Faith & Mission

ADVENT 

During the VCE orientation week, one of the librarians made the observation that the students had been so diligent in their private study periods in the library. Many of the teachers made similar comments about the attitude of the students in their early start classes.

What is interesting about this is that barely seven days before, these same students were tired and distracted by the pressures of end of year. For these students, coming into the VCE, orientation classes marked a new beginning, a new challenge and all the internal energy that such change creates.

This new beginning captures the spirit and essence of Advent. Advent is a time of waiting and anticipation. Some of my favourite Advent Hymns express this idea well. In their song, ‘The Advent Chant’, Phil Porter and Elaine Kirkland used the lyric:

Twilight then darkness, night falls and candles glow.

Gently surrounding us a new birth of hope.

Watching, waiting,

Awakening a new birth of hope.

Expressing a strong social justice theme, Brian Wren wrote an Advent song that included the verse:

Will you step into the light that can free the slave

It will stand for what is right it will heal and save

In the depths of greed, there’s a longing to be freed, 

Will you hide, or decide to meet the light.

Through this advent season, the Church invites us to prepare once again to welcome the infant Christ into our lives. The new birth. The new beginning. The new hope.

It is not a failing, but a fact of the human experience, that we need times and rituals to re-member, not dis-member. New beginnings are of great importance. 

Religious Education Curriculum Review 

The Archdiocese of Melbourne is currently undertaking a review into the Religious Education curriculum offered across Catholic primary and secondary schools.  The panel conducting the review are encouraging parents to contribute to this process by completing a survey (to whatever level of detail you choose).

The survey questions are broad and open-ended, in order to allow you to provide as much or as little input as you feel appropriate. Contribution to the survey will be anonymous, although the survey does request some  demographic information about you, in order to contextualise results.

Merry Christmas

I would like to wish all members of the Academy community a happy and a holy Christmas season and a relaxing summer break. I want to acknowledge the wonderful support of Ms Pina Nicolazzo, Ms Kerri Ruff,  Ms Jessica Synaphet and Ms Anne Marie Allan who have variously attended to a vast array of administrative and creative tasks required to support my work as the Director of Faith and Mission.

Finally, I want to thank all the teachers for their dedication, professionalism and the positive manner in which they worked throughout this year.

Mr Mark Hyland

Director of Faith and Mission