Deputy Principal

Ash Wednesday 

This week we commemorated Ash Wednesday with a liturgy led by our Liturgy Committee. As part of this liturgy, students reflected on the symbolism of ashes and the purpose of Lent as a time of preparation for Easter. Drawing on the themes of the Gospel reading shared during our liturgy - Matthew 6: 1-6; 16-18 - in Homeroom this week, students have been asked to reflect on their commitment over the coming weeks to prayer, fasting and almsgiving. The Season of Lent is an invitation to be transformed through our experience of God, to deepen our understanding of the ethical imperative to live justly, and to give to the poor as a sign of our solidarity with them.

Project Compassion

During our Ash Wednesday liturgy we launched the 2024 Project Compassion Appeal. Project Compassion is the major fundraiser of Caritas, the Catholic Church’s agency for global development. This year, the Project Compassion Appeal highlights the stories of three women from the Philippines, Malawi and Samoa. Though they face very different challenges in their day-to-day lives, they are all united by their dream of creating a better tomorrow for themselves and for all future generations. In our Year of Service, our challenge is to respond to these stories courageously, and to act for social and ecological justice. By putting our faith and compassion in action today, we have the power to create lasting change for generations to come.

The money raised through this appeal is used to develop long term development programs in partnership with some of the world’s most vulnerable communities for whom poverty and injustice is a daily reality. During Lent, each student is asked to consider what they can give up and to donate the money they save to people in need. Together, we can help vulnerable communities face their challenges today and build a better tomorrow for all future  generations.

All donations can be made via the Mount Alvernia College Project Compassion online portal: https://schools.projectcompassion.org.au/o/mt-alvernia-college. Search or scroll down to find your child’s House Team and donate to that Team. This link will also be shared with students via the Homeroom Unit Page on MyMtA. For more information about Project Compassion, visit the Caritas website: https://www.caritas.org.au/project-compassion/.

Going Meat-Free during Lent

Every Friday during Lent, La Cucina will be meat-free. Abstaining from meat on these days is an old tradition within the Catholic Church. It is like fasting (or not eating particular types of meat) common to other religious traditions (such as Judaism and Islam). Franciscan people are also aware of the justice dimension of going meat-free for one day per week. For some years now, we have heard that forgoing meat one day each week minimises our impact on the planet. In addition, abstaining from meat is an act of solidarity with the poor majority world. Firstly, the global poor simply cannot afford to consume a meat-based diet and experience hunger when they cannot afford or access food. Secondly, it is the global poor that is the most affected by the effects of climate change. Reducing food waste is another behaviour that can allow us to walk more gently on the earth.

2024 Franciscan Calendars

The College has a small number of Franciscan calendars available to families, left overs from a supply that we purchase each year. If you would like a copy, you or your child can collect one from Reception.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Families 

If your daughter identifies as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander student, please contact me at the College by phone or email, rogur@staff.mta.qld.edu.au. While the College seeks this information from families at enrolment, it does not always reflect the most up-to-date information. Accurate information will assist the College in ensuring communication of events for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander students reaches our students and their families.