Faith Formation and Mission

Our Sacred Heart Day celebrations in Week 7 were filled with a spirit of joy as we came together, embracing our 2025 theme, “Share your part of the Sacred Heart.” Inspired by St Teresa of Avila’s words, “Christ has no body now but yours,” we were reminded that each act of kindness, compassion, and support is a way we bring Christ’s love into the world.

This theme calls each of us to respond to Christ’s invitation, to live with heart, to serve with love, and to be a light in our community. Whether through a kind word or a helping hand, we each have a part to play in making God’s love visible every day. 

The day commenced with a wonderful Mass in which students were in full voice. Many staff and students commented on the fact that the singing was the best they have heard in years. Thanks go to Mr Joshua Combes for leading our singing practices and to the staff band, comprised of Mr Keith McLean-Anderson, Mr John Iverson, and Mr Andrew Gillespie, for accompanying the singing. Following the Mass, we recognised a number of staff through our inaugural MSC Education Awards. Each house then gathered on the Riversdale Lawn to have a heart photo before homeroom-based games commenced. 

At lunch, staff and students enjoyed a BBQ while some students contributed to the pavement chalk art around the science block. Following lunch, we ran the inaugural Sacred Heart Gift, a handicapped relay race. 

The twist was that the handicap distance for each house was based on the amount of money they had raised during the week for the MSC Mission Office. Congratulations to Burford House, who raised over $500, giving them an insurmountable head start for the relay. Combined, students raised around $1500, which contributed to our MSC Mission project efforts. Finally, our festivities concluded with a wonderful Mission Concert in the evening. 

Thank You!

Thank you to all the generous families who have provided support this term to our social justice initiatives. This term, you have contributed to: 

• 36 baskets of items for the Vinnies Winter Appeal. These items will support local families in need. 
• Over $9000 raised for the MSC Mission Office. These funds will support the construction of clean water tanks at Peter To Rot school in Rabaul, Papua New Guinea.  
• Over $3900 raised for Act for Peace through the Ration Challenge. A group of students ate the rations of refugees for three days and raised these funds to support refugees in Syria and elsewhere. 

Year 11 Retreat 

In Week 6, our Year 11 students embarked on a deeply enriching three-day retreat at Stanwell Tops, centred on the theme “Gifts of the Heart.” This sacred time away offered students the space to prayerfully reflect on the unique gifts God has placed within each of them. 

Throughout the retreat, students were invited to consider how they are called to use these gifts in service to others. They explored how fear and past struggles can sometimes hold us back, and how God’s love empowers us to move forward with confidence. It was wonderful to witness the year group grow in unity and purpose as they prepare to step into their roles as the future leaders of our school community. 

Refugee Week 

As part of Refugee Week in Week 8, we were privileged to have Muzafar Ali and Jolyon Hoff visit the college and speak to our Year 10 students. Muzafar Ali is a refugee, filmmaker, and human rights activist originally from Afghanistan. 

Together with Jolyon Hoff, they have established eight refugee schools and run education programs across Indonesia, Thailand, Canada, and Australia. Muzafar recently visited Afghanistan and witnessed firsthand the plight of women and girls seeking education under the Taliban regime. His visit to the college coincided with his 4,000 km ride from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland to Adelaide to raise awareness about refugee education. 

Thank you to the Southern Highlands branch of Rural Australians for Refugees (RAR) for organising this opportunity for our students. 

Sacred Heart Day – Downlands and Daramalan 

Recently some of our Yr 12 students visited Downlands College and Daramalan College to celebrate Sacred Heart Day. This week other students will be visiting Monivae College for their celebrations. These are wonderful opportunities for our students to experience another MSC school and join their fellow students in celebrating our shared spirit of family. The video below captures the celebrations at Downlands last month.