All Saints and All Souls Feast Days

Our Homegroup, Staff and Community Prayers this week have focused on the Feast Days of All Saints and All Souls. On Wednesday morning we gathered as a community to commemorate all of the Faithful Departed. We joined in prayer to memorialise all those who have died, our loved ones, and those people around the world who we will never meet, that through the mercy of God, they will rest in peace. Our theme, “the goodness of the Lord” emerged from Psalm 26.

“The Lord is my light and my help,

I am sure I shall see the Lord's goodness in the land of the living.”

The words of the Psalmist ring true for us today, expressing God’s desire to bestow grace, peace and love upon us and for our loved ones who have died. These words come from the liturgy of today’s Feast and remind us of our faith and firm belief; that in even death, life is changed, not completed. We know that our loved ones remain with us in a special way. Our students and staff embraced the opportunity to light a candle for a loved one and write a special message to someone who has passed away to hang in the trees, in our Peace Garden.

O God of the living and the dead,

You hear the cry of those who live with grief and loss.

Be a comfort in our weakness and a light in our darkness.

Be our hope. Be our peace. Be our strength.

We ask this prayer in all the holy names of God.

Amen.

Catholic Mission - Socktober Success

Last week our Student Representative Council, capably led by our new Student Captains (2023) hosted a community fundraising day, to support the Catholic Mission - Socktober Campaign. Catholic Mission’s 2022 project in the developing world is directed towards communities and families in Emdibir, Ethiopia and in particular, The Deberety Goat Farm.

This project aims to develop a goat rearing and breeding program at the Emdibir Farm Centre which will complement and diversify its existing services, boost the farm’s sustainability, provide life-saving milk for babies and build a community hub for acquiring additional skills and knowledge in farming.

What we do for our brother, we are doing it for God. Because God is invisible, but we see Him in our brothers and sisters who are in need.” Bishop Musie-Ethiopia

Mission month is a celebration of the life-giving work of Mission, it is the opportunity to highlight the work of those who are leading mission development projects to the ends of the earth, showing that there are no limits to sharing the love of God.

Pope Francis, reminds us that we are all invited to answer the call to be mission in action… love in action, “Mission is carried out together, not individually.”

To conclude our prayer and charitable focus during Mission Month, our SRC encouraged our Year 12 students to utilise their fabulous baking skills and contribute to our Community Cake Stall. Along with this, our whole community donned mufti socks for the occasion.

It was a day of fun and frivolity and together, we raised $747 for Catholic Mission. The Year 7 Socktober sign-ups and online fundraising will continue until the end of Term 4.

Thank you to all our families for your ongoing support of charitable giving at the College.

Alpha Youth Program

On Friday this week, we will trial our first Alpha Youth program with students. This globally renowned program has been endorsed by the Catholic Education, Diocese of Wagga Wagga, and we are keen to trial it with students and gauge their insights and feedback. Alpha has empowered many Catholic parishes, schools and organisations around the world to answer the call to the New Evangelisation.

Alpha Youth Groups create a safe and inclusive space where youth can engage openly in conversations about life and faith. This a wonderful environment in which to discuss topical issues, ask questions and seek information. As part of the program, students come together to share a meal at lunchtime as a symbol of table fellowship, view a themed video and discuss questions or ideas they may have. Please enjoy this short video to find out more about the impact of Alpha around the world.

Upcoming Sacred Heart Parish Ideas Forum

Sacred Heart Parish is planning a gathering on Sunday, November 20th after the 9.00 am Mass. This is an opportunity for all parishioners to have their say on future ideas for our parish. The Parish Council would like to have input from as wide a range of people as possible, especially the younger parishioners, young families, and so on. They encourage students, parents and teachers to attend.

Please keep an eye out in the Parish Newsletter each week leading up to this event where ideas to think about will be posted. Please contact Ms Marsha Reilly (PPC Secretary - marsha.reilly@bigpond.com) if you would like further information.

Mrs Amelia Bright | Acting Leader of Mission

"Mater Dei Matters"

Issue 18 · 02 Nov 2022

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