Catholic Identity
Catholic Identity Leader: Mrs Elizabeth Holligan
Reflection Friday 22 August 2
Prayer for wisdom and justice in addressing external debt
Loving and Gracious God,
Help us understand that we have the power
and the duty to act against the injustices that
bind people in poverty and debt.
Grant us the courage to challenge the structures
that perpetuate these conditions, and the strength
to work tirelessly for a world where every person
can achieve their full potential.
Inspire our hearts with Your compassion and
justice. Empower us to be bearers of hope and
agents of change. Together, may we help bring
forth solutions rooted in fairness and equity;
economic systems that uplift and create hope for
the downtrodden; and a future where every nation
can walk the path of sustainable development,
free from the shackles of debt.
May we be instruments of Your peace, secure
in the faith that, through our collective effort,
poverty can be overcome.
Amen.
— Fr. Charles Chilufya, SJ, Zambia
At our sports carnivals this week our students took time to remember those nations and people struggling under unfair debt. Please take the time to read the article further down this page about our advocacy campaign ‘Turn Debt into Hope’.
May the Peace of Christ be with you and your families this term.
Elizabeth Holligan – Catholic Identity Leader
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Catholic Identity - General Notices
St Vincent de Paul call for assistance this winter
The Shepparton South St Vincent de Paul Conference is seeking assistance this winter as they prepare food bags for rough sleepers and other homeless people. If you are able to assist, please send the following items to St Anne’s College and we will forward them on to St Vincent de Paul Shepparton South Conference. As these items are provided to homeless people and rough sleepers, small packages are appreciated rather than bulk items (1 litre milk rather than 2 litre, 400g tins, rather than 800g) they are then easier for people to take with them. Usually items are packaged into one shopping bag.
Any of the following donations will be greatly appreciated.
UHT milk -no larger than 1 litre
Cereal (only small items please)
Tinned spaghetti, baked beans, soup (usually of the chunkier varieties)
Two minute noodles
Peanut butter/Vegemite
Salada biscuits (or other kinds that can be a bread substitute)
Sweet biscuits
Instant rice or instant pasta packets
Canned fruit
Coffee and Tea
Sacramental Program
An information session for the 2025-2026 St Mel’s Parish Steps in Faith Sacramental Program for Reconciliation – Confirmation – First Eucharist, will be held on Thursday 4 September at 7pm in the St Mel’s Parish House Gathering Room, 18-22 Hamilton St, Shepparton. Parents/carers who would like their child/ren to journey through the program and receive the Sacraments of Initiation are encouraged to attend as expectations, dates and costs will be explained, any queries discussed, and enrolment packs distributed. The program is suitable for children in Years 3 and above.
May the Peace of Christ be with you and your families this term.
Elizabeth Holligan – Catholic Identity Leader
Through the global campaign, Turn Debt into Hope, we invite you to stand with us
In the Year of Jubilee it is a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge with gratitude the incredible inspiration of Pope Francis in caring for our common home. In line with the biblical tradition of Jubilee, our action focus is debt, and the impact debt has on earth and each other.
St Anne’s College, together with Caritas Australia and the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Office for Justice, Ecology and Peace, ask you to support this advocacy campaign by:
-Signing the Turn Debt into Hope petition
-Contacting your local member of parliament
-Speaking to your community
In this Jubilee Year, people around the world are coming together to demand action on the debt crisis. Together, we can cancel unfair debts and bring back hope.
How can I help?
Go online and sign the petition at: https://www.caritas.org.au/act/turn-debt-into-hope/petition/
By signing the petition, your community is joining thousands of people from around the globe calling on world leaders, and public, private, and multilateral institutions to:
- Stop the debt crisis now by cancelling and remedying unjust and unsustainable debts, without economic policy conditions.
- Prevent debt crises from happening again by addressing their root causes, reforming the global financial system to prioritise people and the planet.
- Establish a permanent, transparent, binding and comprehensive debt framework within the United Nations.
It’s time to fix the broken debt system. It’s time for fairness and justice. This Jubilee Year, join us and the global Caritas family to speak up and demand real change. Together, we can turn debt into hope.
At the recently held Athletics Day, a special relay took place in honour of Turn Debt into Hope:
