Newman News Term 4 Week 4: From the Leader of Mission and Catholic Identity
November is a time where we remember the people in our life who have passed away. The month begins with the Feast of All Saints Day and followed by All Souls Day. Staff, students and families are invited to write the names of loved ones and place it in the glass bowl in the Chapel foyer during November and the names will be brought forward and remembered during Community Mass.
A common prayer prayed at this time and one you are invited to pray during this month is:
Eternal rest grant unto them,
O Lord, and let perpetual light
shine upon them. May the souls
of all the faithful departed, through
the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Remar Blue Solidarity Retreat Day
On Friday 30 October our Remar Blue students participated in a full day of education and opportunities to provide assistance to people experiencing homelessness in Perth and learn about how we can be practice caretakers of people and the planet.
We went to Vinnies Stirling, most us of us know that this is an op shop that sells cheap clothing. What we did not know was that if people find themselves in situation like their house burning down, Vinnies gives vouches to those affected to obtain clothes for free.
We also went to Passages, a youth stay where young people ages 13-25 can come in to rest and sort out situations they might find themselves in. Everyday there are professionals like doctors, Centrelink workers, lawyers and mental health professionals that come and help the young people. What struck me the most was that young people are able to come back and be themselves; all the staff ask is that they be respectful, even if they act up they are allowed back in after a walk outside to calm down.
We were given a talk in which we learnt about the operations and key details about Tom Fisher House, a shelter for people experiencing long term homelessness and were excited to learn that the people who use the service are able to bring in their pets, no other shelter allows this to occur.
We ended the experience by going into the city to meet people who are suffering from homelessness and handing out fruit bags we had made. This was a challenging experience but the most impactful as we had learnt more and more about the issue of homelessness and the people affected by it.
Student Reflection:
“Last Friday, the Year 11 Remar students experienced an eye opening retreat focusing on the stewardship of creation. During the excursion, we looked at ways to care for our world, specifically in relation to upholding the dignity of the human person, which is particularly compromised when people suffer from homelessness.
One of the organisations that we were lucky enough to visit was Passages, a day-service which offers youth experiencing homelessness with legal, financial and health support, as well as assisting them in finding safe accommodation for the night. With the service’s particular focus on helping youth aged 13-25, it was particularly confronting learning of the struggles which children our own age battle with daily. Passages also provides simple assistance in every-day skills, such as washing dishes, cooking and cleaning, as well as offering a free pantry, showers and a washing machine. This not only provides these young people with the basic necessities, but also allows them the dignity of having clean clothes and a choice of food. The experience was extremely educational, challenging stereotypes that many of us held around the issue. We learned how drug and alcohol abuse are usually symptoms of homelessness rather than causes and usually manifest as coping mechanisms for past trauma.
Neeve, the lovely manager, along with the rest of the staff, were kind and accommodating, as well as extremely knowledgeable and the passion and love they have for their work was clear for all to see. It was inspiring for us to see how just small acts of kindness can make such a big difference. The simplicity of providing a can of beans or veggies can help one person get through a long weekend, especially if they are fighting to survive on the street.
It was an exhilarating experience and the knowledge that organisations, such as Passagers, exist in Western Australia to help those experiencing homelessness was a comfort to us all and I’m sure we are all now more motivated to work in fighting and promoting awareness of such an important issue.
Thank you to Vinnies for supporting us by taking us on tours and Felicity Keet (ex-Newman student) for her eye-opening presentation. ” Taylah Sadgrove
Game Changers Launch
In the coming weeks, the current Years 9 and 10 students will participate in a Game Changers recruitment session during extended PCG. We hope they look forward to learning more about the program and getting engaged in the activities. Students will be able to join up next year with a greater understanding of the program.
Archbishops Christmas Appeal for Lifelink 2020 video Launch
On Tuesday 3 November, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe launched the annual Christmas Appeal for the Archdiocese. This year’s launch included a new video introducing Lifelink and the services this organisation provides across WA. Newman College was fortunate to be part of the new video, where our 2020 College Captain, Mitchell Harris and Social Justice Captain, Charlotte Easden, participated in and helped create the final product. Click here to watch the video. Congratulations to all schools and students involved in creating this important video that encourages us all to remember the most vulnerable.
Thursday morning Community Mass
A reminder to all families to please join our College community in celebrating Mass on Thursday mornings from 8.10am (concludes at 8.40am).
Student-Led Prayer
Today our 2021 Faith and Liturgy Captains led the students at Marcellin Campus in a reflection for the final time in 2020.