Faith and Mission 

Last Tuesday we farewelled the Year 10s during a liturgy, then the Year 7s, 8s and 9s in three liturgies on Friday.  We gave thanks for the year, as challenging and unique as it was, we celebrated the excellence and merit of students, and we prayed for a safe and enjoyable break.  We also announced that over $2,000 was raised in the last few weeks for The Society of St Vincent de Paul - this means that over 42 families in most need in our local community will receive Coles gift vouchers - 'Christmas Hampers'.

On Monday 7th December, all college staff attended a Spirituality Day.  The 2021 Theme for the college was announced:

2021 College Theme

‘Everything is Interconnected’, Laudato Si (70), Pope Francis.

We engaged with Bernard Holland, Director of Earthcare Caritas, to learn about the urgency of climate change, and our challenge as a Catholic school to take inspiration from the Holy Father in recognising that our response to climate change is fundamentally a spiritual one – it is a matter of the heart as well as the head.

In 2021 our ongoing challenge will be to make it a matter of the hands – we will explore with students and staff alike, practical ways to make a difference within our own sphere of influence.

In May this year, Pope Francis offered this prayer regarding our care for our common home:

Loving God,

Creator of Heaven, Earth, and all therein contained.

Open our minds and touch our hearts,

so that we can be part of Creation, your gift.

Be present to those in need in these difficult times, especially the poorest and most vulnerable.

Help us to show creative solidarity as we confront the consequences of the global pandemic.Make us courageous in embracing the changes required to seek the common good.Now more than ever, may we all feel interconnected and interdependent.

Enable us to succeed in listening and responding to the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor.May their current sufferings become the birth-pangs of a more fraternal and sustainable world.

We pray through Christ our Lord, under the loving gaze of Mary Help of Christians.

Amen.

Advent and Christmas

In Australia, the season of Advent seems at odds with our prevailing culture.  At this time of the year we are bombarded by Christmas advertising encouraging us to undergo binges of shopping and consuming – it can be a time of indulgence.

By contrast, this is what the Church says about Advent.  “Advent has a twofold character, for it is a time of preparation for the Solemnity of Christmas, in which the First Coming of the Son of God to humanity is remembered, and likewise a time when, by remembrance of this, minds and hearts are led to look forward to Christ’s Second Coming at the end of time.  For these two reasons, Advent is a period of devout and expectant delight.”

Advent in the Church is often also a time for Reconciliation – it is a time for us to reflect on the year and our relationship with God.  Ultimately though, Christmas is a joyful occasion because it marks the Incarnation – Immanuel, God with Us (Matt. 1:23).

May all members of the SJRC community find joy and renewal for the remainder of Advent and during the Christmas Season