If you serve me, follow me, says the Lord;
And where I am, my servant will also be.
The fifth Sunday of Lent and the last before Passion Week. To explain the meaning of his coming death, Jesus tells the parable of the grain of wheat. When dropped into the earth, the seed shrinks – seemingly empties itself – and dies. In time, new life is born and bears fruit in far greater abundance than itself. This paradox is also observable in human nature. The image of the seed dying explains why Jesus, an individual, must die in order to bear multiple fruits in the shape of the worldwide community of life and love. Jesus is challenging us: Do our values reflect those of Jesus or does our manner of living imply a life lived without reference to God? It is by listening to our hearts, the symbol of love and wisdom, that we are able to capture the source of all goodness, to make positive decisions and develop right relationships. Through the compassionate love of the Father we can live love-filled lives as we continue on our life journey.
As we approach Palm Sunday, we are reminded of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Palm Sunday commemorates the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-9), when palm branches were placed in his path, before his arrest on Holy Thursday and his crucifixion on Good Friday. It thus marks the beginning of Holy Week, the final week of Lent. The difficulty of obtaining palms in unfavourable climates led to their substitution with branches of native trees, including box, yew, willow, and olive. The palm branch was a symbol of triumph and victory in the Greco-Roman culture of the Roman Empire, and has become a symbol of Christian martyrs and their spiritual victory or triumph over death. The palms are saved in many churches to be burned the following year as the source of ashes used in Ash Wednesday services. The Catholic Church considers the blessed palms to be sacramental. The vestments for the day are deep scarlet red, the colour of blood, indicating the supreme redemptive sacrifice Christ was entering the city to fulfil: his Passion and Resurrection in Jerusalem. I would encourage you attend your local parish service on this important day as we commence Holy week. http://www.catholic.org/clife/lent/palmsunday.php
As we move into the final weeks of Lent and our collection for Caritas Australia, our goal of providing a High School education for over 700 students is almost complete. Week 5 reintroduces us to Ditosa, who featured in Project Compassion 2008. Ditosa faced a challenging future with food scarcity, little education and few job prospects. Cared for by her grandmother and aunt, after her parents died of AIDS-related illnesses, they also lost their home and livelihoods in severe flooding. Thanks to the support of Project Compassion, Caritas Australia and Caritas Regional Chokwe (CRC), Ditosa’s family was able to build a new house and was assisted with transport, school materials and fees to help Ditosa to stay at school. Ditosa attended the Matuba Children’s Centre (set up by Caritas in 2007) which provides vulnerable children, like Ditosa, with lunch, study help, and computer and income-generating skills training. In 2018, Ditosa has graduated from school and is ambitious for the future. Let us continue in our support of children like Ditosa as they attempt to graduate from school for a better future. Read more about Ditosa and the work of Caritas Australia here
We are constantly reminded that we are invited to Jesus’s table and to share in his message and the values of the Gospel. What does this actually mean? An invitation, written or verbal, invites you to go somewhere or do something. So what are we asked to do? Where are were asked to go? As members of this College we are asked to serve others, to love tenderly, to demonstrate forgiveness, to embrace the EREA touchstones, to Live the Gospel. These are the foundations of our community. The acceptance of the invitation of being a member of this community allows each and every member to share their God given talent. When we accept our enrolment, we are reaffirming our commitment to this invitation both by Christ and the College.
Celebrating the many and varied talents of students and their contribution to not only the College but society is important, as it reaffirms the wonderful growth of our young men. Recently, I was informed of the 60km hike performed by Venturer Scouts that included three students from St Dominic’s College. Connor Kennedy, Finn Kennedy and Kai Hansen walked this gruelling trek, undertaking numerous responsibilities throughout the journey. Connor is well on his way to be the first St Dominic’s boy to be awarded the Queens Scout Award in a long time, while Jai received the Australian Scout Medallion. We congratulate all three boys for their endurance and commitment to challenging themselves in becoming better people.
The 2019 Year 7 enrolments are due by Thursday March 22. Please avoid the disappointment and have your application in on time as bookings for interviews will need to be confirmed.
Good luck to Mrs McCormick and the College Swim team as they prepare for the MCS Annual Swimming Carnival tomorrow night. Over 30 students will be representing the College and hopefully we can replicate the result from two years ago when we were named overall Champions.
Please keep Miss Rebecca Simpson and her family in your prayers. Miss Simpson’s Grandfather passed away last week.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen
Dominus Mea
Let Your Light Shine
Mr M. Ronchetti
College Principal
