Mission
Yr 12 (2024) Commitment Mass
At the commencement of Term 4 our new Year 12 (2024) Students gathered to celebrate Mass together as a Faith Community. Our Eucharistic Liturgy called on the commitment and servant leadership of students in the areas of academic learning; faith and care; sport; culture and the arts; commitment to your relationships with family members; your peers; the College community; and to God. We took the opportunity to reflect on the love God has for each one of us, along with the abiding love modelled by Mary, our College Patron. We were grateful for the presence of Fr Rafter and Seminarian John along with the College Leadership Team and Teachers of Year 12.
Students were presented with their Mater Dei Catholic College Badge, symbolising their role as the Year 12 class of 2024, who will now become the official student leaders of our College Community. Fr Rafter prayed a blessing over these badges before Mrs Thomas and Mr Lawrence distributed them to our students.
“May these badges be, in sign and symbol, a reminder which symbolises your leadership journey at Mater Dei Catholic College. We pray you will demonstrate servant leadership and commitment to the College values and ideals, supporting the College motto ‘Live God’s Message’. We ask God’s blessing and peaceful presence to be with you today and always. I bless these College badges, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Catholic Mission Fundraising - Socktober
On Tuesday, our community celebrated ‘Socktober’ raising funds for Catholic Mission and wearing crazing socks. Our new Year 12 (2024) Student Leaders hosted a cake and lolly stall showcasing their culinary talents and rallying students in their year group to get involved for a worthy cause. Thank you to all the students and families who supported these initiatives over the past week. In this edition of our Newsletter you will read about Yr 7 Religious Education and their focus on Catholic Mission Activities in classes.
To support our Socktober fundraising, you may like to encourage your child to sign up for personal, sponsored fundraising through Catholic Mission. Mater Dei Catholic College is already registered as a team and you are invited to donate through this link. Students under the age of 18 need to have parent/carer support with this process.
Through this fundraising portal, students and their families have the chance to choose the goals they want to kick and seek sponsorships from far and wide to contribute to the meaningful cause of global mission in action. All that’s required of parents/carers, is to help them sign up, kickstart their fundraising with a small gift if possible, and then share their page with your network.
Read more about Catholic Mission’s projects around the world
Together, we’re proud to be making a difference for children in need in Timor-Leste; learning about communities in Venilale this year and kicking goals to support children's health and wellbeing needs. Thank you for supporting in this valuable initiative of Catholic Mission!
Alpha Youth Workshops - Term 4
During Term 4, we are running the Alpha Youth Series of Workshops each Friday at Mater Dei. These youth-focused sessions are designed to engage students in conversations about life, faith and Jesus.
The new Alpha Youth Series has been totally reimagined for today’s youth culture. The short films have been filmed in Vancouver, London, Paris, Rome, Israel, and many other incredible locations, and are designed to explore timeless questions about culture, reality and God for a new generation. Each series offers compelling stories, images, questions, and discussion topics well spread throughout each episode to engage our young people, helping them think about how these issues relate to their lives as they discuss them with their friends and leaders.
Alpha Youth runs all across Australia, in schools, homes, youth ministries, parishes, and online. No two Alpha Youth Workshops will look exactly the same but they typically have the same three main elements; sharing a meal (table fellowship), viewing a short film and engaging in a discussion. We have had a strong attendance of students and staff at our first few Alpha’s for the term and welcome new participants every week!
All Souls Day 2 November 2023 - Community Prayer Gathering
We gathered in Homegroups and as a community on Thursday morning to commemorate the Feast Day of the Faithfully Departed known as All Souls Day. We pray for all those who have died, our loved ones, and those people around the world who we will never meet, through the mercy of God, will rest in peace.
“The Lord is my light and my help,
I am sure I shall see the Lord's goodness in the land of the living.”
O God of the living and the dead,
You hear the cry of those who live with grief and loss.
Be a comfort in our weakness and a light in our darkness.
Be our hope. Be our peace. Be our strength.
We ask this prayer in all the holy names of God.
We unite to strengthen our conviction that our loved ones and those who have died are resting now in God’s peaceful and loving presence. Let us affirm our belief and hope in the new life that God offers, by responding to each of these special intentions in the light of our faith.
Merciful Father,
On this day, we are called to remember those who have died,
particularly our loved ones, who live forever in our hearts.
We pray collectively for their joyful reunion with you, their loving creator.
Response: Grant eternal rest, O Lord.
For all those who have died, those with names we will never know,
voices we have never heard, in lands we may never visit.
Brothers and sisters all. We pray…
Response: Grant eternal rest, O Lord.
For victims of war, caught in the crossfires of conflicts we could not quell,
for soldiers and civilians, adults and children. We pray…
Response: Grant eternal rest, O Lord.
For refugees who died seeking a haven where they hoped to find safety,
peace and renewed opportunity for themselves and their families.
For those who died in a land that was not their home. We pray…
Response: Grant eternal rest, O Lord.
For those who died from poverty and hunger, denied their share of your providence,
the bounty you have placed before us. We pray…
Response: Grant eternal rest, O Lord.
For those who suffered with illness and disease, poor mental and physical health.
For the many who died before adequate care could reach them. We pray…
Response: Grant eternal rest, O Lord.
For victims of emergencies and natural disasters everywhere,
who died amid chaos, despair and confusion. We pray…
Response: Grant eternal rest, O Lord.
For those who died suddenly, unexpectedly, or at a young age.
For those children who returned to God before having the opportunity to meet their
parents. May God delight in them, as their loved ones would have, and may God comfort those who grieve the loss.
Response: Grant eternal rest, O Lord.
For the family carers, comfort-givers, doctors and nurses who work tirelessly to aid in the dignity of life and death.
May they be strengthened to endure under the most difficult of circumstances. We pray…
Response: We shall see the goodness of the Lord, in the land of the living.
For parents and family members who mourn their loved ones,
comfort and protect their children, and teach them about the fragility and joy of life. We pray…
Response: We shall see the goodness of the Lord, in the land of the living.
Lord, as you command, we reach out to the fallen.
We call on you, on behalf of those we could not reach in prayer.
You raised your son from the dead that all may share in his joyful resurrection.
In Jesus' name, we pray, Amen
Year 9 Boys’ Timetable from Monday 6 November to Thursday 9 November 2023
With Year 9 Girls heading off on their Community Building Experience from Monday 6 November to Thursday 9 November, it has been necessary for us to organise a timetable for Year 9 Boys. During this time these students will attend a consolidated program of lessons focusing on experiential learning and team-building activities. Students will attend Homegroup as usual and can refer to EDVAL for their daily lesson schedule. Year 9 boys are permitted to wear sports uniform each day during Week 5 only.
All Year 9 Students will attend school on Friday 10 November and classes will be scheduled as usual. Thank you for supporting the Community Building Experiences of Faith Formation this year.
Mrs Amelia Bright | Acting Leader of Mission