Ministry and Evangelisation
Welcome back to Term 3! I hope that you and your family had a restful break and have come back with enthusiasm for an enjoyable term. For myself, it was a particularly joyful holiday as we welcomed our second child into the world!
Feast of the St Mary MacKillop
On 8 August every year, the Church in Australia, and around the world, celebrates the Feast of St Mary MacKillop. Mary is Australia’s first saint to be canonised (which occurred in 2010) and is known in both religious and secular circles in our country. It is worth noting that she faced many challenges in her life (including being kicked out of the Catholic Church altogether at one point) but despite these hardships, Mary always knew what her purpose was. It was only because of her deep, intimate relationship with Jesus that she was able to do the amazing works that she did, and that her legacy continues today through the Sisters of St Joseph and through countless schools across the country.
To learn more about the life of this amazing female saint, click here.
Thanks to Meg Henry
I would like to extend a BIG THANK-YOU to Miss Megan Henry, who filled in as Acting Leader of School Evangelisation for the last two weeks of Term 2 whilst I took some paternity leave. From all reports, she did a fabulous job in guiding our College through the Feast Day celebrations and accompanying our Year 10 students to help facilitate the Accendere Retreat for the Year 4s at St Joseph’s Primary.
Parish Sunday Masses
As we continue to navigate our way through the Coronavirus pandemic, our Parish Priest, Father James, is generously celebrating some additional weekend Masses to enable as many people to be able to attend as possible. To register, please contact the Parish Office.
For the time being, weekend Mass times will be as follows:
- Saturday 9.30 am– South West Rocks
- Saturday Vigil 6 pm – Kempsey
- Sunday 7.30 am – South West Rocks
- Sunday 9.30 am – Kempsey
- Sunday 11 am – Kempsey
Sunday Mass will continue to be livestreamed via the following platforms for those who are unable to make it:
- 8 am in Lismore with Bishop Gregory Homeming
- 10 am with Fr Rob Galea
- 30 am from St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney
YMO Happenings
Our Youth Ministry Officers (YMOs) Calissa and Darcy, have come back with plenty of enthusiasm for Ministry here at St Paul’s this term, despite the current restrictions:
- Our lunchtime youth group REACH continues, with a good core group coming along to explore and nourish their faith. The REACH Instagram page is still up and running – there is some great content posted there! Follow it using reach_kmc
- In Week 10 of last term, Darcy and Calissa helped eight of our Youth Ministry students prepare for and facilitate the Accendere Retreat for the Year 4s at St Joseph’s Primary. A great day was had by all and our Year 10 leader received some glowing feedback.
- Something that our YMOs have been working hard on is to host a local Street Retreat here in Kempsey. The ladies have put an enormous amount of work already into this event, which will hopefully go ahead (restrictions permitting) on 20–21 November, in Term 4. This will be an opportunity for ALL STUDENTS to learn about some of the social justice issues affecting people right here in the Macleay Valley and to put their faith into action. Watch this space for more details over the coming months.
Vinnies Winter Appeal
Today we concluded our annual Vinnies Winter Appeal by holding a “Beanie Day” to raise some extra dollars to donate to the St Vincent de Paul Society. Over the past few weeks Mr Scott Edwards, along with his team of helpers, has done a fantastic job in drumming up support for this important appeal, which aims to provide some warmth and assistance to the marginalised members of our community.
WELL DONE to everyone for your generosity once again in supporting this appeal through your donations of warm clothing. Online donations are also very much needed and appreciated, if you are able to do so.
Spiritual Resources
Word on Fire – Bishop Robert Barron
Behind Pope Francis, Bishop Robert Barron is the most followed Catholic globally on social media. The founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries, Bishop Barron has produced many film series, documentaries and commentaries about the Catholic faith and its relevance and relationship to today’s increasingly secularised culture.
In this video he talks about the question “What Do You Want God to Do for You?” This is a question that we can all ask of ourselves and Bishop Barron sheds some light on this question.
Macleay Valley Catholic Parish Website
The Macleay Valley Catholic Parish website has a number of good resources, which are being added to weekly. I would commend these to your viewing. You can also find the parish newsletter here.
School Retreats Update
It is our intention, to hold the following Retreat and Reflection days during the second half of the year. Some have been postponed/changed due to the coronavirus pandemic, however as a Catholic school, the spiritual formation of our young people remains of utmost importance. More details will be forthcoming in the weeks to come as we get a better idea of the ‘lie of the land’. Here is a tentative list of what we hope to hold this semester:
- Year 8 “Catch the Wave” Retreat (Week 6, Term 3)
- Year 12 Reflection Day (Week 7, Term 3)
- Year 9 Retreat Day (Week 2, Term 4)
- Year 10 Retreat (29–30 October, Week 3, Term 4)
- Senior Retreat (4–6 November, Week 4, Term 4)
- Kempsey Street Retreat (20–21 November, Week 6, Term 4)
- Year 7 Reflection Day (Week 8, Term 4)
Unfortunately, both the SHINE and IGNITE gatherings have been cancelled due to the Coronavirus situation. We look forward to being able to attend these amazing, faith-filled gatherings again in 2021 (hopefully)!
If you have any ideas about how to improve Ministry and Evangelisation at St Paul’s, then please let me know.
Please contact me if you have any questions about, or ideas for, ministry and evangelisation at the College.
God Bless!
Mr Dominic MacAndrews - Leader of School Evangelisation
dominic.macandrews@lism.catholic.edu.au