News

LENT Most of this term has been spent in the Church season of Lent. The forty-day season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes on Holy Thursday evening with the celebration of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. It is a time for Christians to commit to strengthening their faith through the three pillars of Lent: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. SBC has raised vital funds regarding almsgiving via Project Compassion Boxes and the Easter Raffle. We are most grateful for the generosity of our College families, who supported and donated items for the raffle. All money raised will support projects coordinated by Caritas in Australia and neighbouring countries. We appreciate your support! Stations of the Cross We will conclude the term with a prayerful reflection on the Stations of the Cross led by our primary school students (live-streamed via Teams). We remember the path Jesus took on Good Friday. On the way to his death, Jesus showed us how to live and how to die. We cannot rise with Christ unless we walk the path with Him. “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here but has risen.” [Luke 24:5] Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB, in his Easter Message 2022, reminds us that the risen Jesus of Easter “…enables us to be the instruments of healing, of hope and of new beginnings which we, our families, our communities, our country and our world so desperately need.” Happy Easter to all SBC families!   Mr Adrian Martino Head of Faith & Mission

School Opening Mass 2022 At the start of each school year, we gather to celebrate the Opening Mass in our outdoor Cathedral, under the old oak trees outside Lesmurdie Cottage. The beautiful surroundings are a wonderful reminder that our God delights in the celebration of the wonderful gifts we have to offer our school community at the start of a new year. Our theme focused on the Mercy Values of courage and justice, highlighted in the Gospel story of Luke 6:27-31. Father Michael McMahon OSM was our celebrant and we also welcomed a number of the Sisters of Mercy, Ms Mary Retel (Mercy Education Limited Board Director) and College Advisory Council Members. Ash Wednesday Liturgy Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we will be celebrating Ash Wednesday, 3 March, in our individual classes or Homerooms. Ash Wednesday begins our forty-day season of Lent that leads to Easter. On Ash Wednesday, we come together like the people of the Old Testament to remind ourselves that we do not always follow God’s ways and that we need to ask for God’s mercy and forgiveness. Like God’s people in the time of the prophets, we wear ashes to show that we want to turn away from whatever keeps us from God and to have a change of heart so that we can live in peace and in joy with God and with each other. Fast & Abstinence during Lent The Church season of Lent begins on Wednesday, 2 March with Ash Wednesday. The  College community will participate in an Ash Wednesday prayer service via Teams. Lent is a penitential season of prayer, self-denial and helping others. In this way, the whole Church prepares for Easter, the major Christian liturgical feast of the year. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fast (one main meal) and abstinence (no meat). The law of fasting binds those who have completed their eighteenth year, until the beginning of their sixtieth year; the law of abstinence binds those who have completed their fourteenth year (Code of Canon Law 97, 1251-52). As a result, the canteen will not be serving meat products on Ash Wednesday. Sacramental Programme Parents in Years 3, 4 and 6 are reminded to carefully read the information provided by Barbara Bolding (Our Lady of Lourdes Sacramental Program Coordinator) if you would like your child to receive the Sacraments at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me on 9290 4271 or martino.adrian@stbrigids.wa.edu.au. Project Compassion 2022 Our major fund-raising focus for Term 1 is Project Compassion and we ask our students to be generous and donate their ‘spare change’ during this time. Project Compassion boxes will be distributed to all classes/Homerooms within the College. Your generous support can help to change the lives of some of the world’s most vulnerable people. Join us this Lent to raise much-needed funds for people living in poverty. Together, we can make a difference now, and For All Future Generations. Christmas Hampers 2021 – THANK YOU! The College received a thank-you letter from the Our Lady of Lourdes Parish St Vincent de Paul Society for the generosity of our families in supporting their Christmas Hamper Appeal 2021. Vinnies_Hampers-Thank_you_Letter Mr Adrian Martino Head of Faith & Mission

