Faith Formation Days

Term 3 has seen the continuation of our Faith Formation days, with the year 9’s gathering on 24 June at the Moonee Ponds Bowling Club. For the first time the College engaged the services of the Passionist Youth Retreat Team. Jo McDade led the day titled: Connection with Myself, Others and God. This included a range of engaging and thought-provoking activities that encouraged our students to reflect on where they are at with their faith and to think more deeply about how their actions can influence others. The day ended with a liturgy that involved students choosing to quietly acknowledge other students, in a prayerful and simple action.

The Staff Faith Formation Day was held on Friday 4 August, centred around providing an opportunity to reflect on Catholic Social Teaching. All staff member worked in small groups focus was the concept of solidarity Ave Day is fast approaching and preparations are underway for the Mass to be celebrated as part of the celebrations.

Feast of St. Clare of Assisi

The College recently celebrated each of our house patrons will activities held each day in the lead up to Ave Maria Day. This also coincides with the feast day of one of these patrons, St Clare of Assisi. It is helpful for us to be reminded of the remarkable women she was both for her time and as an example for us today. Below is a reflection by Murray Bodo OFM on St. Clare that includes the image of Clare being a mirror of Jesus Christ for others in the world and challenges us to consider how we might try to do the same.

A Reflection on St Clare: Chosen by Christ

One of the truths that is becoming more evident to me the more I study and think about the mystics is that they are not ordinary but chosen souls whom God came to when they were not expecting such a visitation. That they are chosen and special is God’s choice, not something they somehow merit. The rest of us try daily to go to God in our ordinary lives by living in faith, while the mystics spend their lives responding to the great gift of God’s extraordinary entrance into their lives. They show us what it is like to be taken over by God while at the same time cautioning us that we cannot merit God’s tangible presence. But given those distinctions, even we in our ordinary lives can embrace Christ on the cross.

We can place ourselves physically and spiritually in a space or place that makes it at least a compatible space for “hearing” God’s voice and “seeing” God’s manifestations, should God decide to show us the divine presence in a way that is beyond the faith we have from our baptism. And whether we actually hear or see anything of God or not, we are there at the foot of the cross letting him embrace us in any way he wills to embrace us. It could be as simple as an increase of the faith we already have; it could be an inspiration to do something further with our lives in order to praise and give thanks to God, or we could be inspired to follow Christ’s way of the cross more faithfully in our own lives.

Saint Clare is, I believe, one of God’s chosen ones who shows us. Someone we can love who is daily revealing his presence in images—like the cross, like the eucharistic bread and wine. As for Clare herself, God came to her as a bridegroom in search of his bride, and took her into the wine cellar where by responding to his love, she became his mirror, a mirror others could look at, and “see” God.

(Mystics: Twelve Who Reveal God’s Love by Murray Bodo, OFM)

Upcoming Events:

22 August: Year 10 Faith Formation Day

30 August: Year 8 Faith Formation Day