Director of Mission

It is not enough to say that we are Christians. We must live the faith, not only in words, but with our actions.”

Pope Francis

Staff Spirituality Day

Term 4 started on Monday 12th of October with a staff spirituality day that was focused on MCC finding time to reflect, recharge and reconnect with faith. It is not enough to say that we are teachers at a Catholic School, we have to put this into action by practicing and nourishing our own faith. 

The day was designed to do this and started with a beautiful mass organised by our Liturgy Co-ordinator, Belinda Aventi. Belinda did a fantastic job and set up a mass at the Sacred Heart Parish Church for all the staff to meet and begin their day. The goal was staff faith formation and to further develop Marian staff as a vibrant faith community engaging with Jesus and his message.

The day was also aimed at inspiring us to be a Catholic community of Faith, Learning, Care, Service and Stewardship. This of course, is our vision and mission of the college.

After the mass, teachers were given a faith package which included a faith journal for them to do a series of reflections. Our REC Donna Polimeni after the mass, reminded us that we are all teachers of faith even if we do not teach the subject. She offered the following advice and guidance to all teachers:

1. Trust and believe in your students - These are the central components of faith
2. Gain social and emotional connectivity with your students
3. Changing student value priorities - Committing yourself to see results
4. Being a part of our student’s  quest for meaning in life
5. Help them acknowledge God as a gift in their lives
6. Guide them on what is right and wrong - Seek and know God to receive the gift of faith

Faithfulness is the active “doing” part of faith - Model this through our actions

Faith is an orientation of the total person, giving purpose and goal to one’s hopes, strivings, thoughts and actions.

I was then able to have them reflect on the role prayer plays in our lives and how it can be a constant in the sea of change that has been 2020. 

All staff were then invited to conduct online modules around the art of scripture and prayer. This focused on developing ways in which we can pray through traditions such as Lectio Divina, Imagio Divnia and Imaginative prayer. The day was spiritually enriching and the feedback has indicated that it was a great success with all staff going beyond what was asked and required of them for the day. 

A big thank you to all that participated and we hope that the Marian community will be witness to this new renewal of the spirit. 

CARE

It is our role to nuture the wellbeing of others through love and mercy and our Mega Raffle is definitely an example of this. Please read further details on Sue Hone’s page around the prizes and availability of tickets. I just wanted to highlight this mission work and the students of the Community Action Team who have supported this initiative and the Bauit family. 

The endless work of Sue Hone and the Blanco’s has ensured that this event will make a difference in the lives of our Marian family and I encourage all to support it further in it’s last week. With over 36 great prizes you are insane not have a ticket in this raffle. Please support where you can. 

It is amazing that it is term 4 already and we will soon be talking about and organising our annual Christmas Hampers. It is important to remember that we should all be aiming to finish the year strong and that also means with our personal growth as well. There are plenty of opportunities for students to be involved in around the college and if you need any support or help in encouraging your child to participate, then please let us know.

Prayers  ....

I know term 4 is going to be a great term and I also encourage prayers and thoughts for our Yr 12’s as they being their final exams next week. Best of luck legends!

Have a great weekend, reach out to others and take care of yourselves.

Kind regards 

Heath Neville 

Director of Mission