Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent in the Catholic tradition. Lent is a period of 40 days. These forty days is a time of prayer, fasting and alms giving. On Ash Wednesday, our community gather for a morning liturgy to mark the beginning of this time of year. We thank our Year 11 & 12 RE Ministry class for preparing and leading our College’s Ash Wednesday liturgies.
The following is taken from the student liturgy celebrated at our College to introduce students to the significance of this occasion;
“Through prayer we come closer to God so that we are better able to realise our promise to live justly as Jesus teaches us. Fasting joins us in solidarity with the poor who often have no choice but to go without basic essentials. Giving to the poor or ‘almsgiving’ is a sign of our commitment to justice and our thanks for all that God has given us.
Lent prepares us for the season of Easter, the most important time in the Church’s calendar. By praying, fasting and giving alms, we are reminded of Jesus’ death and Resurrection. Jesus brought the promise of hope to all people so that we may “Have life and have it to the full.” (John 10:10), so that with our neighbours, we can go further, together.” (Caritas Australia Senior School Liturgy Resource).
Read more about how our school partakes in almsgiving during Lent by contributing to Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion in the Social Justice Report.
Year 7 Belonging Day
Our Year 7 students have thoroughly enjoyed the Belonging Days this year. Each pastoral class ventured into the city to immerse themselves in the story and history of Mary MacKillop, particularly her time here in Melbourne. Visiting her birth site in Brunswick, the location of night school and houses of providence that supported the locals of the Little Lon area and exploring the artefacts at the Mary MacKillop Heritage Centre has allowed our Year 7 students to truly understand the person of Mary MacKillop and the charism of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart.
