Newman News Term 3 Week 4: From the Director of Mission and Catholic Identity
“Without Mary we are nothing and with Mary we have everything, because Mary always has her adorable Son within her arms or in her heart”. – St Marcellin Champagnat
The Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a significant Feast Day in the life of the Church and in the life of our Marist Community. This day was chosen by St Marcellin Champagnat to be the Patronal Feast Day of the Little Brothers of Mary, now known as the Marist Brothers. It is celebrated annually on the 15 August. In reflecting on the Assumption of Mary I am drawn to the understanding of Mary as a young woman who said ‘yes’ to bring Christ into the world with a complete trust in God and God’s plan for her. St Marcellin Champagnat, in constantly looking to Mary, sought to bring about the same attitude of ‘yes’ in the first Marists and we at Newman College hope we can continue to live this dream with our young people, staff and the wider community. To our Marist Brothers and all who connect to our Marist charism, Happy Feast of the Assumption.
As a community, we celebrated this day with Mass for the College, followed by our Lapathon. This linked with our Wellbeing Week theme of connect, where all our students from K-12 connect with one another as they walk around the ovals and connect to their faith through the sacraments. Students from K-6 have been encouraged to find sponsorship for the number of laps they will complete, and 7-12 asked to consider bringing in a donation, all for LifeLink who support a number of Catholic outreach agencies across our local community. Families can learn more about this organisation online by clicking: Lifelink or watch our students explain Lifelink here.
Families who prefer can make a donation to LifeLink via our College website here
St Vincent De Paul Winter Solidarity
On July 29, a range of Marcellin students gathered after school together with Year 6 Mini Marists and cooked close to 200 meals for St Vincent de Paul. On such a cold and blustery night, the Bolognese was very well received by Tom’s House in the city.
Other students created well wishes cards to present later this term to the Nyoongar Outreach Services Inc, along with gift bags of sanitary items to be donated by our Year 12 cohort in their student-led fundraiser.
Following this, the group participated in a workshop about poverty in Australia. The night was very successful with its fun and educational activities. Students felt motivated to create positive changes in their own contexts and brainstormed ideas to improve awareness in our College of the daily plight of thousands of Australians living in poverty.
Game Changers
Our Marist Youth Ministry Program Game Changers, continues to bring together our students in Year 7 – 12 and our Mini-Marists in Year 5 and 6. The purpose of the program is to help our students build a sense of belonging, developing their knowledge and skills in leadership, create opportunities for service and explore their faith story. Students gather with their teachers either at lunch time or on a Tuesday afternoon. Our Year 11 Game Changers group are preparing to head to Mullewa on their Solidarity Immersion, where they will spend a week working with the Mullewa community. This is a fantastic opportunity for our Year 11 students to step outside their comfort zone and learn more about regional WA.
Any parents who would like their child to become involved please contact Aleisha Bryson.
Marist Connect Night
Being part of a Marist connection offers unique opportunities for our students. On Tuesday 23 August, Year 11 and 12 students are invited to join a Marist Connect Night with students from Bunbury Catholic College and St Joseph’s Northam. Any Year 11 or 12 student who wishes to attend must contact Aleisha Bryson via email Aleisha.Bryson@newman.wa.edu.au or complete this form https://forms.office.com/r/N94FPj3dv9. This is a great opportunity to build connection with other young Marists and grow as young leaders in our community.
Sacramental Celebrations
Our Year 7 students had the opportunity to participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Fr Mark from the Redemptorist Monastery in North Perth led the celebration with students, reminding them of the importance of reflecting on our behaviour and the decisions we make that can damage our relationships with God, self and others. Students were encouraged to think about ways they can maintain positive relationships and seek forgiveness when necessary. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is an important sacrament because it allows us to acknowledge our failings and seek to restore those relationships we may damage due to our actions/choices. Year 8 and Year 9 students will have the opportunity to participate in the sacrament later this term.
Thursday Morning Mass
Our Thursday morning Mass returns in Week 5. Hosted by students in Mackillop Guild and Year 3 Red. Week 6 Community Mass is hosted by Camara Guild and Year 3 Blue. We look forward to seeing students and families in attendance. Mass is from 8.10am – 8.40am. All are welcome.