Sacred Heart of Jesus Day

The College community enjoyed a wonderful Sacred Heart Day celebration last Friday.

Led by Fr. Mark Hanns msc, our Mass was one of spirit and joy as we celebrated the great love of Jesus’ heart for each and every one of us – and through us, for all of humanity and all of creation. We began our eucharist recognising National Sorry Day, we lifted our voices in song and we remembered those in need through the prayers of intercession prayed in so many languages represented at the College. 

Our Blankets were brought forward to the altar during our offertory procession and after Mass, we filled three vehicles belonging to our local St. Vincent De Paul members who will distribute our contributions to those in need this winter. Following our Mass, we enjoyed a BBQ lunch and Houses busily rehearsed for the Performing Arts Spectacular which was outstanding. It was a wonderful way to celebrate Sacred Heart Day!

House Bandstand Competition

Our long-awaited PAS House Competition was also held on Friday, and this year’s theme was “Around the World, featuring a cartoon character”. Each house had to create a mini-musical about a particular country and cartoon character. All Houses did a fantastic job, led by their amazing Year 12 House Captains. Congratulations to the Champion House for the 2023 PAS Bandstand Competition - Hartzer.

Following the House Competition, we were treated to a number of spectacular performances from students in our ‘OLSH’s Got Talent’ competition. We would like to congratulate all who auditioned and took part, and well done to our top three performances. 

Thank you also to our two judges - Colleen and Jemma - who had a difficult job selecting winners from an array of talent and who provided great feedback to the students. Well done to Isabel Stewart, our Performing Arts Captain for hosting the afternoon. 

Recognising National Reconciliation Week

We began our recognition of National Reconciliation Week with our participation in The Long Walk. This was an opportunity for us to join with a huge crowd of others in the city, to demonstrate our support for and commitment to continuing to build positive relationships across our community. We proudly walked with our OLSH College banner, designed and created by our FIRE Carriers, toward the MCG as part of the Dreamtime at the ‘G celebration.

Reflecting the image of the heart from the banner, in RE classes we have created ‘Heart Chains of Reconciliation'.

We placed the profiles of First Nations Changemakers around the College this week. Each of these represent an Indigenous person who has made a significant contribution and enriched the lives of all Australians.

For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, Australia’s colonial history is characterised by devastating land dispossession, violence and racism. Over the last half-century, however, many significant steps towards reconciliation have been taken.

At its heart, reconciliation is about strengthening relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous peoples, for the benefit of all Australians.

Reconciliation is an ongoing journey that reminds us that while generations of Australians have fought hard for meaningful change, future gains are likely to take just as much, if not more, effort.

All of us are encouraged and urged to be people who call out injustice, act with compassion and, as heart people of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College, to continue to be people of action who value equity and right relationships for all Australians.

Australian Catholics magazine

Following on from Sacred Heart Day, here is an article worth reading: Something to Live For by Michael McGirr, Mission Facilitator at Caritas Australia. The article explores seven difficult questions which demonstrate Jesus’ radical approach to the cultural mores of his time.

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Australian Catholics is Australia’s only national print magazine for Catholics of all ages and all walks of life and is distributed throughout Australia to Catholic parishes and schools.