Newman News Term 4 Week 8: From the Ministry, Outreach and Advocacy Team
Advent Season
“Christmas is about the mystery of the divine found within the human ~ GOD entering our everyday life! Because Jesus Christ was born into our world in a normal human way, all our ordinary human activities are made holy.”[1] Our 2019 Marist theme of Holy Today! has been an invitation to tune-in more to the presence of God in everyday life. That is, to recognise the ‘sacred’ or presence of God in the beautiful ordinariness of life.[2]. During Advent and Christmas, we are once again invited to take up this challenge.
On Sunday 1 December, we celebrated the beginning of Advent. Advent comes from the Latin word meaning “coming.” Jesus is coming, and Advent is intended to be a season of preparation for His arrival. It is the season when we intentionally practise hope, when we consciously act for justice, when we joyfully live in expectation of promises fulfilled.
We see this ‘hope’ exemplified in our Mother Mary. Mary is the model of a Church who looks towards Jesus and works to create the kind of world that Jesus proclaimed in the Gospels[1]. This Term has seen the students at Newman College work to create a world proclaimed by Jesus through supporting the St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal. These simple acts of generosity and kindness demonstrate that we are a people of hope; a people who walk in the light because at Christmas “Jesus Christ has entered our story and saved us from the darkness! [1]
Imagine if we were to live always as if walking in the light!” [1]
[1] Brisbane Catholic Education. (n.d.) Advent / Christmas. Retrieved from: https://www.bne.catholic.edu.au/formationandleadership/prayer/Pages/Advent-prayer.aspx
[2] Marist Mission and Life Formation. (2019). 2019 Theme Resource. Retrieved from: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51240d5fe4b03a5603cfea56/t/5c5255ca4d7a9c391e43d880/1548899817693/2019+Theme+Resources+%28Page%29.pdf
St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal
The annual St Vincent de Paul Society Christmas Appeal provides hope, comfort and dignity to over 3000 families in Western Australia who will be struggling during the Christmas season. As a Catholic school educating in the Marist Tradition, Newman College sought to reach out and serve those in our community following the example set by Jesus in the Scriptures:
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink…Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters, you did for me.”
Matthew 25: 35;40
A huge thank you to everyone who contributed so generously to the St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal. All three campuses were inundated with donations towards the appeal, meaning that many families will be assisted this year. The donations from Marian and Lavalla Campuses will be donated to the Floreat Conference of St Vincent de Paul. Whilst the donations from Marcellin Campus will be donated to the Doubleview conference.
Australian Catholic Youth Festival (ACYF) – 8-10 December
The Australian Catholic Youth Festival (ACYF) will be held at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre between Sunday 8 and Tuesday 10 December. ACYF is a national gathering of Catholic young people which occurs every two years, and is a unique national context in which young people (14 – 30 years of age) from across Australia are invited to encounter and celebrate the vitality of the Catholic Church in Australia through providing young people with a tangible connection to vocations, social action, liturgy and prayer, Catholic music and catechesis. Newman College will be taking 26 students from Years 9 to 12 and 7 staff to the festival. On Monday 9 December, Newman College will host a Justice Centre activity called Caring for the Forgotten. The activity is an opportunity to uphold the dignity of youth in detention and remind them that they are not forgotten. Those attending the activity will make Christmas cards for youth at Banksia Hill Detention Centre in conjunction with Catholic Prison Ministry who will run a similar session to make Christmas trees to accompany the cards.
Prior to the commencement of ACYF on Sunday 8 December, Newman College will co-host the Diocese of Wollongong in New South Wales who will attend a Mass and sausage sizzle at St Joseph’s, Subiaco on Saturday 7 December. Click here for more information about ACYF.
The ACYF Closing Mass is open to the general public and is free to attend. Parents and families are therefore welcome to attend the Mass. The ACYF Outdoor Mass will be held on Tuesday 10 December 2019 at Trinity College, 2 Trinity Avenue, East Perth. Gates open at 4.00pm with pre-Mass entertainment commencing at 4.30pm. The Mass will commence at 6.30pm. As large numbers are anticipated to attend, we encourage guests to arrive early to allow time to make your way into the venue, find a viewing area and enjoy the outdoor Mass atmosphere.
Final Community Mass
The final Community Mass at Newman College will take place on Thursday 12 December at 8.10am in the Champagnat Chapel. All are encouraged and welcome to attend our final Sacramental celebration as a College before concluding 2019.
Philippines Immersion
The 2019 Philippines Immersion was once again a memorable experience for Year 11 students from Newman College and St Joseph’s School, Northam. It challenged the group to develop a better understanding of our privilege and to be grateful for the things we have. Click here to read more and see more photos from the trip.
24:7 FLOREAT YOUTH GROUP
- For all youth in Years 6-12
- Every Sunday from 6.00pm – 8.00pm at St Cecilia’s Parish Centre, 47 Peebles Road, Floreat
- Call Sebastian on 0403230395 or Emma on 0412310019 for more information.
Volunteers – Adoration Chapel, Holy Spirit Parish
Holy Spirit Parish in City Beach are looking for volunteers to help man the 24-hour Adoration Chapel at the Parish. If you are interested in finding out more information, please contact Lisa Hogg on 0419923420.