Director of Faith and Religious Education

The 2019 College theme is “God is doing great things for me”. This timeless message of gratitude is adapted from Mary’s words in the Magnificat in Luke’s Gospel. Faith is alive and well at Ave Maria College and you will see testament to that in a number of expressions on these pages. We also live our faith through Mission Action Day where the whole College undertook a walkathon around the Maribyrnong River track to raise awareness and money for the St Maria Mazzarello school in Venilale, Timor-Leste. This year also saw the fifth Timor Immersion Trip by a group of students and staff from Ave Maria College, occurring in September. The College Student Leaders co-ordinated our participation in Kick Arts, which is the talent showcase for dance, music and drama for students from St Bernard’s, St Columba’s and Ave Maria Colleges. This event raised over $4,400, for the St Bernard’s nominated charity, Headspace. The Board of Governance and the Leadership team engaged in faith formation sessions. The Staff Faith Formation Day in August was held at the Treacy Centre, led by staff who were fortunate to go to Assisi, Italy on pilgrimage. The focus of the day was to deepen staff understanding of the Franciscan charism. The College is most grateful for the priestly ministry of our appointed chaplains, Fr Nhan Le and Fr John Hannon who preside at a variety of Masses in the College. The musical leadership of Mr Minty, Mr McLeod and the vocal ensemble adds greatly to a variety of College Masses.

SOUP VAN

‘So what I’ve learnt from this experience is to never judge someone for the way they look, to treat everyone with respect, and to simply be kind to everyone because we often underestimate the impact a simple smile can have on a person’. Bianca Sprague, Year 12 It took me a while to comprehend people rejecting the toiletries we offered, as I assumed that they would take everything they could. However, Sarah (St Vinnies volunteer) explained that they know there are people that need it more than themselves, so they only take what they truly need. I found this inspiring as they put others needs before their own and don’t complain about what they don’t have. Hannah Portelli, Year 12

MASS FOR SCHOOLS

On Friday, 15 March 2019, the Faith and Social Justice Leaders attended the annual Mass for Schools at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral as part of Catholic Education Week. It was a rewarding and enriching experience to be in attendance, celebrating such an important day in the Catholic community. In the words of Archbishop Peter, “we are all ‘saints’, some of us just haven’t earnt the capital ‘S’ yet…” Madeline Langenbacher and Grace Abboud, Year 10 Faith and Social Justice Leaders

FRIENDS OF THE MARIBYRNONG VALLEY

We would like to thank the Friends of the Maribyrnong, but more specifically Judy Ingram for taking the time to come to our school and educate us on the history of their organisation and encourage girls to play their part in the rehabilitation of our environment within our local community. Abbey Crowley and Georgia Wheaton, Year 12

YEAR 7 FAITH FORMATION DAY

Claudia Fox from Year 11 talked us through her Timor Leste experience. We then wrote a special letter to a student in Timor-Leste which will be delivered by the students going to Timor-Leste in September. The day ended with a small Liturgy. I thought that the day was fun and worthwhile and I believe that it brought me even closer to God. Georgia Cullie 7A Faith and Social Justice Leader

AVE MARIA DAY

Chief Canonical Administrator, Fr Tony Feeney spoke powerfully to the College of the importance of making the most of the gifts that God has given us, seeing God’s hand at work in our lives every day. He also succeeded in getting the girls to raise the roof with the final ‘Amen’ and with their singing of the Hymn to St Francis.

YEAR 10 FAITH FORMATION DAY

The Year 10 Faith Formation Day started with a talk from Lina, a volunteer for over 18 years at the St Vinnies Soup Van. The touching stories Lina shared moved every single student, and further inspired us to consider all our options for our FIAT (Faith in Action Today) community service program. Grace Abboud and Madeline Langenbacher, Year 10 Faith and Social Justice Leaders

Patrick Jurd DIRECTOR OF FAITH AND RELIGIOUS EDUCATION