FAITH MATTERS

In the Catholic faith, the month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

It might seem unusual at first, as to why there’s so much emphasis on a singular body part. But, when we focus on the heart of Jesus, we are reminded of the human nature of God. 

When people are isolated, God’s heart breaks for them. 

When people experience joy, God delights in that joy too. 

God sees humanity in all of its beauty, and in all of its pain. 

That’s why many of the causes in the month of June focus on the  less fortunate. 

St Mary of the Cross MacKillop was a woman who served the poor. While she provided her cousins an education in the rural town of Penola, South Australia she extended the invitation to the poor children in the area. With the support of Fr Julian Tenison Woods, she was encouraged to do this work, as a key service to God. 

Mary named her order after the Sacred Heart of Jesus, they were called the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart. What Mary knew was that God saw everyone as important, and wanted to invite them into the love of His Son. In Mary’s letter to her sisters on the Feast of the Sacred Heart in 1907 she said: 

“When storms rage, when persecutions threaten, I quietly creep into the sacred heart's dark abyss and securely sheltered there, my soul is in peace, though my body is tossed upon the stormy waves of a cold selfish world.”

The love of God is a place of safety where we are reminded of who God is, and what our purpose is. Because of the love we received, we put our hands to work. We serve, we heal and help. It is fitting that this month launches many of the social justice projects which our College facilitates. 

Hearts and Hands Mass

On Monday 19th June, our College participated in its annual ‘Hearts and Hands Mass.’ The Mass brings together our school community to join our prayers and hopes for the St Vincent de Paul Society in Swan Hill. At this Mass, we present donations collected over the past three weeks from the families of staff and students at St Mary MacKillop College. We are so grateful to everyone for their generous contributions. Our school has donated over 400 items to assist families doing it tough in Swan Hill, Kerang and surrounding areas. We are very grateful to Damian Kelly, President of the St Vincent de Paul Society who was in attendance at this Mass, and who accepted our donations on behalf of the Vinnies Conference in Swan Hill. 

Special thanks to all the students and staff who assisted with the collection of donations and those who participated in the Mass. Special thanks to Fr James Kerr, Parish Priest of Holy Family North East Mallee for leading our Eucharistic celebration. 

Ration Challenge Update

This year, we have fifteen students and four staff members taking part in ‘The Ration Challenge.’ During Week 1 of Term 3, members of the team will be living on the same food rations as a Syrian refugee for three days (Tuesday 11th - Thursday 13th July): just a small amount of rice, flour, lentils, chickpeas, beans, fish (or tofu) and oil. Yes, that’s it!

By sponsoring MacKillop’s team, you’ll provide emergency food, healthcare and life-changing support to refugees and other conflict and disaster-affected communities around the world.

If you’d like to support our staff and students in this endeavour, please donate via: 

https://schools.rationchallenge.org.au/t/mac-killop-ration-challenge-team-2023 

Vinnies Winter Sleepout 

In Term 3, the College is hoping to hold a ‘Vinnies Winter Sleepout.’

If your child is interested in participating, please invite them to complete the ‘Expression of Interest’ Google Form, here: https://forms.gle/WRmtWfUUoMJrL4oq6 

I hope everyone has a safe, restful and joyous holiday break ahead. Thank you to all those who’ve supported the work of the faith and social justice space in Semester 1. Looking forward to many exciting events and opportunities coming up in Semester 2!