Faith and Mission 

St Joseph the Worker   

Today we celebrate the Feast of St Joseph the Worker; on this day, many nations celebrate and honour their workers. We revere St Joseph as a very modern intercessor for those who are unemployed and seeking work, and in this current context of Coronavirus – those who are essential workers. 

Let us remember that we live in the holy presence of God ….

St Joseph the worker - We see work as a right and a privilege to be enjoyed by all. Through work, we share in the creative action of God. Joseph, being a man of integrity, shows us how to bring balance to our interior and exterior aspects of our working lives. Our ‘work; is more than simply being employed …  we need to make sure that our work places are safe, just and fair, where our skills nurture self-worth and happiness.

As St Joseph is very frequently looked on as the Husband of Mary and Foster Father of Jesus, we can forget his role as the Worker in the Family. Work, either paid or unpaid, in whatever form, undertaken in a way that enhances our being, gives glory to God. Today we ask St Joseph to give to our students the desire to seek work that will give them dignity and enable them to see work as a worthwhile objective. It is easy to be employed by unscrupulous bosses who use our young people in a way that does not allow them to grow into a work ethic that will assist them for life.

St Joseph the protector - His role as the Protector of Jesus and Mary, especially when he was fleeing Herod into Egypt, shows us that his relevance, in the mass migrations of people fleeing their war torn, cannot be ignored. These people are barely surviving with no opportunity to be employed and appreciate the role of work in their lives.

St Joseph the father - was the man closest to Jesus. He worked side by side with him, and taught him all of the positive lessons that fathers and significant adult males teach children. There is no doubt that St Joseph also taught Jesu how to be a man of faith. 

Finally, there are no words spoken by St Joseph recorded in scripture – which goes to show that you can say little yet influence greatly. Given all of the above, it makes sense that St John Baptist de La Salle chose St Joseph as patron of the Lasallian Institute. 

As we celebrate the Feast of St Joseph the Worker, let all of us who are gifted with the opportunity to work remember and pray for those who continue to walk the road of unemployment and despair, who yearn for a protector, who are fatherless or bereft of positive male figures in their life, 

Let us pray to St Joseph … St Joseph, the worker, the protector, the father - help us to come to an understanding of the power of your Son to intercede for all those who seek your help.Your silence is a strong challenge to values current in our society.Help us to value that interior life which lead you to a total commitment to Jesus and Mary.We ask this prayer through Christ our Lord.Amen. 

St John Baptist de La Salle … pray for us. Live Jesus in our hearts … forever.

Bentleigh East Campus Community Donations

Over the last weeks of Term One and now into Term Two, the students have been collecting donations for a number of causes – both within our local community and for some further afield.

Mission Action Day

Students have been raising funds for the Annual Mission Action Day Walkathon Appeal which concluded towards the end of Term One. Students donated funds on-line and were able to use their small change to enter a number of competitions run in homerooms and across Year Levels. The College total is being finalised and we look forward to being able to provide educational assistance to other Lasallian schools and works in Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Thailand and to the Luurnpa Primary School at Balgo in the North of Western Australia.

St Vincent de Paul Easter Appeal

In the last week of Term One we finalised our Easter Hamper and Donation collection. We presented our Easter Hampers to representatives from the St Peter’s East Bentleigh St Vincent de Paul Society. The Hampers were distributed around the local conferences of St Vincent de Paul at East Bentleigh and Moorabbin while the donations assisted struggling families with food vouchers. Thank you to the students, parents and staff who contributed to this year’s Easter Hamper collection – a great example of generosity! Thanks also to the Campus Leaders and to Mr Barry Wood for organising this appeal. 

Bushfire Furniture Appeal

During 2020 and 2021, Mr Barry Wood worked with his Year 10 Materials Technology students and students in the Applied Learning Class to construct furniture for the families in the communities that had been ravaged by bushfires through Gippsland in 2020. The students produced furniture such as coffee tables, occasional tables, bedside units, cabinets and desks. Many students completed these as projects during the lockdown periods of the last two years. Around 30 items of furniture were made. At the end of Term One, the furniture items were transported to the St Vincent de Paul Society in Bairnsdale for distribution. Thank you to Mr Barry Wood for initiating this project, to the students in Year 10 during 2020 and 2021 and to Mr Glenn Johnson (Materials Technician) for transporting the items.

Caritas Australia 2022

In the first weeks of Term Two leading up to the end of May, students are collecting donations for Caritas Australia. Each Homeroom has a Project Compassion Box for students to offer any loose change. This money will be sent to Caritas Australia which is a Catholic Agency for international aid and development. The monies will be used to fund projects in Africa, India, in the Pacific Islands and for our Indigenous communities.

Thank you to our students and families for their generosity with these appeals. Through our local community and through our Lasallian network and connections with schools and communities overseas, we understand that a small donation on our part can have a tremendous impact for those without much. In particular, our efforts support young people to have access to education and thus the possibilities for a brighter future for themselves and their families.

Ria Greene

Deputy Principal Faith and Mission