Principal's Report
Dear parents and carers,
Creator of All, By your Holy Wisdom you made the Earth to bring forth a diversity of creatures who praise you in their being. You placed us into right relationships with each creature so that we could listen to their voices and learn how to safeguard the conditions for life. But we turn in on ourselves and away from our co-creatures. We fail to listen to the cries of the poor and the needs of the most vulnerable.
In this Season of Creation, we pray that you call to us with the sustaining fire of your Spirit. Breathe upon us. Open our ears and move our hearts.
Fill us with the hope to quench the fires of injustice with the light of your healing love that sustains our common home. Amen.
In 2015 Pope Francis established 1st September as the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, encouraging the Catholic community around the world to pray for our common home. The day is inspired by Pope Francis' landmark encyclical Laudato Si’, which calls on "every person living on this planet" to care for our shared Earth.
The Season of Creation begins on September 1st and the theme and invitation of this year’s season is "Listen to the Voice of Creation." In his message for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation 2022, Pope Francis calls us to use the season to "cultivate our ecological conversion” and to pray together in “the great cathedral of Creation”. He warns that we are reaching “a breaking point" and must act decisively so that "we and future generations can continue to rejoice in creation’s sweet song of life and hope." Today we raise to God our thanks for the marvellous works that have been entrusted to our care, and we ask for God’s help as we take action to protect our planet and all of its creatures.
Parish 200 Year Celebration
I would like to pass on my thanks to those families who were able to support the Parish celebration on Sunday. It was a wonderful community event that brought out the best that this parish and school can offer. The COLA was transformed into a beautiful setting and our students who played a part in the Mass made a significant contribution with their skills and their positive attitude. The dance group that performed as part of the entertainment were brilliant and received great applause from those watching. A big thank you also to those parents who ran the BBQ as part of the sumptuous food available on the day. If you would like to watch a video of the event you can visit this link https://youtu.be/YJ47mS5Re0s
Fr John and the Parish were extremely pleased with the day and look forward to organising similar events in the future.
NATIONAL CHILD PROTECTION WEEK
National Child Protection Week invites all Australians to play their part to promote the safety and wellbeing of children and young people. This year, National Child Protection Week occurs across Australia from 4-10 September. In 2022, National Child Protection Week will continue to embrace the overarching message:
Every child, in every community, needs a fair go.
To treat all of Australia’s children fairly, we need to make sure every family and community has what kids need to thrive and be healthy.
To celebrate and raise awareness of this important work, CatholicCare Wollongong is running a competition, 'What makes you feel safe?'. Participants can win a $200 gift voucher. There is a flyer included in this week's Newsletter.
Staff Development Day
The next Staff Development Day will be held on Friday 14 October. Please note that this will be a Pupil Free Day.
Wishing you all a happy and safe week,
Paul Moroney
Principal