From the Rector

Greetings! 

I hope you enjoyed the long weekend by getting away for a short break or by doing something a little different? I am finishing this newsletter from our Oblate College of Iona in Brisbane. I have been here since Thursday with the teachers and student leaders from our three Oblate Colleges: Mazenod, Victoria (Mazenod Vic Student Leaders: Nathanial Lourey, Jacob Luu, Noah Beck, Daniel Grano, Jason Fernandes and Ashen Perera); Mazenod, Western Australia; Iona, Brisbane, and St Eugene de Mazenod, Burpengary, Queensland. The leaders have been exchanging with each other on the uniqueness of their individual colleges and sharing thoughts on topics including how the spirit and charism is lived in each college, sustainability, and social justice. I’ll share some pictures and information in next week’s newsletter.

Footy is back! For those who try to avoid it or for those who enjoy it, depending on the prospects of your team, of course, the AFL is back. I believe the start of the footy season is alike our season of Lent when we all get an opportunity to start afresh, to grow and be better than this time last year. I hope your team has a good year but certainly not at the expense of the ‘Mighty Magpies’. Like all things in life, time will tell.

Lenten Theme: The focus for our second Lenten reflection is Fasting. Fasting is a well-known aspect of Lent, inspired by the fast of Jesus when he spent 40 days in the wilderness. However, fasting is a practice that is disappearing from many Christian circles. Fasting is a way of denying ourselves the excesses of life so that we might be more attuned to the Lord's voice. It is also a way of disciplining ourselves, strengthening our "spiritual muscles" so that when temptations arise in life, we are already used to saying "no" to our desires. Fasting is traditionally associated with food, but you can fast from anything that you would ordinarily devote lots of time to. Some Christians will fast from video games, junk food, tv, etc. We can use the time normally spent on these activities in some prayer, spiritual reading or helping others. Remember, the important thing about fasting is that it helps us to focus our minds on God.

Gospel reflection: As we reach the 3rd Sunday of Lent, we are halfway through our Lenten journey. The halfway point is an opportunity to ask ourselves how we are succeeding in our attempts to make some changes to our lives during this special time of grace. This week’s Sunday Gospel is a reminder of Lent's call to conversion and repentance as it describes Jesus' journey to Jerusalem. During this journey, Jesus teaches and heals. He must also respond to those who question and challenge his authority and actions. The subject of this parable is the incident where Jesus curses the barren fig tree which gives us an insight into God's patience and hopefulness as he prepares his Kingdom. This, then, is our reason for hope: Not only does God refuse to abandon us, but He also chooses to attend to us even when we show no evidence of his efforts. The main message of the parable is of God’s mercy. God wants us all to be with His family in His Kingdom. He does not want anyone to be lost.

Year 7 Foynes: A big thanks to 7 Foynes and their teachers who hosted the third community afternoon tea on Wednesday, March 9. Mini pizzas, bruschetta, tiramisu, etc, were among the wonderful treats to be enjoyed. 

Thank you!

Pope Francis: We pray for Pope Francis who celebrated the 9th anniversary of his election as Pope on March 13. In his 

Sunday gathering at St Peters in Rome, Pope Francis addressed the crisis in Ukraine by stating:” In the name of God stop this massacre. God is only a God of peace. Those who support violence profane his name.”   

St Patrick’s Day: This feast day is celebrated on March 17. St Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. patron saint of Ireland. Born in Roman Britain in the late 4th century, he was kidnapped at the age 

of 16 and sold as a slave in the land of Ireland. Clinging to his faith during this time he finally escaped but returned about 432 CE as a priest to convert the Irish to Christianity. St Patrick died on March 17, 461.

Social Justice/Used Stamps: At our Junior Assembly last Friday the Junior Social Justice Leaders were appointed. One of their tasks will be to assist with the processing of collected used stamps by trimming the stamps from envelopes. I am also asking for your assistance with this project by saving your used stamps (which we still occasionally receive in the mail). To save the stamp, you can either send the whole envelop or cut the stamp off leaving a generous margin around it. Once you have collected some stamps, they can be dropped off by your son at the box outside Student Services in the Heritage Corridor. These stamps will be recycled through the ‘Mary MacKillop Today Project’ which helps fight poverty through the various missions of the Josephite Sisters. When the college has gathered a healthy number of stamps, we will forward them to the coordinators who will sell them, with all the other stamps they have collected, at a stamp auction. The money raised will be distributed to their various missionary projects. In addition to our own Oblate missionary initiatives, our Social Justice outreach can also embrace other groups in their endeavours as they assist the brothers and sisters who are in their care. This is an easy method of caring for our fellow brothers and sisters in need as well as practising recycling.

Ouch!!

Enjoy your weekend!

Yours in Jesus Christ and Mary Immaculate,

Fr Harry Dyer OMI

Rector