✝️Faith and Mission
Our Restless Hearts
Our hearts are restless until they rest in you.
Augustine’s famous quotation names a longing that drives every person. It is a restlessness turned outward into a compassionate pursuit. For Eugène de Mazenod, that interior unrest found its true rest not in ease but in service. His longing was settled when it became a love for those who had no home, no voice and no dignity. This is where the Oblate spirit is born, in the holy impatience that cannot be satisfied until another is held in God’s mercy. Lent sharpens that call and sees our disquiet as a gift, a summons, if you will, to turn from self-comfort and to keep company with the poor until heart finds rest in God.
Prayer
God of restless love, turn our unease into faithful pursuit.
When comfort narrows our vision, give us hearts to reach outwards.
When weariness dulls our compassion, give us grace that quickens our care.
When fear holds us back, give us the courage to step forward.
When doubt makes us hesitate, give us perseverance to begin again.
May our restlessness become the Oblate gift of accompaniment,
so that, by our hands and hearts, others may find their rest in you.
Amen.
Mazenod to Jerusalem
Many women and children in developing nations walk an average of 6 kilometres each day to fetch water, often from unprotected, contaminated, or seasonal sources. These journeys take hours, require hauling 20 kg jerrycans, and expose them to extreme weather, rough terrain, road traffic, and the risk of assault or injury.
Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion Appeal invites schools to walk in solidarity during Lent and raise funds for lasting water solutions, such as wells, pumps, tanks and sanitation, while reminding us how lucky we are at Mazenod College to have reliable, clean water and proper sanitation every day.
Mazenod College has set a bold community goal to walk the equivalent distance from Lesmurdie to Jerusalem, a journey of some 11,090 km, as a visible act of solidarity and fundraising for clean water projects.
Let’s put that in perspective. If every student and teacher walked 11–12 km between now and Palm Sunday, we would reach Jerusalem, and if only $1 was raised in sponsorship for each km, we would raise over $11,000. This could provide two 25,000-litre water tanks and a collection point for rural Tanzanian schools, supplying safe drinking water to 2,000+ students. Twelve kilometres is roughly two days’ walking for the women and children who normally carry 20 kg on those trips, and we get to make that journey without the burden.
So, join us in living Caritas’ motto ‘Love in Action’ and answer the Oblate call to stand with the poor by walking, sponsoring or spreading the word so that together we can turn each step into safe water, dignity and hope for communities in need.
Give online through the Mazenod College link or scan the QR code. Don’t forget to enter your House so your donation can go towards House points.
Dr Nathan Leber
Director of Catholic Faith and Oblate Mission