Mission
THE FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION
Thursday, 15 August marks the Feast of the Assumption, a day of significance for the Mater Dei College Community. You may be wondering ‘what is the Feast of the Assumption?’ and so I’d like to take this opportunity to share some details of the Feast day with you here.
The Assumption signals the end of Mary’s earthly life and marks her return to heaven to be reunited with Jesus. While the bodies of both Jesus and Mary are now in heaven, there is a difference between the Assumption and the Resurrection. Where Jesus arose from the tomb and ascended into heaven by his own power, Mary’s body was taken up to heaven by the power of her Son (Catholic Weekly, 2011).
The earliest printed reference to the belief that Mary's body was assumed into Heaven dates from the fourth century, in a document entitled "The Falling Asleep of the Holy Mother of God." The document is written in the voice of theApostle John, to whom Christ on the Cross had entrusted the care of His mother, and it recounts the death, laying in the tomb, and assumption of the Blessed Virgin (ThoughtCo, 2019).
Scholastic Doctors have recognized the Assumption of the Virgin Mother of God as something signified…(in the) words of the New Testament: "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women"(Luke 1:28), since they saw, in the mystery of the Assumption, the fulfillment of that most perfect grace granted to the Blessed Virgin and the special blessing that countered the curse of Eve (National Catholic Register, 2013).
The connection of prayer to the feast day is a point of interest as Catholics, we see the translation of the divine into a prayer we share in regularly.
VINNIES WINTER APPEAL
This week, we concluded our annual support of the Vinnies Winter Appeal. Homegroup prayer has focused for the past few weeks on educating students of the experience of homelessness. Our daily prayers also sought to establish service as an expression of Faith. Service is at the centre of the appeal, students have the opportunity to put their Faith into action to support others in the Wagga Wagga community.
Over the weekend, students and staff were challenged to bring as many items as possible as part of a ‘House Challenge’. Congratulations to Sherrin House, who were the overwhelming supporters of the initiative, donating over 100 items to St Vincent De Paul. St Vincent De Paul volunteers collected all items on Tuesday and expressed their sincere thanks for the Mater Dei Catholic College Community’s support.
YEAR 5 VISITS
In welcoming Year 5 students from our diocese over the past week, we commenced the day with prayer in the Marian Centre. The prayer focused on our motto to ‘Live God’s Message’ explaining to the students what this means in action at the College, with the purpose of informing students of the how we put Faith into action. The prayer is included below:
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Our College motto is to 'Live God's Message', at Mater Dei we 'Live God's message by:
Smiling at those we pass
Speaking words of kindness and love
Including everyone and not leaving anyone out
Caring for the environment
Doing our very best in all areas of learning
Respecting all staff and students
Forgiving people when they make mistakes
Today, we welcome you all into our Mater Dei community
We pray that your day is filled with joy and excitement.
We pray that you laugh and learn in our classrooms.
We pray that like our staff and students, you 'Live God's Message', in your thoughts, in your words and your actions.
Ms Bianca Fonte | Acting Leader of Mission