R.E News - Assistant Principal / Mission

Priests, Brothers, Sisters and Nuns

Last week at O'Connor we had the privilege of having Brother Peter Ryan and Youth Minister Phillipe Dulawan being present at the College. Brother Peter and Phillipe worked with new teachers unfamiliar with the Lasallian story and values and with Leadership teams helping to ensure that the College is true to Jesus' vision of servant leadership. Mission and the reasons for this mission were highlighted to teachers on their professional development day on Friday. 

The visit of Brother Peter and the upcoming visit by Sister Mary on Founders Day prompted some thinking. Does our community really know the difference between the nature of the clergy and those religious brothers and sisters that have not only served our school so well but in fact Catholic Education in Australia over the last 200 years? So to clarify a few things, here are a few facts.

PHOTO: Brydie Hawthorne, Brother Peter Ryan, Phoebe Biddle, Georgia MacMahon and Phillipe Dulawan. 

Brothers and Sisters belong to a religious order and live in communities. Of course, we are familiar with the orders of the De La Salle brothers and Ursuline Sisters but in Australia and worldwide there are many more. Well known orders include the Josephite sisters, Dominicans, Jesuits, Christian Brothers and Patrician Brothers. The Patrician Brothers provided education for two years on the current site of O'Connor prior to the arrival of the De La Salle Brothers. These Religious people live in communities and make vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. These vows and the way of life for a Brother or Sister stem back to the Rule of St Benedict whose precepts in the 5th century has influenced community life since. 

St Angela Merici, the founder of the Ursuline Sisters is a very interesting case study and one that helps us distinguish between Sisters and Nuns. Some religious orders lead contemplative lives. They are what we call 'cloistered' and lead very isolated lives of prayer in their convent or monastery. Cloistered religious women are called nuns. In Angela's time this was the norm for women wishing to lead a religious life. Angela was a pioneer and instrumental in setting up an uncloistered community whose emphasis was on service and in particular education. They were known as and to each other as Sisters. To confuse the matter, nuns refer to each other as sister as well.

We celebrate mass regularly at O'Connor and often it is our Parish Priest Father Roel.

Priests are different from the religious orders although ultimately they all carry out God's mission. Priests are ordained through the sacrament of Holy Orders.  Priests are charged with serving the people of God with word and grace. It is a very busy job. It includes celebrating mass on a daily basis, hearing confessions, visiting the sick and dying, baptising, marrying, conducting funerals, overseeing schools, attends numerous meetings, prays privately and attends retreats, studies theology, educates, makes the parish a community, administers and coordinates repairs and the list goes on and on. Father Roel is a Diocesan priest serving the Armidale Diocese led by Bishop Kennedy. There are also, to confuse matters, order priests who serve religious orders and can as well as Holy Orders, can take the same vows of brothers and sisters. Some of these orders include the Marist Fathers and The Franciscan fathers.

PHOTO: Father Roel celebrating 

Mass in the De La Salle Chapel 

at O'Connor. 

Have a great Holiday

Students have worked hard this term and in some trying conditions with the cold and building works taking place. I would like to wish everyone a restful and peaceful break enabling a great term 3. God Bless you all.

Mr Damian Roff

LASALLIAN VOLUNTEER APPLICATIONS 2022 OPEN  

Lasallian Mission Services are excited to announce that applications for the Lasallian Volunteer Program 2022 are now open. This unique long term Volunteering program is a one of a kind opportunity for personal growth for dedicated Young Lasallians wishing to share their time and talents. The LMS team have been calling RECs to book in an appropriate time at school to do in-person promotion.

Our Founders - St Angela Merici and St John Baptiste De La Salle

Year of St Joseph

Saints Mary and Joseph Cathedral Parish

Keeping in touch with what is happening in the Cathedral Parish is easy through their website and Facebook pages.

With such a difficult year it has been harder for parishioner's to give to the parish through the plates, particularly when the church was closed. The Parish account details are available on the Parish bulletin. 

Information about our founders

La Salle Website

Ursuline Sisters Website