FAITH MATTERS

There have been some exciting things happening here in the Faith and Mission space at St Mary MacKillop College! 

Faith and Mission Committee Drive:

Last Friday was our school’s ‘Student Leadership Committee Membership Drive’, where our committee captains promoted various extracurricular groups students can participate in. Our Faith and Mission Captains, Emily Edwards and Emily Free did a fantastic job of encouraging students to sign up for our ‘Faith and Mission Committee’. Through this committee, students have the opportunity to participate in activities such as The Ration Challenge, Project Compassion, Hearts and Hands Mass, Opening Mass and initiate other Social Justice initiatives. 

Special thanks to Fr James and Glenda from Holy Family Parish for donating the necklaces with wooden crosses which our committee members sported around the school grounds. 

College Opening Mass: 

This morning the College held its Opening Mass for 2023. The liturgy focused on our school value for the year, ‘Reverence’. This was the first whole school Mass with our Year 7s, new staff and new students attending. It was brilliant to gather together to focus our minds on God and the goodness He has blessed our school community with.

Students and staff participated in song and prayer, as Fr James Kerr unpacked the Gospel of Mark 9:33-37, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all”. It was a beautiful opportunity to reflect on how reverence is not only in physical spaces, but is seen through servant leadership, relationships with friends, family and God. Reverence is more than just a gesture or act of bowing with our bodies. In some ways, it allows our hearts to bow, and to see the inherent God given dignity present in every human person.  In the words of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, “be a gift of love and compassion to one another”. Mary and her religious sisters enacted this through educating in rural areas, and going where others didn’t go. She did this, not just because she was a “nice” person, but because she had a deep faith and trust in God’s plan. 

Ms Haeusler and Fr James ended Mass with a commissioning of our Student Leaders for 2023. This was a pertinent reminder of the important responsibilities they hold as carriers of the vision and mission of St Mary MacKillop College. May Jesus guide them in their leadership journeys here at the College and beyond. 

Special thanks to Fr James for presiding over the Mass, the band who’ve worked so diligently in creating the beautiful music and for all staff and students who assisted in preparing and facilitating our Eucharistic celebration.