St Aloysius Catholic College eNewsletter

PARISH COMMUNITY AND OUTREACH

STAFF SPIRITUALITY

On Wednesday, 29^th July all staff at the College attended an after school spirituality session based around Pope Francis’ Encyclical Laudato Si’ which deals with human ecology and calls for us all to be protectors of our environment and of the poor. Staff listened to a brief outline of Laudato Si then experienced a reflective walk around the beautiful Peter Murrell Reserve before hearing about the various sustainability initiatives such as new recycling bins being implemented at the College. This also gave staff the chance to reflect on their own environmental impact and habits.

View a short animation explaining Laudato Si Here

VOLUNTEERS THANK YOU

Thank you to all of our volunteers who help to keep our College ticking over. It has been hard with Covid19 not being able to have helpers in the classroom, however parents, grandparents, parishioners and community members have been supporting us in so many other ways.

Special thanks go to:

All those who hemmed prayer cloths for our new prayer tables at Huntingfield
Louise Wilson (parishioner) who made beautiful robes for our Early Years students to be able to participate in play based learning of liturgy, Baptism and the Mass
Duncan MacFarlane and Joe van Tienen (parent, grandparent and parishioners) who created two beautiful bookcases to house our Godly Play materials in the convent
Leah Willis (parent and parishioner) for giving up a warm, comfy bed for the night to assist with the Vinnies Sleepout
John Pforr (parishioner) for repairing some of our wooden Godly Play materials

If anyone has any special talents, skills or ideas to contribute please let in touch! pauline.marriott@catholic.tas.edu.au

CARDS OF CARE PAEDIATRIC

Another batch of cards reaching out to those in need to let them know that they are not alone, have been shipped off to the paediatric ward at the Royal Hobart Hospital. Hopefully these will help to brighten up the day of a young person who is stuck in hospital. There was also a note in there for all the hard working staff at the RHH to let them know we acknowledge all the hard times they have been through with Covid19 and appreciate their hard work, dedication and compassion.

LOVE OUT LOUD - FREE FAMILY RESOURCE

Love Out Loud Oz is a non-profit charity from Newcastle NSW established to assist local churches and families by providing fun bible based videos for kids. All their content is available on their website, www.loveoutloudoz.com, and it’s 100% free for home and churches use. Subscribe for free and get access to over 50 video lessons – it’s as easy as that!

GRADE 4 WHITE MASS

It was wonderful to welcome the students back to the church with a Mass for the Feast of Mary Mackillop facilitated by Grade 4 White last week. Unfortunately due to social distancing restrictions we are unable to open these Masses to the public. However, we are pleased to be able to celebrate once again with our friends and teachers and, of course, Father Chris.

SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM

We are looking to resume our Sacramental Program this term in order to complete the Sacrament of Reconciliation before the end of the year. This is open to all students (even those who are not Catholic but are thinking of becoming Catholic) particularly those in Grades 3 and above. Those who attended the first session earlier in the year do not need to reapply. Mrs Marriott will be contacting the Grade 3 families shortly and if anyone else is interested please get in touch at pauline.marriott@catholic.tas.edu.au

YOUTH GROUP

We're back! Youth Group has returned on Wednesdays from 4:00pm-5:30pm in the Sisters of Charity Centre (St Aloysius, Kingston Campus) open to those in Grade 5 and above from any school or college.

We will be running student driven sessions based on ideas such as Laudato Si’ and environmental sustainability, outreach in the local community, seasons and festivals, and Parish based music and liturgy projects as well as general socialising, games and activities. Keep up to date by joining our new private Facebook group by searching Facebook for Kingston-Channel Parish Youth Group, clicking the 'Youth' tab on the Kingston-Channel Parish website or contacting Polly Marriott at Pauline.marriott@catholic.tas.edu.au

KINDER CHURCH ORIENTATION

The Kinder classes were recently given the experience of a tour of the Church of Christ the Priest. They got to step up on to the altar, ask questions about what they could see and take a sneak peek inside the sacristy cupboards.

Kinder Green had many questions about the church. Why are there so many seats? What are the pictures on the wall? Why are there flowers over there? Why is that candle so tall? It is refreshing to see the church through the eyes of a child discovering it for the first time.

Here’s what Kinder Blue had to say about their visit:

Zackary: When I went to the Church, I saw a cross and the red light which told us that God was listening.

Lucy: "When we visited the Church, I saw Mary and special flowers and the little box with the wine and the toast. I saw lots of seats and a very special seat"

Edmund: "At the Church I saw the Easter candle and what looked like a bath and they pour water on your head with a towel around your neck to baptism you. And I saw where you talk or tell a story about when someone has died. There was a chair where Father Chris sits and that light means when God is around and there is special wine and bread and a St Aloysius picture"

Zara: "On our Church visit we saw lots of wooden seats and a cross on the outside and inside. There was also a door we went through"

Laith: "When I went to the Church, I saw a cross and lots of chairs inside. There was a special little box that was locked and had special bread inside"

Kinder White drew some beautiful pictures of the church.

All the Kinder classes look forward to learning more about God's house and visiting again in the future.

VINNIES SLEEPOUT

Well done to all those who braved the cold and spent last Friday night sleeping outside or at the back of the Chapel to raise awareness and funds for those who are homeless.

Sleeping outside was definitely a challenge. From Lily and I’s smart decision to sleep right next to some lights which stayed on all night, to our cardboard box wall falling twice during the night (and letting the nice cold breeze in), it really gave me a sense of what it is like for people who have to sleep rough. While I was trying to fall asleep on the very hard cardboard beneath me, I was thinking about this being a daily reality for some people and it made me feel very incredibly grateful for what I have. Something I learnt at the sleepout was that cardboard was actually a very valuable resource! It insulated us from the cold of the concrete and provided some protection from the wind (when it wasn’t falling over).

Inara Osborne (Grade 9)

Doing the Vinnies virtual sleepout opened my eyes to what it was like to be homeless. Even though we only experienced a small bit of what it would be like to be homeless, it still is a great opportunity. This was also a great opportunity to bond with other members of the Vinnies group.

Lucy Willis ( Grade 7)