Mission and Identity
- Feast of the Assumption Celebrations
- Year 12 Retreats
- Father's Day Celebrations
- Sacrament of Confirmation at Holy Spirit Church, Ryde
Feast of the Assumption Celebrations
Tuesday 15 August marks the Feast of the Assumption. A day of holy obligation which the college celebrated with three Masses at Our Lady of Dolours Catholic Church. The core of this feast is the celebration of a three letter word - ‘yes’. Mary’s ‘yes’ or ‘fiat’ to God’s call at age 14, took her on an arduous yet breathtaking adventure - one that saw her carry Jesus from womb to tomb and beyond. This feast celebrates her being rewarded for her confident 'yes' by being assumed into Heaven both body and soul. The College extends its gratitude to Fr David Ranson and Fr Joey Frez for celebrating the Eucharist with us.
A reflection on the Gospel Reading for the Assumption
The bond between Mary and Elizabeth touches a chord in contemporary women’s spirituality. Mary turns to Elizabeth because she knows the older woman will understand. As she walked the many arduous miles to Judah, she must have wondered about Gabriel’s words ringing in her ears. She is barely across the threshold when Elizabeth explains: her salutation to the “mother of my Lord” before Jesus’ birth carries a clarity about his identity that many of the disciples who lived with the grown man missed completely.
Elizabeth’s response proves that Mary’s instincts were right. In her confusion, she goes to a sympathetic woman who will nurture and affirm, not to an authority figure who might well scoff or question. Anyone who has found the warm empathy or large embrace of an older woman will nod in recognition at the familiarity of today’s gospel scene.
In his book Radical Grace Richard Rohr adds a further commentary. He points to the way Mary spends little time 'in her head'; instead she takes decisive action beyond her fears. She is comfortable with her own power because she knows it comes from God. She does not offer any phoney denials or false humility to Elizabeth’s acclaim. What we celebrate today is that her power is ours; she represents what we shall be. We too share in the redemption and resurrection of Jesus.
https://buildfaith.org/the-feast-of-the-assumption/
Year 12 Retreats
Year 12 have now completed their Trial HSC Examinations and have begun enjoying their retreat experiences. Following Christ’s call to ‘Come away with me to a secluded place and rest a while’, this is a time to explore their relationships more deeply with God, self and others.
The retreats are held over the week at Tallow Beach on the Central Coast and at Workul Koo at Wamberal, as well as Winbourne at Mulgoa. The retreats are an important time of faith formation for all concerned, as well as places where they can live out their Gospel values in community and engage with spiritual and social aspects of their lives.
While we look forward to a comprehensive spread of images next week, below is a snapshot from Day 1 across the three sites:
Father's Day Celebrations
A warm and open invitation regarding our Junior School Father’s Day Liturgy at Oxford Falls on Thursday morning 31 August and our Senior School Father’s Day Mass on Friday 1 September at Our Lady of Dolours Catholic Church Chatswood, followed by breakfast.
Families are invited to upload their favourite images of fatherhood via the following links. Thank you for all the photographs that have been uploaded to date.
Link to upload your photographs for the Senior School.
Link to upload your photographs for the Junior School.
Mr Daniel Petrie - Assistant Principal, Mission and Identity
Sacrament of Confirmation at Holy Spirit Church, North Ryde
The parish of Holy Spirit in North Ryde are offering the Sacrament of Confirmation in November, 2023.
Registrations via TryBooking open on Monday 4 September.
Please see the attached document for further information and booking link.