Faith and Mission

The Feast of the Assumption of Mary-15 August

Background: Last Sunday, we celebrated the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, one of only two Days of Holy Obligation in Australia; the other day is Christmas Day. The feast of the Assumption is one of the many feasts of Mary, originating from a sixth century feast of the Dormition or ‘Falling asleep of Mary’. By the seventh century the feast became known as the Assumption of Mary. The date of this feast commemorated a very ancient harvest festival towards the end of summer, which gave thanks to the Earth Mother for her fertility in producing the harvest.

The feast acquired a special status in 1950 when Pius XII defined the Assumption as a dogma of faith. In the wake of the human devastation of World War I and World War II, Pope Pius wanted to proclaim a teaching that would benefit and dignify all of humanity:

“It is to be hoped that from meditation on the glorious example of Mary ‘humanity’ may come to realize more and more the value of a human life entirely dedicated to fulfilling the will of the Heavenly Father and to caring for the welfare of others.”

Call to prayer: Let us remember that we are in the holy presence of God.

Mary accepted God wholeheartedly into her life. Let us open ourselves to God through a dedicated time of sacred reading.

Reading: A reading from the gospel of Luke (Luke 1:46-55)

Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. “He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. “He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

Reflection: This passage of scripture, commonly called The Magnificat, is a call for justice. What call for justice do you hear today that you are able to respond to?

God, our Wisdom, Source of our Peace, our souls proclaim your greatness, hear us as we

pray:

May the leaders of our Church show us by their word and example that God is to be praised in all we do ...

May we work to ensure that the gifts of Creation are more evenly distributed among the peoples of the earth ...

May we reflect your mercy through our work of reconciliation between black and white Australia, and in the welcome we give to refugees who come to our shores ...

May we, in the spirit of visitation, reach out to others in this time of lockdown through acts of kindness and simple service.

May the bread of Christ, broken for a better world, bring together all those estranged or divided in the name of religion, so that together we may share in the Feast which God has prepared for the hungry.

For what else or for whom else do you pray?

Holding these prayers from the silence in your heart, take a moment to pray

…

Hail Mary, full of grace

The Lord is with you

Blessed are you among women

And blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God

Pray for us sinners now

And at the hour of death. Amen.

Empowering God, Inspire us by the example of Mary’s openness to your Love. May we live in this attitude and bring to birth a new world! We make our prayer through Jesus Christ in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

A Message from our Youth Ministry

As we continue to make our way through Lockdown 6, our Youth Ministers (Josh Cant, Jonathan Selhorst and Sam Oke) have for us a special introduction to their fur families and a positive message of encouragement. (Essential family viewing!)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14YlNYn0in53f1oY3hMNHbL6GccVsid5U/view?usp=sharing

Vinnies Winter Clothing Appeal 2021

Homelessness - the statistics are staggering!

More than 100,000 Australians are homeless
Most homeless people are under 35 years of age
Most families who are homeless are women and children escaping domestic violence
Over 17,000 children under the age of 12 have no home

Do you want to make a positive difference to these statistics?

Use this time of Lockdown to go through your wardrobe and de-clutter by:

Donating pre-loved and clean clothing to keep people warm:

Please donate JACKETS WINDCHEATERS JUMPERS JEANS SHOES (no bedding can be collected at the moment)

These items will be given to people who need help to stay warm during winter.

Some items will even make their way to the Vinnies store and sold, then these funds will be used for the range of support programs offered by Vinnies.

So, bag up your donations and when we return to school deliver your donations to the College Chapel at your campus each morning between 8:30am - 8:45am.

YOU can make a difference in the lives of our neighbours in need!

Prayer

May we, who are experiencing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia and are coming to terms with a new reality, remember the words of scripture: “Be still and know that I am God”.

May we, who are working from home, remember those who have no employment or home from which to work.

May we, who have access to medical facilities and services, remember those who do not have basic health care.

May we, who are beginning to experience border closures, remember refugees who cannot return home.

May we give thanks for those who are working to help or bring some kindness, joy or humour to others, showing us the light of Christ lives.

During this time of isolation as we close our doors, may we continue to keep our hearts open to our family, friends, local and global communities.

We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

St John Baptist de La Salle, pray for us.

St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, pray for us.

Live Jesus in our hearts, forever.

Adapted from Caritas Australia

A Special Message for the Class of 2021: Lasallian Volunteers 2022!

Are you looking for the opportunity of a lifetime?
Want to have a gap year that is meaningful?
Want to be part of a community that values and celebrates diversity?

Lasallian Volunteers offer placements in communities across Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. Applications for Lasallian Volunteers 2022 are now open!

Placement Profiles

If there are any questions or if you choose to make an application then please see the information in this link https://www.delasalle.org.au/about-us/lasallian-volunteers.html OR contact:

Miss Greene
Brother Tony
Brother Lewis
Josh Cant
Jonathan Selhorst
Sam Oke

Live Jesus in our hearts!

Ria Greene

Deputy Principal

Faith and Mission