Mission and Identity 

• Edmund Rice NSW School Communities Student Leadership Symposium
• Youth Mass this weekend
• Faith in Action Programs
• Chapel Mass - parents welcome
• Project Compassion Fundraising

Edmund Rice NSW School Communities Student Leadership Symposium

On Monday 26 February, the College is honoured to be hosting the inaugural Edmund Rice School Communities Student Leadership Symposium at Oxford Falls. Student Leadership teams will be joining us from:

St Edward’s College, Gosford

Waverley College

St Patrick’s College, Strathfield

Christian Brothers High School, Lewisham

St Dominic’s College, Penrith

Edmund Rice College, Wollongong

St Edmund's College, Wahroonga

The aim of the symposium is to provide Student Leadership Teams from across Edmund Rice Education school communities in NSW the opportunity to:

• Collaborate and cross-pollinate ideas
• Explore Servant Leadership through an Edmund Rice lens
• Discuss characteristics of effective student leadership within a Catholic school in the tradition of Edmund Rice

The theme selected to build the program for the students finds its origins in the Gospel of Mark:  Seek to Serve - Stronger Together.

‘For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.’

The first session will draw on inspiration from two living wisdom figures on servant leadership. Firstly, we are blessed to have collaborated with the Very Rev Dr David Ranson, whose exploration of servant leadership is gripping to say the least. Please enjoy viewing the video below that explores what it truly means to lead through service:

We are also blessed to have as our keynote speaker, Mr Alopi Latukefu, Director of the Edmund Rice Centre. The Edmund Rice Centre works to promote human rights, social justice and eco-justice through research, community education, advocacy and networking. Our priority areas are Indigenous People and Reconciliation, Refugees and People Seeking Asylum and Pacific Island people affected by climate change.

Alopi will explore for the students the ‘why’ behind the work of the Edmund Rice Centre and how the Edmund Rice Centre fits within the overarching narrative of Edmund’s visio.

He will also explore what servant leadership looks like in 2024 through an Edmund Rice lens, as well as the keys to being an effective student leader within a Catholic school in the tradition of Edmund Rice.

The remainder of the day offers an opportunity for the students to network, collaborate, cross-pollinate ideas and to plan strategies to bring their respective visions to fruition.

We look forward to sharing with you the fruit that is harvested from this inaugural initiative.

Youth Mass

This Sunday will be the first Youth Mass led by St Pius X and Mercy College. This exciting celebration is led by students from both colleges, and is followed by a social gathering and Chargrill Charlie's dinner in the forecourt to provide the students an opportunity to socialise in an atmosphere of food, friendship and faith.

Mass commences at 5:30 pm this Sunday at Our Lady of Dolours Chatswood, and there is a particular invitation to students of Year 7 from both colleges to gather for this youth Mass. We hope to see you there.

Below are the Youth Mass dates for 2024:

Faith in Action Programs

The College proudly offers many Faith in Action opportunities on a weekly basis. We have been inspired by the significant increase in students seeking to avail themselves of these opportunities in Year 10 and Year 11. A reminder of the opportunities and the days that these take place are below. Bookings are already presently being made for Term 2. Please access the link to book and schedule your opportunity to volunteer and in turn, be the hands and feet of Christ:

• Matthew Talbot Hostel (3:30 pm - 6:30 pm, 4 Edmund Rice Hours), Thursday afternoons 
• BeConnected Program, Chatswood Library (7 x 1hr sessions, 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm) Tuesday afternoons
• St Peter's Nursing Home, Lane Cove, (3:30 pm - 4:30 pm) Wednesday afternoons
• Centacare Solidarity Day (Term 1 and 2 School Holidays)

Please click on this link to register your interest. 

• Please email Mr Petrie or Mr Balboa to avail yourself of the Parish Volunteering Opportunities.

Chapel Mass - Parents Welcome

On Tuesday we celebrated the first Chapel Mass of 2024. Our Eucharistic celebration was led by Fr Joey who explored for staff and students the importance of prayer. Students from Mrs Guerrera’s Year 7 Religious Education Class also focused on prayer in the introduction to the Mass 'during our lenten journey, we are called to give, fast, pray and forgive. When it comes to prayer, we are called to increase our prayer life during this holy season.

Prayer at its core is communication. It is a conversation with God. Our relationships thrive when we are good communicators, but they wither like a plant with no water when we cease to talk to those we love. 

In this way, we are called to ‘talk to God’ more often during Lent. God is always listening. Always. All we need to do is open our hearts to Him. Even if we have no words, simply being still and ready to listen so that God can connect with us is a powerful start to our prayer life.'

Our Chapel Masses are held in partnership with Mercy Catholic College and are rotated on a fortnightly basis between the two colleges. When the Tuesday morning Chapel Mass is held at St Pius X, parents are most welcome to join us for the Mass that commences at 8:00 am. Please find the Mass schedule below for your convenience:

Tuesday Morning Chapel Masses 8:00 am 

Project Compassion Fundraising

Project Compassion fundraising efforts continue in full swing as we continue our Lenten commitment to ‘give’. Our Blessed Edmund Rice Society members once again held a ‘Compassion Cake Stall’ at breakfast selling sugar free pancakes and hash browns to raise funds.

Year 12 homeroom volunteers continue to collect monetary donations each morning via the Project Compassion Boxes. If students would like to donate via a cashless platform, students can visit the main verandah near reception to donate via a ‘tap and go’ facility.

Parents and families can donate via the link below. These donations enable critical relief projects to go ahead that are operated by Caritas that provide education, water and emergency healthcare to the most vulnerable people globally, and here in Australia.

https://schools.projectcompassion.org.au/o/st-pius-x-college-chatswood.

May God continue to bless you and keep you in the palm of His hand during our Lenten journey.

Mr Daniel Petrie - Assistant Principal, Mission and Identity