Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ - 26 June

In Homegroups last week we celebrated the Feast of the Ascension; the fortieth day after Easter Sunday, which commemorates the Ascension of Christ into heaven (Mark 16:19, Luke 24:51, and Acts 1:2). The Ascension is an important Christian feast attesting and celebrating the reality of Jesus Christ returning to the Father.

In all that Jesus did, he strove to lead us into a new day, a new covenant with God, and a new way of life. He demonstrated that the whole purpose of our lives is to show love. He said our most basic need is to love God with all our heart and mind; invoking our strength to love our neighbours, as ourselves. Therefore, what we celebrate in the Ascension, is not just the resurrection of one man, but the salvation of the whole of humanity.

Sorry Day and National Reconciliation Week

Our College Community also paused to acknowledge National Sorry Day, an Australia-wide observance held on May 26 each year. This day gives people the chance to come together and share the steps toward healing for the Stolen Generations, their families and communities. National Sorry Day is a time for all Australians to commit to healing the nation.

During the 20th century, Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families to be “assimilated” into white Australian culture. They are known as the “Stolen Generations.”

It took several Australian government administrations coming and going before an apology was officially offered to Indigenous Australians, but it finally was made official, and actions are still being undertaken to this day to repair the damage caused by tearing Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander families apart. National Sorry Day is a day to acknowledge the strength of Stolen Generations Survivors and reflect on how Australians can all play a part in the healing process for the people and nation.

Sorry Day launched National Reconciliation Week 2022, with the theme, “Be Brave. Make Change.” Our Homegroup and classroom prayers over the last week have been dedicated to this spirit; offering a challenge to our young people to ‘be brave’ and tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation, so we can ‘make change’ for the benefit of all. We are encouraged to begin with brave actions in our daily lives in solidarity with our First Nations people; to stand up to injustice and be a voice for human dignity and equality.

An Aboriginal Prayer For Truth and Hope

May the God of all wonder who set the stars in the sky,

bless you with relentless unsettledness –

that drives you to seek truth.

May the God of all justice who gave motion to the rivers,

bless you with righteous anger –

that drives you to seek freedom for all.

May the God of all love who placed laughter in the kookaburra,

bless you with the friendship –

that looks like the love where one lays down their life for another.

May the God of all comfort who determined the height of the mountains,

bless you with tears from shared pain and mourning –

that shows you hope.

Now with wonder, righteous anger, sacrifice, and lament –

Go in truth, justice, love, and hope – to Change The Heart of Australia. Amen

Year 12 Retreat 2022

This week our Year 12 students and staff leaders have been on Retreat, at Greenhills Centre, Mt Stromlo, ACT. Together, they explored the theme of ‘Go forth and set the world on fire’. Inspired by the quote from St Ignatius and the call to Missionary Discipleship in our world today. As a year group, they reflected on:

issues of concern to young people
our relationships with those who are important in our lives
shared healing and hope in a forgiveness liturgy
celebrated our gifts and strengths
reflected on our relationship with God

Mrs Amelia Bright | Acting Leader of Mission

"Mater Dei Matters"

Issue 8 · 03 Jun 2022

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