PROJECT COMPASSION FUNDRAISING ACTIVITIES

Acknowledging and respecting our Sisters of Mercy Irish Heritage was a great way to start Cultural Diversity Week and Harmony Week. These weeks occur during March every year and encourage everyone to experience, explore and appreciate Victoria’s and Australia’s wealth of cultural, religious, linguistic, and ethnic diversity. The Mercy Action Group organised the creation of two Harmony Week banners for students to sign, demonstrating the respect they have for diverse cultures and a multicultural Australia. The Mercy Action Group would like to thank Miss Andy Higgins and her Year 11 helpers who created the Harmony Week Banners for staff and students to sign at both the Enright and Mercy campuses: Ashleigh Goss, Andie Sharman and Isabelle Collins.

St Patrick’s Day is an annual observance on March 17 that is popular in Ireland, Australia, and elsewhere in the Irish diaspora. This day serves as a tribute to St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. The Irish were among the first Europeans to settle in Australia and comprised a portion of the convict settlement population in the late 1700s. More than 300,000 other Irish settlers (not convicts) migrated to Australia between 1840 and 1914.

About 30% of Australians are believed to have some Irish ancestry today. One way of preserving Irish traditions and customs in Australia is celebrating St Patrick’s Day each year. To celebrate Catherine McAuley’s homeland and raise funds for Project Compassion, the Mercy Action Group held its annual Green Food Stalls and Pot of Gold Competition while dressing in Irish attire. Delicious green cupcakes, doughnuts, biscuits, frogs in the pond, and confectionery were sold while students were encouraged to sign the Harmony Day Banner. The winner of the Pot of Gold Competition was Meg Knight. A special thank you to the staff who dressed up in honour of their ethnic backgrounds, in particular Mr Emmet Brown and Mrs Kim Kelly.

Harmony Day is a day to celebrate Australian multiculturalism, based on the successful integration of migrants into our community. Harmony Day is about inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural or linguistic background, united by a set of core Australian values. Held every year on March 21, it coincides with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The Mercy Action Group held its Orange Food Stalls at recess. Thanks to all the staff and students who wore orange in support of the day. Lovely orange cupcakes, doughnuts, biscuits, and lollies were sold to raise funds for Project Compassion.

Cultural Diversity Week runs from March 11 to 26 and aims at celebrating and reflecting on the contributions of Victoria's multicultural communities. To celebrate Cultural Diversity Week and Harmony Week, Friday March 24 was a student casual clothes day at the college. Students were encouraged to wear orange clothing, and multicultural or traditional cultural dress to celebrate our cultural diversity.

A special thank you to Mrs Bogna Collins and the Art Club for their wonderful artwork that was on display. The Mercy Action Group organised a Multicultural Fashion Parade to showcase our college’s diverse heritages. At the start of the parade, Richard Anketell delivered an Acknowledgement of Country before students modelled a variety of multicultural clothing styles with pride. Students were also able to have their faces painted with numerous symbols of peace and harmony and sign the Harmony Banner. A special thank you to Mr Emmet Brown, Mrs Rupa Oberoi and Mrs Maree Jones for judging the Fashion Parade and Mrs Jo Fraser and Miss Andy Higgins for the face painting.

An amazing week of celebrations and activities was held at the college. The Mercy Action Group would like to thank all involved in the activities and hope that everyone felt they belonged. The Mercy Action Group would also like to congratulate Mrs Amanda Corponi for winning first prize in our Annual Project Compassion Easter Egg Raffle.

All money raised during the activities will be donated to Caritas Australia.

ST JOSEPH THE WORKER FEAST DAY CELEBRATIONS 2023

The Feast of St Joseph the Worker, the Patron Saint of our college, was celebrated over two days, comprising our Feast Day Mass, Feast Day Activities, and Carpenters Classic Concert.

St Joseph is recognised by the Church as special in that he is the Patron of the Universal Church, of fathers, carpenters, and social justice. Pope Francis proclaimed 2021 as the Year of St Joseph, ahead of the 150th anniversary of his universal patronage. The Pope also said we could discover in St Joseph, who often went unnoticed, 'an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble…St Joseph reminds us that those who appear hidden or in the shadows can play an incomparable role in the history of salvation'.

St Joseph showed us how to live a simple yet powerful life of respect and commitment to the Mercy values. Everything we know about Joseph, the husband of Mary, and the earthly father of Jesus, comes from the Gospels. Jesus was known as Jesus of Nazareth, son of Joseph the carpenter. Joseph was not rich, but well-respected. He was a compassionate and caring man and passed this on to Jesus. As a Catholic school, we consider St Joseph an excellent role model for family values, personal integrity, and Mercy Values. St Joseph showed these values in how he cared for his family, worked as a carpenter, and followed the Jewish religion.

Through these celebrations, we brought together the role models of St Joseph, Jesus and Catherine McAuley as people who stood for hard work, service and justice in their lives.

We are all being called to work for justice and to use our talents to make a difference in our world. Fr Matt and Fr John celebrated our St Joseph the Worker Feast Day Mass to remind us of the importance of hard work in our everyday lives and to never forget the importance of striving for excellence in everything we do.

For more information on St Joseph the Worker click on this link.

ST JOSEPH THE WORKER PRAYER

We Pray through you, Joseph as one who knows the value of work.

May our daily work reflect our spirituality and faith in our Mercy Values.

May our daily work be an example of excellence in respect, compassion and dignity for all.

May our daily work always be of service and hospitality to our community.

May our daily work be rewarded fairly and justly.

Be our watchful guardian in our work.

Be our defender and strength against dangers and injustice.

Be our confidant and supportive Patron Saint. Amen

Miss Paula Cox

Director of Catholic Identity

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