FAITH MATTERS

Catholic Education Week 2023

This week we celebrate Catholic Education Week in Swan Hill! Catholic Education Week is an opportunity to reflect on what it means to be people who work towards the good, inspired by the person of Jesus Christ.

As someone who has worked in Catholic schools across Queensland and Victoria, I feel incredibly grateful for the positive environments that I’ve been privileged to be a part of. Catholic educators are one of a kind, and carry a special resilience in their leadership, and in whichever role they are in. Our students too, are ones that step up to share their talents, and bravely proclaim a message of hope. It is inspiring to see this fire and zeal amongst our community!

It is important here too, that I acknowledge the challenges within Catholic education. In attempting to enact charity and dignity for all, we witness the historical failings of leaders in institutions, an apathy towards social injustices and the challenge to remain authentic as people of faith in a secularised world. Catholic education is not perfect. Nevertheless, the perseverance and persistence to “make disciples” through love and service, and the forgiveness and mercy we extend, proves Catholic education’s tenacity. Through the Holy Spirit, our schools are empowered to be the best people we can be.

CESH Banner

Last week, students at our college were invited to contribute to our CESH Mass Banner for 2023. It held the theme of Catholic Education Week for 2023, “Let the words you speak always be full of grace.” The Student Forum had a vision of getting the thumbprint of every student from St Mary’s and St Mary MacKillop College. It was fantastic seeing the enthusiasm of our staff and students in making their mark the CESH Banner, which was presented at our Mass at the end of the week. Special thanks to all who assisted and contributed!

Mindful Colouring, with MacKillop Mandalas, and Kahoot Quizzes

To mark Catholic Education Week, students were invited to do some mindful colouring on Wednesday in the LRC. These mandalas were a great way to promote a meditative form of prayer, which included quotes from our college’s patroness, St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. It was a very calming experience, and the students created some beautiful artwork! 

Homerooms were also invited to participate in a Kahoot about Catholic Education and our school. These included questions on general knowledge, College history and the Catholic faith. Congratulations to all of our winners!

Catholic Education Swan Hill (CESH) Mass 2023

Today we celebrated our annual ‘Catholic Education Swan Hill’ (CESH) Mass for 2023 on campus. This year, our school hosted the event, welcoming St Mary’s Primary School’s staff and students. It was a wonderful celebration of joy, as we reflected on the theme from the Diocese of Ballarat Catholic Education, “Let the words you speak always be full of grace” (Colossians 4:6). It was beautiful to see the students of St Mary’s and MacKillop join together in listening to the Word of God and partaking in the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

We concluded our afternoon with a brilliant shared lunch of hotdogs and prima's. It was fantastic seeing the energy and enthusiasm of both the Catholic schools in Swan Hill joining together to celebrate Catholic education.

Special thanks to all the staff and students whose time and efforts aided in making this tremendous event possible. Many hands and minds have contributed to the planning, organisation and execution of this event. A HUGE thank you to everyone.

Parish Pentecost Party

This Sunday, the Catholic Parish of Holy Family Northeast Mallee will be hosting a ‘Parish Pentecost Party’ after 10:30am Mass. Pentecost is often considered the Church’s birthday, as the disciples received the Holy Spirit and were commissioned to go out to all the world and proclaim the good news. In some ways, we see the diversity of our parish mirror this image of discipleship. We all come from different backgrounds, ethnic traditions and families. In some ways, we are the disciples of the domestic church here in Swan Hill.

It will be a great opportunity for fellowship, and to taste the different cultural dishes from our parishioners. It’ll also be an opportunity to hear from Anna Whiting and I, as we share about our upcoming pilgrimage to World Youth Day in Portugal.

Donations are much appreciated, and your presence more so would be a delight!

Happy Pentecost! Maybe this Sunday, you can have a slice of cake (in celebration of the Church).