Faith & Mission

High Tea with our Local Priests
We recently had the privilege of hosting a celebratory High Tea to express our deep gratitude to the priests from our local parishes for their unwavering support and commitment to our College throughout the year. Our priests play a pivotal role in various aspects of our school life, generously contributing their time and energy, especially through the celebration of whole College Masses and House liturgies.

The partnership between our school and local parishes is integral to our Catholic identity and a vital part of our mission in fostering a strong Catholic community. The school-parish partnership is at the heart of the success of Catholic schools, providing the ecclesial connection essential for effective Catholic education.

Central to these partnerships is our shared commitment to the students and their learning journey. Together, we work towards nurturing a faith-filled and supportive environment. Our heartfelt thanks go out to these priests for their ongoing dedication and partnership in this important work.

‍

Student Leadership Gathering
Last weekend, our College Student Leaders, College Captain Andrew, Vice Captains Daniel and Anton, and Faith and Mission Captain Alessandro, participated in the Student Leadership Gathering at Phillip Island. Hosted by Marist Youth Ministry, the event was specifically tailored for students transitioning into leadership roles in 2024. The gathering brought together student leaders from various Marist schools in Victoria, providing a unique opportunity for collaboration and skill development. The weekend's activities were thoughtfully designed to equip these emerging leaders with the necessary skills and insights as they embark on their Year 12 leadership journey, fostering a sense of camaraderie and shared purpose among future leaders.

‍

‍Christmas Hamper Appeal
As in past years, this year Marcellin College will be donating Christmas hampers to the St Mary’s House of Welcome. St Mary’s House of Welcome provides basic essential services to people who are homeless and experiencing poverty, severe and persistent mental health issues, and those who are extremely isolated and socially marginalised.

The cost-of-living increases are pushing many individuals further into poverty this year. Can you help make a difference to these people?

We are seeking donations of non-perishable food items, new socks, beanies, scarves and toiletries which will be made up into Christmas hampers and donated to St Mary’s prior to Christmas.

Students and staff are invited to put their donations into baskets that will be collected during Pastoral classes and at reception in Marist House. Families are also encouraged to donate items to this worthy appeal. No item is too small and is welcomed.

Spread joy this Christmas by giving a gift to our Marcellin College Christmas Hamper appeal.

‍

Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord – Celebrating Advent
On Sunday we enter into the season of Advent, a time during which we wait in joyful hope for the coming of Christ at Christmas.

Advent is about getting in touch with our longing. We all yearn. We all, at one time or another, experience the pain of loneliness, restlessness, disquiet, anxiety, frustration, and unrequited desire. We all occasionally experience that torment of incompleteness, that sense of ‘not enoughness’ in our lives. The season of Advent is a time during which we are pushed to eventually let down our guard, hope in new ways, and risk intimacy.

For me, this is Advent. It is about waiting and preparing the way for Christ to burst forth yet again in our lives; to wait and hope that, sometime soon, we will finally open ourselves to union in new ways.  

Advent is all about this loneliness that haunts the soul and makes us all too often restless… yet longing, a kind of longing that takes us beyond ourselves.

One of my favourite theologians, Karl Rahner, describes this yearning well: “In the torment of the insufficiency of everything attainable we come to understand that here, in this life, all symphonies remain unfinished.”

It is in this loneliness and longing that intuit the kingdom of God, that gives us a hunger and an energy that takes us beyond ourselves and beyond the present moment to sense that there is a deeper blueprint for things. That’s Advent. To see through desire just what the world might just look like if a Messiah – the Messiah, Jesus the Christ - were to come and, with us, establish justice, peace, and unity on this earth.

May this Advent and Christmas season bring healing and hope to our world as we prepare our hearts to celebrate the coming of Christ. I wish you and your families a happy and holy Christmas as we celebrate the birth of the Christ Child

‍

Geralyn McCarthy,
Deputy Principal Fatih & Mission