Principal
Mary MacKillop Catholic Regional College Community,
Ash Wednesday and Lent
Last Wednesday was Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of the season of Lent.
We celebrated Ash Wednesday as a College Community and I extend my thanks to our Nicole Dudman and Scott Blencowe for their work in preparing for the liturgy. They were supported by our Maintenance Team in the set-up as well as Anna Patterson and Rachel Collins in the logistics. During the liturgy, our College Choir led us in the hymns. The quality of the music was fantastic and there has been enormous growth in their output. Thank you to Beth Winterhalter, Meg Dohert,y and Phillip Schuhmann.
Below is information from https://www.usccb.org/prayer-worship/liturgical-year/lent that provides some fundamental information about the period that leads up to the pinnacle of Christian Churches’ calendars – Easter.
Lent is a 40-day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday. It's a period of preparation to celebrate the Lord's Resurrection at Easter. During Lent, we seek the Lord in prayer by reading Sacred Scripture; we serve by giving alms; and we practice self-control through fasting. We are called not only to abstain from luxuries during Lent, but to a true inner conversion of heart as we seek to follow Christ's will more faithfully. We recall the waters of baptism in which we were also baptized into Christ's death, died to sin and evil, and began new life in Christ.
Many know of the tradition of abstaining from meat on Fridays during Lent, but we are also called to practice self-discipline and fast in other ways throughout the season. Contemplate the meaning and origins of the Lenten fasting tradition in this reflection. In addition, the giving of alms is one way to share God's gifts—not only through the distribution of money, but through the sharing of our time and talents. As St. John Chrysostom reminds us: "Not to enable the poor to share in our goods is to steal from them and deprive them of life. The goods we possess are not ours, but theirs." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2446).
In Lent, the baptized are called to renew their baptismal commitment as others prepare to be baptized through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, a period of learning and discernment for individuals who have declared their desire to become Catholics.
So, as we begin the Lenten Season lets pause and reflect on where we want to be in 40 days in the words of Pope Francis:
Let us pray that as we begin the season of lent we embrace the opportunity to:
Fast from hurting words and say kind words.
Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude.
Fast from anger and be filled with patience.
Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope.
Fast from worries and have trust in God.
Fast from complaints and contemplate simplicity.
Fast from pressures and be prayerful.
Fast from bitterness and fill our hearts with joy.
Fast from selfishness and be compassionate to others.
Fast from grudges and be reconciled.
Fast from words and be silent so we can listen.
We pray that
our only desire
and our one-choice
is to choose
what better leads
to the deepening
of God's life in us.
We ask the lord to guide our decisions and to bless our Community with His peace, His joy, His love.
Launch of Project Compassion and Shrove Tuesday
On Tuesday, 4 March. We hosted the Launch of Project Compassion for 2025 in the Diocese of Sale.
This event saw staff and student representatives from the other six Catholic Colleges in the Diocese of Sale and the five key Primary Schools in our region attend.
We also had a large number of guests, including Bishop Greg Bennet, who led is the liturgy. Thank you to Nicole Dudman and Scott Blencowe for their organisation of this event. Also thank you to our Choir supported by our music staff – Beth Winterhalter, Meg Doherty, and Phillip Schuhmann. They were supported by our Maintenance Team in the set-up as well as Anna Patterson and Rachel Collins in the logistics.
A special thank you to Jo Knox and the Year 11 Vocational Major students who prepared the pancakes for lunch.
Catholic Identity Professional Learning and Formation Day
Thanks again to Nicole Dudman, assisted by Scott Blencowe, for organising our visit to Mary MacKillop Heritage Centre in Fitzroy and associated learning opportunities on Tuesday, 25 February.
This was a great opportunity for everyone to deepen their understanding and connection to our Charism.
Year 7 Camp
Thank you to Jess Stein for her leadership of the Year 7 Camp at the Philip Island Adventure Resort from Wednesday, 26 February to Friday, 28 February. I had an opportunity to visit on Wednesday evening and it was clear the students were enjoying the experience.
Thank you as well to Nicole Buccilli, Jackie Van Dillen, Julia Leslie, Travis Newton, Hannah Collocott, Bernard Lumsden, Jessica Cox, Aliesha Wrigley, Ben Abbott, Edson Letendrie, Rachael Rosse, Erica Masters, and Anna Patterson for their support of the program
Also, thank you to Nicole Dudman and Scott Blencowe for accompanying the Student Mission Team, who did a great job supporting the Class Captain selections and the trivia competition on Wednesday evening.
Staff News
Welcome back to Cate Kavanagh who has returned from Long Service Leave.
Sapientia Domini Docet Nos
John M Freeman