday at the Oxford Falls Campus. Titled ‘Journeying with Purpose’, students explored the importance of trusting God, embracing hope and discerning their God given gifts as they unpacked the scriptural impetus for the day ‘Jeremiah 29:11 ‘For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’ move forward towards their senior years at the College. We were blessed to be joined by keynote presenter Sam Clear, founder of Walk4Unity and Director of Youth Evangelisation for the Archdiocese of Hobart. Sam walked around the world in pursuit of Christian Unity that covered 21 countries, 15,600 klm and 568 days. Sam shared candidly the struggles he faced and the moments that required a leap of faith.

As a way of paying forward the gift of education that they have received thus far, students built solar panel study light packages to be sent to Papua New Guinea. Less than 7% of Papua New Guinea have access to the grid for electricity, and as a result student educational outcomes are limited due to no light in the evening. These packs will provide light for homework and homeschooling. Each pack is accompanied by a letter from our students to the recipient of the light pack.

To conclude the day, students were asked to meditate on the previously mentioned biblical quote through the ancient art of Biblical Micrography. Year 10 are to be congratulated on their engagement in the formation process. 

1 Peter 4:10 Christmas Appeal - Thank you

The College was overwhelmed by the generosity that was received in response to the appeal. The foyer swelled with donations in addition to the storeroom as countless bags of presents and food donations were delivered. These donations were then loaded onto the buses departing for immersion to be delivered to the recipient communities both locally and as far north as Bowraville. Thank you sincerely to the St Pius X family for being the ‘hands and feet’ of Christ to those in need.

Immersions

Today the College will be welcoming back the staff and student pilgrims from the immersions to Bowraville in the Northern Rivers region, the Central Coast and Greater Sydney. Tomorrow we will welcome back the final immersion from Baradine. 

During these immersions, students have collectively been involved in the following activities:

• Volunteering at a Women’s Refuge
• Rainforest Regeneration and tree planting
• Classroom buddy program in disadvantaged primary schools
• Relationship building at a rehabilitation centre
• Volunteering at a Men’s Refuge
• Providing meal services for the homeless
• Volunteering at a Youth Refuge
• Volunteering at Homelessness Crisis Care Centres
• Relationship building with clients with different abilities from Centacare
• Indigenous language classes and working alongside Indigenous Elders
• Volunteering as teacher assistants in rural schools supporting students who have experienced trauma 

Each day, students have framed the above with daily prayer, reflective journaling and group discussions to process and unpack their transformative experiences.  

The testimony that has been shared thus far by students has been profound. These experiences would not have been possible without the leadership and shepherding of our Immersion Staff. We extend our deepest gratitude to Mr Maloney, Mr Westhoff, Mr Di Sano, Mr Cummins, Mr Balboa, Mrs Guerrera, Mr Brannan, Mrs Fileman and Mr Davies.

The student pilgrims will be presenting and sharing their insights and learnings from their immersion to the entire Year 10 cohort, which will be followed in due course by a video for each immersion that will provide some insights to families and the wider community about the transformative power of such faith in action opportunities. 

Final Youth Mass

Last Sunday, the final Youth Mass for the year was celebrated via the Mercy Catholic College and St Pius X College partnership. The Feast of Christ the King was celebrated with fantastic music from the liturgical band while surrounded by friends, faith, fun and an abundance of food following Mass.

Thank you to Fr Joey for celebrating with Mass with us.  

Advent - Church New Year!

Advent is the beginning of a new liturgical year and offers us the chance to prepare for Jesus to be reborn in our hearts anew. This season of preparation gives us the opportunity to ‘spiritually clean up and prepare’ just as we would clean and prepare our homes for the arrival of an honored guest. 

A beautiful part of our tradition is the Advent Wreath which features five candles.

The candles have their own special significance. The four coloured candles represent the four weeks of Advent, and one candle is lit each Sunday. Three of the candles are purple because the color violet is a liturgical color that signifies a time of prayer, penance, and sacrifice.

The first candle, which is purple, symbolizes hope. It is sometimes called the 'Prophecy Candle' in remembrance of the prophets, especially Isaiah, who foretold the birth of Christ. It represents the expectation felt in anticipation of the coming Messiah.

The second candle, also purple, represents faith. It is called the 'Bethlehem Candle' as a reminder of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem.

The third candle is pink and symbolizes joy. It is called the 'Shepard’s Candle' and is pink because rose is a liturgical color for joy. The third Sunday of Advent is Gaudete Sunday and is meant to remind us of the joy that the world experienced at the birth of Jesus, as well as the joy that the faithful have reached the midpoint of Advent.

On the fourth week of Advent, we light the final purple candle to mark the final week of prayer and penance as we wait for the birth of our Savior. This final candle, the 'Angel’s Candle', symbolizes peace. It reminds us of the message of the angels: 'Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward all people.'

The white candle is placed in the middle of the wreath and lit on Christmas Eve. This candle is called the 'Christ Candle' and represents the life of Christ. The color white is for purity, representing the Christ born in a manger, who would one day die on the Cross sinless, while absorbing the price for the sins of all for all time.

The Road to Bethlehem - A Liturgical Pilgrimage

As previously highlighted, it is with great pleasure that St Pius X College and Mercy Catholic College will collaborate to host ‘The Road to Bethlehem - A Liturgical Pilgrimage’, here on campus at 10:00 am on Monday 4 December.

Joined by students from St Leo’s Catholic College Wahroonga and members of the parish, we will bring to life the Nativity with large sets, costumes and live animals. Our students and staff dressed in biblical costumes will move in and through the congregation seated in the playground, as they unfold one of the greatest stories from our ‘God of surprises’.

It is the 800th Anniversary since St Francis of Assisi first held a live Nativity. Please keep the College in your prayers as we continue that tradition.

Mr Daniel Petrie - Assistant Principal, Mission and Identity