Mission & Social Justice

• Mission & Identity:  May, the Month of Mary
• Youth Festival
• ALPHA for Youth
• Social Justice in Action    

Mission & Identity

The month of May is always dedicated to Mary, Mother of Jesus. The 24th of May was the Feast Day of Our Lady Help of Christians. This day has significance for our community as Mary is the Patron Saint of Australia as well as holding a special devotion for Christian Brothers. As the early Church was being established in Australia and the colony was without Catholic priests, the Rosary was the most important liturgical devotion for Catholics. In 1816 Edmund Rice asked the Christian Brothers "to offer special prayers to Mary Help of Christians" when their young institution was under threat. Today she holds a special place in the hearts of all Christian Brothers.

The 31st of May is the Feast of the Visitation which commemorates the visit of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth who was pregnant with her child, John the Baptist. I have no doubt that Mary, having just found out she was also pregnant and unmarried, would have been scared of the future but excited at the prospect of being with child. Having accepted God’s call to be the Mother of the Saviour, I suspect we cannot underestimate her inner strength and faith which must have sustained her in the coming months as well as the various events during his ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus.

We look forward to celebrating Mass next Tuesday 6th June at 8.00am in the College Chapel. This Mass will be prepared by Mr Batchelor’s Year 10RE5 Class.

Tuesday 8.00am Mass in the College Chapel

6th June, 20th June, 18th July, 1st August, 15th August, 29th August and 12th September.

Ms D Dempsey - Assistant Principal Mission & Identity

Youth Festival

St Pius X College has been invited by Bishop Peter Comensoli to attend the Australian Catholic Youth Festival (ACYF) in Homebush  from 7th - 9th December 2017. This is an event for students in Years 9-12 and is a national gathering of Catholic young people which allows them to attend workshops and activities and discern their own faith journeys.

If you are interested please return the permission form in the attachment below to Mr Adrian Brannan. 

Mr A Brannan - Youth Ministry Coordinator

ALPHA for Youth

In a joint initiative with Mercy College we will be commencing an ‘Alpha for Youth’ series through our Chatswood Parish.  Alpha is a relational program on intentional discipleship; basically it is a chance for our students to gather with Mercy College students of a similar age and discuss their faith, raise questions and doubts they may have and grow in fellowship and friendship over a meal and discussion.

The course will be held in the Chatswood Parish’s Bishop Barry Room, located on Kirk Street.  It will run for 8 weeks, commencing later this term, on Wednesday afternoons after school from 3:30pm until 5.00pm and will conclude in the new term.

Each afternoon will begin with a hearty afternoon tea and the students will have a chance to self-direct the sessions through conversation in response to short inspirational videos. Late in the course there will be a one-day retreat to further enrich and deepen the experience.

The Alpha Course will also be an opportunity for our boys to prepare for the Australian Catholic Youth Festival in December.  We will be promoting this course to Year 9 and Year 10 students in the coming fortnight and will be looking for students who are interested in such an opportunity. For further information or to register the interest of yourself or your child please click on the attached letter below.  Do not hesitate to contact me if you have further queries.

Mr A Brannan - Youth Ministry Coordinator

Social Justice in Action

The St Vincent DePaul Winter Blanket and Used Pots and Pans Appeal, led by both St Pius X College Year 9 and Mercy College Year 10 Mercy Action Group, continues for its second and final week. Next Wednesday students from both Colleges will be delivering all donations to Matthew Talbot Men’s Hostel. Whilst this is run by Year 9 it is open to the whole SPX community and a collection point has been set up in the foyer. 

The Fair Trade Chocolate Stall for Callan Services in Papua New Guinea will run again on Friday at lunchtime. This is run by the Junior members of the Edmund Rice Society each Friday of Terms 2 and 3.

St Pius X College students and staff continue to serve the community with our three weekly social justice commitments. On Monday afternoon up to 12 students and staff attend Willowood Aged Care Facility where they spend an hour conversing with the residents.  This week was particularly full of laughter and joy from both Year 11 students and residents alike, according to Mr Listo who accompanies the students. The Tuesday Bloodbank continues with students from Years 10 and 11 giving blood to save the lives of strangers. Matthew Talbot Men’s Hostel has always been popular with our students where they set up, pack up and serve in the dining room for homeless men. This has become so popular there are regularly up to ten students assisting on the evening.

Last Friday the Edmund Rice Society members from Years 5 to 9 attended a Kidsview conference in the Sarto Centre.  The social justice conference and incursion ran all day and the boys engaged with members of Bahay Tuluyan, an organisation in The Philippines working with Australia to ensure that every child’s rights are protected and respected.

Please click on the photo gallery below, and for more information on Bahay Tuluyan please follow the link. http://bahaytuluyan.org/au/#

Mr David Blake – Social Justice Coordinator