Newman News Term 2 Week 4: From the Director of Mission and Catholic Identity

‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.’ Matthew 28:18-20 

This month we have been celebrating May as the month of Mary. Earlier this week, Mr Nelson’s Year 11 PCG team led us in a crowning ceremony of Mary, to recognise her special place in our community. You can watch the ceremony here

Here is a short prayer that you might like to pray or share with others over the week. 

Dear God, 

As we gather together in this month of May, we ask for the intercession of Mary, the Mother of Jesus and our spiritual mother. We thank you for the gift of her love, compassion, and guidance, which continues to inspire us and lead us closer to you. 

We pray for ourselves and each other, that we may be blessed with wisdom, strength, and grace as we seek lead and serve our school community. May we be guided by Mary’s example of humility, obedience, and faith, and may we always seek to put the needs of others before our own. 

We ask that Mary intercede for us in all our endeavours. May she help us to be faithful witnesses to your love and mercy, and may she guide us towards a deeper relationship with you. 

We offer this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.  

Amen. 

Year 3 and Year 4 Retreats 

Over the past two weeks, students in Year 3 and Year 4 have had the opportunity to participate in a Sacramental Retreat, presented by 24:7 Youth Ministry. The students have been learning about the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist in their classrooms, and the retreats were a fantastic opportunity to deepen their understanding of the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist. We keep our Year 3 and Year 4 students in our prayers as they receive the sacraments this year. Some of our students have prepared reflections on their day. 

 I loved all the activities, especially the one when we cut the paper cup into pieces and we had to put them back together. This helped show us that it is hard when we break the rules, but we can say sorry and make friends again. – Leo Andrezejewski 

I learnt that sometimes your decisions can affect people around you and Reconciliation is a time when you say sorry for the mistakes you make. I loved the game which helped us learn about Reconciliation and the games where we linked arms. – Emily Anderson 

The Reconciliation Retreat was a fantastic day and we all had lots of fun. I learnt that you can always become friends with people again if you are kind and caring and say sorry. – Chanel Italiano 

Marist Connect Night 

Last night, some of our senior students joined students from St Joseph’s School in Northam for our Marist Connect night. These are held once every term and are a good chance for the young people of our College to connect with other students from Marist communities. The theme of the evening was perspectives, and how we can take the time to be more aware of ourselves and those around us. This helps lead us to be curious about others rather than judgemental and to try and understand others rather than enter into conflict. It was also a good time for students to take some time out from the very busy and sometimes stressful time of exam preparation and instead just connect with their friends while forming new relationships. A big thanks to our Izzy from Marist Youth Ministry for her support in coordinating and leading the evening. 

LifeLink Launch

Yesterday, Mrs Peters and I travelled with a group of students to Aranmore Catholic College for the launch of the Archbishop’s LifeLink Appeal for 2023. Led by the Archbishop of Perth, Timothy Costelloe, and Director of Catholic Education Western Australia Dr. Debra Sayce, the day was a great opportunity to better understand some of the work of LifeLink, as well as engage in some conversation about what it means to be part of the Church today. Students had the chance to discuss a number of contemporary issues including how we can make the Church inviting to those living on the margins of society, and the example we can draw from the words and actions of Pope Francis. It was a wonderful event, and we are looking forward to hosting the Primary Schools Launch here at Newman College in just a few weeks time. 

Year 8 Game Changers Retreat 

On the 9th of May, the Year 8 game changers group had the opportunity to take a day away from school to develop their leadership and team-building skills, and also to reflect on the importance of relationships in their lives. We kicked the day off with a few games to help the students get to know each other, then their teamwork skills were put to the test when they were challenged with 3 mini-workshops, including one that required them to build a tower from marshmallows and pasta! After lunch, and a reminder of Mother Mary’s relationship with her friend Elizabeth, the Game Changers group were given the opportunity to reflect on their own relationships with their family and friends and the importance of such relationships throughout their lives. Thus, by the end of the retreat, this small group of students had some huge ambitions to work together and create a better school environment for the year ahead! – Izzy Ochtman (Marist Youth Ministry & Youth Chaplain) 

Upcoming Events

Thursday 25 May – Year 5 & 6 Liturgy 

Tuesday 30 May – Game Changers Meeting (Years 7-10) 

Wednesday 31 May – Year 10 Mass 

Thursday 1 June – Marian Campus Liturgy (St. Cecilia’s Church 9.00am) 

Community Mass  

A reminder that the whole College community is warmly invited to join us in the Champagnat Chapel at 8.10am on Thursday mornings for Mass celebrated by one of our local Parish Priests and hosted by our students from Marcellin and Lavalla.   

Please see the upcoming schedule for the next two weeks:  

Thursday 25 May, Romero and 3 Red 

Thursday 1 June , MacKillop and 6 Green 

We look forward to seeing you there.