Faith, Mission and Learning
Ash Wednesday
Next Wednesday 22nd February 2023 is Ash Wednesday, and we will celebrate with an Ash Wednesday liturgy on both the Junior and Senior campuses. The imposition of ashes on the forehead on Ash Wednesday is a biblical symbol of repentance and the beginning of Lent.
It is a 40 day period of prayer, fasting, abstinence and good works, in preparation for the most solemn feast of Easter, which celebrates Jesus' glorious resurrection following his passion and death on the Cross.
The ash used for Ash Wednesday is historically made of palm branches used on the previous Palm Sunday, when Christians carry palms it is in reference to Jesus’ path being covered in palm fronds, on the day he entered Jerusalem.
Pope Francis states that Lent is a journey of return to God.
"We are not in this world to chase the wind; our hearts are made for eternity. Lent is the time granted us by the Lord to be renewed.To nurture our interior life and to journey towards Easter, towards the things that do not pass away. Lent is also a journey towards healing. Not to be changed overnight, but to live everyday with a renewed spirit. Prayer, charity and fasting help us with this.”
Let us turn our fears and anxieties over to God on Ash Wednesday, who wants us to live our lives to the full.
World Youth Day Fundraiser
It has been a flurry of activity as our World Youth Day pilgrims prepare for their journey of faith to Lisbon Portugal.
The St Andrews staff and students have gone above and beyond to support their venture, by participating in a diocese-wide Mufti Day and Sausage sizzle fundraiser that was held on the Senior Campus. Euleila, Jericho and Rachel are most appreciative of the support they have received from the St Andrews community. We all pray that our World Youth Day pilgrims will benefit from this pilgrimage of faith, and return to us with hearts alive, ready to share and transform us as a School faith community.
Stay tuned for our Sausage Sizzle fundraiser on the Junior Campus, which will be held in Week 6.
Andrew Hoare
Acting Director of Faith Mission and Learning.
Faith Fridays/SAC FAM
The students on the junior campus were excited to return back to Faith Fridays in 2023, with a mix of old and new faces attending. We’d like to especially commend our Year 7 students who are already getting involved in the faith community here at St Andrews. With Valentine’s Day being so close, our first Faith Fridays session of the year was centred around God’s love, and a reflection on just how precious and how loved we are. After some icebreakers and getting to know each other, students reflected on the discussion question, “When are the times in my life that I have truly felt loved by God?”
Similarly, the students on the senior campus reflected on the same discussion question during our first session of SAC FAM. Students also reflected on the quote, “To love is to will (desire) the good of the other,” by St John Paul II, and discussed how God is someone who wills our good every single day, and the Cross is a great proof of just how far this love is willing to go for us. Students were excited to return to this place of community to re-energise them for the year ahead.
We hope to see more students attend Faith Fridays, which is held every fortnight in the music rooms. SAC FAM is also held every fortnight in the Senior Common Room. Please keep an eye out for more announcements!
