Feast of St Clare of Assisi

On Tuesday 11 August, we celebrated the Feast of Saint Clare of Assisi. She was born in Assisi on 16 July 1194 to a wealthy Italian family. Despite her family’s wealth and status, Clare embraced a life of prayer, “with a gentle heart and a generous spirit towards the poor” (Education for Justice, 2017). When Clare was eighteen years of age, she was inspired to embrace a life of prayer and poverty after hearing a Lenten sermon by Saint Francis of Assisi. On Palm Sunday 1212, she was received by Saint Francis at the Chapel of the Portiuncula, and took the vows of religious life. Members of the Order of Poor Ladies of San Damiano were known for their contemplation, poverty, and community life. Clare continued to promote the growth of her order until her death in 1253. In an article published this week in Franciscan Media titled The Legacy of Saint Clare, Fr Richard Rohr highlights the distinctiveness of Clare’s spirituality - an “authentically female approach to the Gospel” (Education for Justice, 2017). I would like to share an extract of his reflection with you as it continues to remind us of the contribution of women to our Church and our world that is so profound yet so often silenced:

“[Saint Clare] has finally begun to emerge as her own person, with her own unique identity, writings, and message. She was not just Francis’ feminine counterpart, but also had her own strength, message, and identity. Many cultures have tended to see women largely as appendages to men, as daughters and wives, and almost as property… That sense of ownership of women is evident in the brutal attempts that Clare’s twelve male relatives made to recapture her (and later her sister, Agnes)… when she decided to join Francis. But we can no longer be content, nor would Francis be content, nor will history be content, with such a limited understanding of Clare. We know too much now—about her, her equal and parallel calling, and her beautifully independent spiritual journey. Her subsequent treatment by history is a lesson in how we all suffer when the feminine is overlooked, subsumed, or even denied. Saint Clare’s letters and writings are so consistently upbeat, positive, hopeful, encouraging to others, and lovingly visionary that we can only conclude that she faced her demons down, dove into the negativity that all of us avoid in ourselves and in the world, and came out the other side as clear light or Chiara. Clare allowed herself no place to run or hide, and lived for forty years in one little spot of earth, outside the walls of Assisi, called San Damiano. She was both a master and mistress of letting go of all that was unnecessary or unimportant. She went inside instead of outside, and subsequently discovered the outside to be a perfect mirror for the grace she had already found within—and vice versa. Clare went deep instead of far, low instead of high—and thus redefined both high and low. Breaking all records, the formal process for her canonization began only two months after she died.”

The following prayer, posted to the Franciscan Schools Australia Facebook page this week, speaks to the experience and the needs of women in our world. Please keep in your thoughts and prayers, also, all those people affected by the explosion in Beirut and all life affected by the oil spill in Mauritius.

Lord, make me an instrument of peace:

Bless all women who daily strive to bring peace to their communities, their homes and their hearts.

Give them strength to continue to turn swords into ploughshares.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love:

We pray for all women who face prejudice, inequality and gender disparities.

Help us see and to face the discrimination against women in all the many forms it may take.

Where there is injury, pardon:

Comfort all women who suffer from the pain of war, violence, and abuse.

Help them to become instruments of their own reconciliation and peace.

Where there is division, unity:

Forgive all women and men who let differences breed hate and discrimination.

Let your example of valuing all of creation help us to see that we are equal partners in the stewardship of your world.

Where there is darkness, light; where there is untruth, truth:

Comfort all women who struggle in the darkness of abuse, poverty, and loneliness.

May we stand with them in light to acknowledge their suffering and strive to remove the burdens of shame or embarrassment.

Where there is doubt, true faith:

We pray for all women who live in fear of their husbands, fathers, and forces that control their lives.

Help them to be empowered to be their true selves through your everlasting love and faith.

Where there is despair, hope:

We pray for all women who live in the despair of poverty, violence, trafficking, slavery and abuse.

May the light of your love bring them hope.

Where there is sadness, new joy:

Help us to see the strength and goodness in all women and men.Transform our hearts to celebrate the love and grace of all people.

And may we be blessed with the courage of St Clare of Assisi,

to follow our own path of love for you and all sisters and brothers.

Amen.

May the blessings of the Feast of St Clare of Assisi be with you all.

