Be on your guard, stay awake, because you never know when the time will come’
(Mark 13:33)
As the year winds to its close, with longer and hotter days, endless Christmas parties, shopping and preparations, the Church is alive with a new energy as the new liturgical year begins. The season of Advent calls us to: ‘Stay Awake.’
Advent is a time of preparation, waiting for the coming of Christ at Christmas.
It is a season of rich symbolism and colour in our Church’s year. The colour purple that will adorn our Churches reminds us of the joyful expectation that is waiting for the birth of Christ.
The candles in the Advent wreath focus our attention towards the coming of the Light of the world, Jesus Christ, the son of Justice. Advent challenges us not to go on as we have before. Allow the light of Christ to shine into our hearts and make us people ready to see the signs of God’s love in the world.
As we conclude our school year, I wish you all many happy Advent blessings and a very Merry Christmas.
Loving God,
We give you thanks for the blessings of this holy Advent season. You are the source of life, of hope, and of all good things. We look forward to the coming of the light of Christ at Christmas. Help us to turn toward that light in our lives. We rejoice at the gift of your Son who taught us to love in your name. May we be people of peace and justice all the days of our lives. Your kingdom come and your will be done now and forever.
Amen.
One of the highlights of my year is always Year 12 Retreat. We take the students away for three days to reflect of their self, their relationship with others and with God. It always is an experience they won’t forget. Here are some reflections from the students about their time at retreat:
"The Year 12 students of 2020 and I were lucky enough to go on a retreat where we were able to participate in various activities. We created new friendships, reflected on our lives and spent time in the outdoors. We all came together as a year level to prepare ourselves for and support each other through our final year. We each wrote affirmations for as many people in our year level as possible, in order to thank each other and spread positivity. The retreat was an amazing experience and opportunity we are all so grateful for." - Grace
"Retreat to me was a great and moving experience! It allowed me to grow closer with my peers and enabled me to blossom and grow as a person. Overall, it was a positive and refreshing experience!" - Marissa
"Retreat provided us with the opportunity to reflect on what we, as leaders, want the MSJ community to be like in 2020. It allowed us to connect with and learn more about our peers and teachers, as well as giving us the chance to consider the important relationships in our lives, and how they can support us throughout our final year at MSJ." - Taylah
"I found retreat to be an extremely valuable and eye-opening experience! It was great getting to know our teachers on another level and growing closer to our peers as together we approach our final year. I also believe that I learnt and grew as an individual. Certainly one of my best experiences at MSJ!" - Martina
"I had been looking forward to going on this retreat since the start of Year 11. The Year 12’s who went last year told me some stories about how this was the best retreat they had ever been on. After the three days of retreat, it came as a real surprise to me as to how close our year level had become after spending such a short amount of time together. I will not only reflect on the memories that were made but also the friendships that we nurtured, mended or the new ones that we established while on the retreat. Having the retreat at the end of Year 11 reminded us that we are all here to support one another during our Year 12 journey as a cohort." - Neena
Danielle Fairthorne - Director of Catholic Identity