APMI News
By Mr Patrick Donnely, Assistant Principal Mission and Identity
Year 7 and 8 Retreat
Year 7 and 8 students have engaged in their annual retreat. Retreats are an important part of the Religious Life of the College, for our students. They are designed to allow students to take a break from their studies and reflect on the benefits of grit and determination as they approach their learning with a growth mindset. Students spent half of the day with spiritual reflection linked to the topic of growth mindset. During this time, students explored their personal identity, reflecting on how they can show strength and personal character. Students spent the other half of the day in a session with presenters from Unleashing Personal Potential, an organisation that provides engaging and interactive workshops that ‘empower students to thrive as they learn, live and lead.’ The Year 12 College and House Leaders also spent time with the Year 7 and 8 students, mentoring the students and sharing their stories. Overall, a great day!
Donovan House Mass
On Wednesday, Week 5, Donovan House journeyed together to St Mary’s Church to celebrate Mass as a House. The purpose of our House Masses is to foster a sense of community and spiritual growth among our students. Each House Mass allows students to come together in prayer, reflection, and celebration of our shared values and faith. These gatherings are integral to our mission of nurturing the spiritual and moral development of our students. The House Leaders worked on selecting the First Reading, Psalms and Gospel, all linking to their value of Wisdom. Each Pastoral Care class worked, as one, to write their prayer for the Prayers of the Faithful. It was a wonderful time, and all the students participated and celebrating the Donovan House spirit that we have come to admire.
Shrove Tuesday
Shrove Tuesday is the last day of preparation for the season of Lent. This day traditionally is a day to empty the house of ‘fatty foods’ and other sources of temptation, so that we can fast for 40 days. Also known as Pancake Tuesday, it is a time for us to think about what we need to do to prepare ourselves for what I am fasting during Lent, and to consider what we are taking up as well as what our prayer intentions will be. The pancake is merely a symbol for today's world, however, it is one that our students love. This year, our Year 12s came together and made pancakes for the College. Such a great way to start the conversation for Lent and a reminder that we are not alone during Lent.
Ash Wednesday – Lent
Ash Wednesday is a significant day in the Christian liturgical calendar, marking the beginning of Lent, 40 days of fasting, prayer, and penance leading up to Easter. It falls on the first day of Lent and is observed by many Western Christian denominations, including Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, and Methodists. At Assumption College, we came together and engaged in a Liturgy. During this liturgy ashes were distributed by having the mark of the cross displayed on our foreheads. These ashes remind us of our human mortality, repentance and renewal.
Lent is a time when we are called to go into the desert, just like Jesus. During these 40 days, we are called to fast, prayer and almsgiving. For many, it is about just giving something up, but it is more than that. For these 40 days, the key word to remember is renewal. This is the time when we prepare for the most important moments in the Catholic Church, such as Jesus being crucified, defeating death, then resurrecting and finally ascending into Heaven. Knowing this, these 40 days allow us to renew our connection with God where we are in the desert, not literally, but in the moments of struggle just as Jesus did. During this journey I will share moments of when people in our community were in the desert and how they built from them, connecting closer to God. This year we are continuing with our work with Caritas Australia’s, Project Compassion. Here is a video to help explain the good work they do.
Cornerstones – Reflection
This week's reflection was on the topic of Vocal Prayer. The group meet once a fortnight and this fortnight was a fun-filled session. Below are snippets of a different staff member from their fortnight’s reflection.
Today’s presentation began with a very cute prayer that used a baking metaphor, for a deeper concept of the beauty with which God takes our imperfect, mundane strands of life and weaves them into tapestries with meaning. ‘Lord I hate buttermilk…but love muffins’. It reminded me of a poem given to me by my grandmother – “my life is but a weaving between my Lord and me, I cannot choose the colours- He worketh steadily, ofttimes he weaveth sorrow, and I in foolish pride, forget He sees the upper and I, the underside. The dark threads are as needful in the weaver’s skilful hands, as the threads of gold and silver in the pattern He has planned. Not till the loom is silent and the shuttles cease to fly, shall God unroll the canvas and explain the reason why.” To me, the message for how we approach vocal prayer is to trust that God is near and welcomes our reaching out to him, as a friend. If we can impart to students this atmosphere of being particular about who we are talking to and what we are praying, then we can model the authenticity of a daily spiritual walk with our friend and Creator/Father. Mary was not anyone fancy or superior to us ‘mere mortals’, but rather a marginalized ‘peasant’ like most of us, a refugee, fleeing military action in a foreign land. She wasn’t an icon for a peaceful, middle-class life robed in royal blue, but like us, she offered her life to God, for Him to fill her life with Himself and a very special purpose. We too, don’t have to be ‘super mamas’, and should just ‘come as we are’.