Work and Welcome Program

This week we welcome to the College Noor Chuchana. Noor is completing a ten-week Work and Welcome placement with us from Monday 10 August until Friday 30 October. Noor is a young woman from Iraq who came to Brisbane with her family mid last year. She has worked in customer service and retail in Lebanon before coming to Australia. She has recently studied her Certificate III in Education Support (Multicultural Teacher Aide), but has not been able to secure a placement to complete the course requirements due to the COVID shutdown. We hope that Noor’s placement with us will allow her to successfully complete her course requirements and give her an experience in an Australian workplace. Noor will be working with Mrs Alison Hutchinson and her team in SEAC. Multicultural Australia’s Work and Welcome Program is a workplace giving program that provides short-term paid employment for refugees and migrants. It provides new arrivals the experience of an Australian workplace and the confidence they need to re-establish a sense of hope, dignity, and belonging. The program was started by Mark Taylor at Padua College, and Mount Alvernia has supported placements over a number of years as a result of the generosity of staff who contribute donations each fortnight.

School Sleepout

I extend my gratitude to the staff who assisted with the School Sleepout last Thursday evening and to all students who took part. Held annually during Homelessness Week, the School Sleepout provides students an experience of sleeping rough and a deeper understanding of homelessness and its causes. Our guest speakers this year were Cathy Lynch and Tricia Condon from St Vincent de Paul Kedron Conference, Jayne Shallcross, Acting CEO of Rosies, and Rosies volunteers Claudia Rivera and Amanda Parker. In sharing their stories of working alongside marginalised and vulnerable people in our local community, they emphasised the importance of relationships and respecting the dignity with which all people are blessed. The Rosies Winter Newsletter is included below.

Next term, we will be able to demonstrate our support for St Vinnies through our contributions to the annual Christmas Appeal. Next year, we look forward to offering to our students in Years 11 and 12 the experience of the Rosies ministry to our friends on the street. I extend my sincere thanks to Mrs Feltrin, Mr West and the Maintenance team, Mr Fisher, Mr Harris, Mrs Burtenshaw, Mrs Egan, Mrs Stower, Mrs Shaw and, especially, Ms Flux for her supervision and for sleeping out. The event would not have been possible, especially during these times, without their generosity and care.

Variety Hair with Heart

Today on Assembly, Anna DeBellis (Year 12), Geraldine Fernando (Year 7), Renee Kyte (Year 10), and Emily Mitchell (Year 7), donated their hair as part of Variety’s Hair with Heart campaign. Their hair will be used to make specialised wigs for those who have lost their hair due to a medical condition. Variety’s Hair with Heart program offers invaluable support to people in need. Medical wigs are very expensive to buy, costing thousands of dollars. Families supporting a loved one through medical treatment often do not have the money to purchase a wig. Our fundraising goal this year is $1000. If you or your extended family and friends would like to support the students donating their hair for this worthy cause, please follow the link to our Hair with Heart fundraising page: Hair with Heart Fundraising. As of this morning, we have raised just over $600. Finally, I would like to acknowledge Mrs Natalie Lynch for giving up her time to cut the students’ hair and to her daughter Amber (Year 11) and Mia Rogers (Year 11) for assisting. It is most appreciated.

Z Club Fundraiser

Over the past week, the Z Club has brought a taste of the Ekka to Mount Alvernia by selling strawberry sundaes from La Cucina during Break 2. We have been overwhelmed by the support for this fundraiser. All proceeds will support Kit International (formerly Birthing Kit Foundation Australia), transforming the lives of women and girls around the world. Thank you to all the students in Z Club who have volunteered to assist this week, especially our Club President, Charli Riddle, and Vice President, Marley Stewart, for their stellar organisation.

Encounter Program

Last week, Mount Alvernia, in partnership with Kedron Parish and Padua College, launched a Parish-based youth initiative, Encounter Youth. Encounter Youth is a project of the Archdiocese of Brisbane that is purposed with engaging young people – particularly secondary school students – with the Catholic faith in a way that is relevant, life giving, and compelling. As part of this program, Emma Fradd, Hogan Rogers, and Stephanie Santos from Encounter Youth will be a presence in the college grounds during break times on Thursdays. We are delighted to welcome them to Mount Alvernia. For more information, please see the flyer below.

Richard Rogusz

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