Mission 

On Mater Dei Day, each of our Homegroups took part in a special liturgy to acknowledge and honour the founders and heritage of our College. 

 

Mater Dei is fortunate to be a dual charism school, which means we share two founders; Edmund Rice, who established the Christian Brothers and Nano Nagle, who formed the Presentation Sisters. 

We remember the founders of these two spiritual families and celebrate the realisation that we are indeed ‘alive in the spirit’ of their legacy. May their spirits live on in our hearts and minds and may God’s call move us beyond self, to plant seeds of hope to endure for the future. 

 

Our faith calls us to be different – to truly match good works with a belief in the work of the Spirit within us.  We give thanks for the lives and example of Edmund and Nano, and all those men and women who subsequently joined religious orders, ready to follow in their charism. We thank them today for their selfless example of dedication to vocation, which encourages us all to chase our dreams and commit to a life of service to our community. 

 

Our experience of the Spirit through Nano and Edmund must be preserved, deepened and developed instilling courage and independence in our young people, equipping them to respond to the signs of our times. We pray, that like our Founders, we may become people of determination and courage; ready to reach out, ready to embrace life and learning, ready to risk ourselves, and ready to care for the lost, the least and the last, in service and abiding love.  

 

The Feast Day of Saints Joachim and Anne

On 26 July, we acknowledged the Feast Day of Saints Joachim and Anne, who were the parents of the Virgin Mary, and thus, Jesus’ grandparents. For this reason, Sts Joachim and Anne are the patron saints of all grandparents. We celebrate these two significant Christians, giving thanks for all grandparents of the Mater  and entrusting our grandparents to the care of our Mother Mary and our compassionate God. 

God of all people, bless our grandparents and all those who guide, support and nurture us, with long life, happiness, and health. 

May they remain constant in your love and be living signs of your presence to all those in their care. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.

And may God bless each one of us always and give us life in all its fullness. In the name of God the Creator, God the eternal Word and God the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

NEAA Art Competition 

Throughout Term 2 and over the last two weeks, our Year 8 Students have been creating two spectacular entries into the NEAA Art competition to reflect the theme ‘A’flame for the future’. Their entries have taken shape, moving from concept to reality and depict a modern day interpretation of Nano Nagle and a contemporary fire bucket, illuminating the Mater Dei Marian Centre Cross. We would like to take this opportunity to name two very talented individuals who have helped us bring our vision to life, Mr Don Huckle (our Artist in residence) and Brianna Creasy (Year 8 student) who have done an amazing job with the painting project. 

~Click on images to enlarge~

 

Presentation spirit, alive and well in Tasmania

“The Gift of Maryknoll” gives a unique example of how our Presentation Sisters in Tasmania are working to help overcome homelessness. It is the first of a three-part series which explores the history and development of Maryknoll, a 3 hectare piece of land in Blackmans Bay which has been owned by the Presentation Sisters of Tasmania since 1929. 

 

The Presentation Sisters recently gifted the magnificent coastal land to CatholicCare Tasmania to be used as a site to build social and affordable housing and improve the wellbeing of individuals, families and the community.

 

The below video truly showcases how the Sisters have responded to the call to action to assist those experiencing homelessness in Tasmania. Nano would be proud.

Mrs Amelia Bright | Acting Leader of Mission