We have ended the year with our annual collection of food for the Vinnies Christmas Hampers. The local Lesmurdie and Kalamunda St Vincent de Paul Society conferences, deliver Christmas Hampers to families in need in the local community. This year St Brigid’s College combined with Mazenod College to collect and put together over 90 Christmas Hampers – a big thank you to our generous families who donated non-perishable food items. A number of students from St Brigid’s & Mazenod volunteered to sort the items and put together the boxes for delivery this week. Your donation brought a little joy to a family this Christmas – what a great gift! “Christmas is built upon a beautiful and intentional paradox; that the birth of the homeless should be celebrated in every home.” G.K. Chesterton Christmas blessings and peace to all our families this Christmas! Adrian Martino Head of Faith & Mission

It was wonderful to celebrate Mass together with the secondary students and their grandparents on Friday, 12 November. We thank Fr Bill Ousley OMI for joining us. We have also celebrated Thanksgiving liturgies/Masses for our Year 6 classes, Year 2 classes and Year 11 students. In the coming weeks we finish the scholastic year with a Year 10 Mass and Kindy to Year 9 final Mass in the College gym (Friday, 3 December). This term we are collecting goods for the St Vincent de Paul Christmas hampers, ensuring all families in our community have the opportunity to celebrate Christmas even though they may be struggling financially. We thank you all for your generosity. The hampers will be put together by members of Young Mercies for Vinnies from St Brigid’s College and Mazenod Vinnies group next week in the Parish hall. Mr Adrian Martino Head of Faith & Mission

On the last day of Term 3 we celebrated Mercy Day – a wonderful observance celebrating our Mercy Heritage and raising awareness (and funds) for Mercy Works, who run world-class programs that engage in partnership with challenged communities to enjoy the right to basic resources. We began the day celebrating Mass with Fr Bill Ousley OMI and listening to a reflection by Sister Joan Buckham RSM on what it means to live out the teachings of Jesus in our world today. Our main fund-raising event was the running of stalls by each house, including a sausage sizzle, donuts, lolly bags, cans of drink, etc. The day concluded with our Cultural Festival, celebrating the many talents of our students. Thank you to all who contributed goods, including Lesmurdie IGA who donated cans of drinks and ice for the day. Our Mercy Day Stalls, Sleepout for Mercy Works and the Parent Forum Quiz Night raised a total of $6700.00 – a brilliant effort by all! This term we are collecting goods for the St Vincent de Paul Christmas hampers, ensuring all families in our community have the opportunity to celebrate Christmas even though they may be struggling financially. Further information regarding what is needed for the hampers will be distributed soon. Intergenerational Picnic – Darling Range Seniors Hub The Darling Range Seniors Hub reached out to St Brigid’s and Mazenod College, asking for support in putting on an inaugural intergenerational picnic. The first event occurred on Sunday 17 October at Stirk Park in Kalamunda, with another two upcoming events in Woodlupine and High Wycombe. The Hub hopes to make this an annual event. The aim was to provide an opportunity for families and community to come together to play old-fashioned games and enable those living in the neighbourhood to mix with people from different generations.

1st Holy Communion Congratulations to our Year 4 students who participated in the celebration of their first Holy Communion this term at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish. Year 7 Mass Our Year 7 cohort celebrated Mass together with Father Michael McMahon this term. Year 10 Retreat Our Year 10 cohort participated in a Retreat Day directed by Youth Mission Team Australia. The students focussed on ‘Social Justice’ as part of the formation program for their MIA MAD. Mercy Day Mass On Thursday, 23 September we gathered as a College to celebrate Mercy Day Mass. We offered thanks to the Venerable Catherine McAuley and the Sisters of Mercy for their generosity and courage and remembered and celebrated the women who have followed them and all women and men who today continue the mission of Mercy. We also celebrate 3 major milestones: 1. 200 years of Catholic Education in Australia 2. 175 years since Ursula Frayne began Mercy Education in Perth 3. 50 years since the formation of Catholic Education WA We thank Fr Bill Ousley for saying Mass for us and Sister Joan Buckham RSM who provided a lovely reflection on the readings of the day. Adrian Martino Head of Faith and Mission