“Love, following in the footsteps of Christ, in concern and compassion for all, is the highest expression of our faith and hope” (Message of the Holy Father Francis for Lent 2021).

Dear Marian Community,

I hope that the opening weeks back have been delightful for you, full of new experiences and inspiring learning opportunities. As we have experienced, our College community is back in action in living a life of love and compassion. We have see through our work with Caritas in our Tonga Tsunami Relief fundraiser and as of next week our annual mission initiative with Project Compassion.

Our Tonga Tsunami Relief fundraiser provided us with the opportunity to bring to life our College vision and mission. When taking into consideration our vision and mission, we look to faith, care and service. When combining these elements of our vision mission, we become a living compassionate community that demonstrate ove for all in our world. It is important that we continue to build this kind of community of giving to those in need. I would like to personally thank Mrs Lole for all her hard work behind scenes to bring to life this fundraiser. I would to extend my thanks to students from our senior leadership team, wellbeing committee and community action team. Without your contributions, the success of College initiatives would not be possible. Your work is greatly appreciated!

The Community Action Team has been working hard behind the scenes to ensure that the promotion of this meaningful initiative comes to fruition within our College community. As we begin to move into the this time of Lent, we have the opportunity to reflect on our lives and the mission of discipleship called upon us by Jesus when he said:

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34)

During this time, the theme of Caritas - Project Compassion is “For all future generations”. If we begin to reflect on the words of Jesus, the common theme that begins to arise is the importance to love one another. Essentially, this is teaching us that we should be undertaking a life of giving and assisting those who are less fortunate than ourselves. As people of Faith, we are living disciples in expressing this message and bringing it to life.

Preparations for Harmony Day 2022 are well underway, with many staff and students collaborating to bring to life this momentous College event. The window is now open for anyone who would like to run a cultural stall on Harmony Day. We already have a diverse range of stalls, but we would love to see a wider range of cultures to showcase the richness of our Marian diversity. If you are interested in contributing to Harmony Day, please do not hesitate to contact myself or Mrs Segrave. Let's all work together to make Harmony Day 2022, the biggest and best ever. Our College theme for Harmony Day is “Where we belong”, this means creating a College community where we all feel a sense of belonging.

A quick word from the Religious Education Department

This week, Year 9 continued their study of The Eucharist. In this topic, students consider the efforts of selected individuals and organisations that reach out to Australians living on the fringe of society, and examine the ways in which the Eucharist challenges Catholics to reach out to others, with reference to key rituals and prayers from the Mass. Jesus’ ministry to the poor and marginalised, with reference to key Scripture passages is studied. In the light of this understanding of the Eucharist ,students are challenged to reach out to those on the fringe in their everyday lives.

9.2 and 9.6 Religious Education classes joined forces on Wednesday and embarked on an investigative research task titled ‘Jesus - Friend of the Outcast.‘ This required students to delve into the lives of those who were considered outcasts in the time of Jesus. This task not only gave students the opportunity to strengthen their research skills, but also the chance to engage with scripture that details how Jesus is an exemplar role mode for Christian living. The high quality of rich discussion, collaboration and engagement was alive in the hall, with both classes looking forward to continuing this project throughout the term.

We endeavour to continue to share with you the successes and triumphs in the Religious Education Department throughout 2022.

Miss Domenica Polimeni

Leader of Religious Education

I leave you with the mission statement of Caritas that we can all learn from and work towards: “Working together for Justice and Dignity, walking together in Hope and building together a thriving future for us all. Walk with us towards a world of Hope”.

No decisions should ever be made without asking the question, is without asking the question, “Is this for the common good?

Faithfully yours,

Mr Abdala

Leader of Faith Formation and Mission

Inclusive Education