Issue 18 SJC News 2020

In our recent Year 8 Wellbeing project, we have been exploring ways to build resilience. Our focus has been what others are doing to care for our world and their own wellbeing. We invited guest student speakers Oscar Fraatz (Year 10) and Alex Doorakkers (Year 11), to share their experience being involved in the St Joseph’s College Toilet Project and to share how the positive quotes and messages are inspiring resilience for our students. They emphasised how local artist Jai Allen worked with them to create a clean, fresh safe space that would be an ongoing reminder to keep our physical and mental wellbeing in check. They explained the QR codes were another way to help seek contacts when needed. To follow on we watched some recorded messages from our Old Collegians who offered positive voices of encouragement and resilience. Mark Beretta (SJOC 1983), Cameron Ling (SJOC 1998) and Sam Walsh (SJOC 2018).

Our take away messages were:

Have positive thoughts

Have a sense of control

Look after yourself; eat well, exercise, drink water

Walk away to avoid conflict

Seek support

Talk to others

Be grateful

To show their gratitude to the our guest speakers the students worked in pairs to create a ‘Word Art’ image to capture all the words we had explored in relation to resilience and our class captains sent them in an email of thanks.

The Real Christmas Spirit 2020

As we enter the first week of Advent on our Church calendar, this year we have a stronger than ever understanding of waiting in hope. As a school community, our faith has been tested, but remained strong, as we have focused on the reflections of Advent across our last four weeks of our time together after a monumental year, as we await the newborn Christ of hope.

Advent is a countdown. We see shopping centres, television advertisements and supermarkets reminding us how many shopping days until Christmas. Children count down until the great day of ‘presents’ dawns. Many of us this year have been desperately counting down the days until we can meet with our loved ones as restrictions are lifted, the ring of steel dropped and boarders open. We as Christians prepare to light the first candle in hope for Christmas by counting down the weeks until we celebrate the birth of Christ.

As light comes to us from the second Advent candle, we asked for the blessing of God’s Son, Jesus, to be with us, warming our hearts and brightening our way. During this Advent Season, this candle is a beacon of peace as we prepare for the coming light of Christ, who brings forgiveness and much needed healing to our world.

We lit the third Advent Candle as a sign of joy, a testimony to the Light of God coming into our world after awakening from our COVID fog of 2020, shattering the darkness and bringing healing to all who suffer and mourn.

As we light the fourth Advent Candle of love God, we thank you for the joy you bring us. Help us prepare our hearts for this gift. Bless us and help us to hear and to do your word. God of dreams, your servants Mary and Joseph dared to trust in your power and welcomed your Word who dwelt among us as an infant. May their example encourage us to expand our hearts to embrace Christ in the simplicity of family, the poor, the lonely and the sick. May our celebration of Christmas one of gratefulness for the gifts that we are to each other.

May God bless us and embrace our St Joseph’s Community, sending us forth into 2021 with a spirit of love.