1st September, 2015 Reflection World Day of Prayer for Creation Pope Francis wrote the following in a letter to Cardinals Turkson and Koch. ‘We need always to keep in mind that, for believers in Jesus Christ, the Word of God who became man for our sake, “the life of the spirit is not dissociated from the body or from nature or from worldly realities, but lived in and with them, in communion with all that surrounds us” . The ecological crisis thus summons us to a profound spiritual conversion: Christians are called to “an ecological conversion whereby the effects of their encounter with Jesus Christ become evident in their relationship with the world around them” ‘(Laudato Si’, 216-217) Prayers of Intercession All provident God, your care has given us food from the earth; grant that the crops we harvest may sustain us in body and help us to grow in spirit, we pray to the Lord. Lord Hear our Prayer You feed the birds of the air and clothe the lilies of the field; teach us to seek first your kingship over us and teach us your way of holiness, we pray to the Lord. Lord Hear our Prayer Through Jesus Christ you have made the world abound in works of holiness; grant that, living in him, we may share in his fullness and life and bear much fruit, we pray to the Lord. Lord Hear our Prayer In the Eucharist you have taken up the fruits of our hands as a signs of the mystery of faith; grant that the gifts we bring to be consecrated at your son’s table may work for the continuing good of the Church’s life, we pray to the Lord. Lord Hear our Prayer You planned that all your children should share in the goods of your creation; grant that all those who are in need may come to enjoy an untroubled life and to glorify you and praise your holy name, we pray to the Lord. Lord Hear our Prayer
Principals’ retreat
SACCSS Athletics
Last Thursday and Friday I attended a Principal’s Retreat at Healesville conducted by Fr Jude Pirotta. In one session Fr Jude asked the Principals present: “what have you learnt from the example of Pope Francis in the past two years?” Since his election in March 2013, Pope Francis has shunned some of the traditional ornaments of his predecessors such as the red shoes, the gold plated mitre and the magnificent throne. When appointed he urged his Bishops around the world to walk in poor neighbourhoods and “smell the sheep”. For all leaders in the Catholic Church, Pope Francis said: “commit to know yourself deeply, including your frailties, and come to some peaceful acceptance of yourself and your calling to lead” and “Leadership no longer brings to mind the one person in charge but a set of behaviours needed from every person”
Congratulations to the SACCSS Athletics team for the achievements at yesterday’s Athletics Carnival. I would also like to acknowledge Emma Brown, Rob De Witt, Phil Brown, Holly Azzopardi, Rebecca Toms, Khan Marr and Michael Sirko who coached and prepared the athletes for their events.
College Captains for 2016 Congratulations to Maddison Bassal and Jack Doyle on their appointment as the 2016 College Captains. It was a very difficult choice to make considering the high quality of the applications from across the Year 11 cohort. May they be inspired by the thoughts and deeds of Pope Francis as they set out on their Leadership journey in 2016.
Best wishes Mark Sheehan