Mission and Identity 

Extreme Violence calls for Extreme Forgiveness and Reconciliation:

Father Ubald, a Rwandan Catholic Priest survived the 1994 Rwandan genocide of the Tutsi people where one million people were killed in 90 days. He lost 80 members of his own family and 45,000 of his congregation. He calls himself an ‘apostle of forgiveness’ and is renowned for bringing healing, forgiveness, peace, and reconciliation to all people in Rwanda, Burundi, Congo and beyond.

The power of his story and inherent message within the 7 minute video below, is one of harrowing transformation. He profoundly declares that ‘forgiveness set me free’. As our world continues theaters of war perpetuates generational hurt, this short video is a powerful testament to the core tenet of our Christian Catholic tradition - the radical call to limitless forgiveness. I encourage members of our St Pius X Community to take a few moments to reflect through this video: Forgiveness Set Me Free.

Matthew 25:40 Immersion Program: Year 10 Faith in Action Suite - Applications Closing this Thursday

Thank you to the students who have submitted their applications and for the passionate submissions that explain why you wish to engage in this transformational program. 

For those students who would still like to submit an application, please view the following video and read through the information package attached. The application process can be found at the back of this booklet. 

Video: https://vimeo.com/877354827?share=copy

Information Package: Matthew 25:40 Immersion Program

Interviews will commence from Friday and students will receive an email directly with the relevant details. 

Feasts of All Souls and All Saints

This week marks a holy time for us in the Catholic Liturgical Calendar. Today on Wednesday 1 November, we celebrate the Feast of All Saints, and then on Thursday 2 November, we celebrate the Feast of All Souls. These two feasts are a core part of our Catholic identity, and remind us to keep our lives ‘Heaven focused’. 

The Feast of All Saints remind us of the call to be living saints in this life, and the Feast of All Souls reminds us to pray for our loved ones who have already gone home to God. These feasts call us to keep one eye on this life and one on the next.

Below is a beautiful reflection written by Mr Di Sano that formed the focus of the College prayer as we gathered as a community of faith to celebrate this holy day. In the next edition of Woodchatta, we will share an equally beautiful reflection written by Mr Di Sano on the Feast of All Souls.

“The feast of All Saints remembers faith-filled people who gained a reputation for their holiness. They were people recognised as worthy of reverence and people prayed through them to God. That in essence is the role of a saint in our faith tradition. From the early days of Christianity, to pray through saints and martyrs of the faith gave power to the idea of following Jesus. These were people who reflected the the light of Christ in their life.

Today offers us an opportunity to thank God for those whose lives have honoured him and made a difference to us. The English word "saint" comes from the Latin sanctus, which means "holy." So, saints are holy people, who provide a model of following Jesus. Many of us have either our Christian name or confirmation name or both taken from a saint. We may have been named in honour of a favourite saint or born on the feast day of a particular saint. Look around your next class - how many saints names can you count?

But what does it mean to be a holy person or a saint? From a biblical perspective, something is holy when it is set apart for God. Early in the Old Testament, God set apart the Israelites as his own "treasured possession”- His Chosen People. They became a "holy nation" through which God would make himself known to the world. In the New Testament, believers in Jesus are referred to as "saints" or "holy people" because they inherited Israel's status as people set apart by God.

The biblical sense of the word "saint" includes all of us, not just those who have excelled in discipleship. If you have put your faith in Jesus, you too are a saint - a holy person. One of the temptations of honouring saints though, is to think that they are God’s favourites or set apart from the rest of us. Jesus had enough love for everyone, and perhaps while He did have his favourites, they weren’t the Saints, they were in fact, the poor; the sinners, the marginalised, the sick, the diseased, all those that society rejected or treated as outcasts and out of place. They seem to enjoy Jesus ‘humanity’ more than others.

Through this day, every year the Church recalls the example, witness, and prayer of the holy women and men who have been identified by the Church as Saints. They are more than just role models to aspire to though. Every year when we celebrate All Saints, the Gospel we proclaim is from the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus uses the Beatitudes to indicate what is needed to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Through this reading we learn a very important message about our faith. Those that Jesus considers are Blessed or have specific qualities are the opposite of what we might expect - those Jesus considers “blessed” or “happy” are in fact the poor in spirit, the meek, the persecuted. It is very much an upside down view of the world - a world where a reversal of fortune will meet everyone who believes in Him.

The Beatitudes are a framework for Christian living and so it is natural that we proclaim this Gospel on the Feast of All Saints. The important message from today’s feast day is that Saints are not the privileged or the wealthy or the most influential. They are people like you and me who will live the spirit of the Beatitudes just as Jesus lived. Let us now offer this reflection as our prayer for the world. I invite you now to begin our prayer with the sign of the Cross….

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. And Blessed are you when others persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.

1 Peter 4:10 St Pius X Christmas Appeal:

Next week the College will be launching the 2023 Christmas Appeal. This appeal will provide a unique charity for each year group to support and will operate from Weeks 5 - 7 in Term 4. 

The College has been blessed with significant generosity across the St Pius X Community in response to previous appeals. We look forward to launching this initiative on Monday as we continue our commitment to a union of heads, hearts and hands as a Catholic School in the Edmund Rice Tradition - we seek to serve.

Mr Daniel Petrie - Assistant Principal, Mission and Identity