Pope Francis in his homily, on the recent Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, referred to the day when man set foot on the moon. He recalled the phrase that became famous: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”. He went on to explain that in essence, humanity had reached a historical goal. But Pope Francis explained that, in Mary’s Assumption into Heaven, we celebrate an infinitely greater conquest.
He further explained that, "With God, nothing is lost! In Mary, the goal has been reached and we have before our eyes the reasons why we journey: not to gain the things here below, which vanish, but to achieve the homeland above, which is forever. And Our Lady is the star that guides us. She went there first. She, as the Council teaches, shines “as a sign of sure hope and solace to the People of God during its sojourn on earth” (Lumen gentium, 68).
On Sunday in the Gospel the first thing Mary says is: “My soul magnifies the Lord” (Lk 1:46). We have often become used to hearing these words, and we possibly, no longer pay close attention to their meaning. Pope Francis says; "To 'magnify' literally means 'to make great', to enlarge. Mary 'aggrandises' the Lord, not problems, which she did not lack at the time, but the Lord. How often, instead, we let ourselves be overwhelmed by difficulties and absorbed by fears! Our Lady does not, because she puts God as the first greatness of life. From here the Magnificat springs forth; from here joy is born not from the absence of problems, which come sooner or later, but joy is born from the presence of God who helps us, who is near us. Because God is great. And, above all, God looks on the lowly ones. We are His weakness of love: God looks on and loves the lowly".
During these current challenging times of COVID-19, we are reminded in Pope Francis words to ask ourselves - do we remember to praise God? Do we thank Him for the great things He does for us? For every day that He gives us? Because He always loves us and forgives us, for His tenderness?
Pope Francis further explained that, if we forget the good, our hearts shrink. But if, like Mary, we remember the great things that the Lord does, if at least once a day we were to “magnify” Him, then we would take a great step forward. He reminds us to at least one time during the day to say: “I praise the Lord”, to say, “Blessed be the Lord”, which is a short prayer of praise. This is praising God. With this short prayer, our hearts will expand, joy will increase. Let us ask Our Lady, the Gate of Heaven, for the grace to begin each day by raising our eyes to Heaven, toward God, to say to Him: "Thank you!”.
Let us invoke Mary's intercession for all the situations in the world that are most in need of hope for peace and justice and for the courage to live a dignified life.
Wellness Day and Remote Learning
I am sure you will agree that the start of Term 3 has again been challenging for all of us. Staff and students have coped extremely well under very difficult circumstances and have worked diligently to ensure the return to remote learning has been a success. However, current studies are showing that the pace and scope of the change to remote learning, has also been very demanding and tiring for some. After five weeks of very busy schedules, on Friday, 21 August, we held our second remote learning Wellness day. This day provided staff and students the opportunity to take some additional time to focus on their overall health and wellbeing and to rest, refresh and re-energise for the next period of remote learning.
We have achieved outstanding attendance rates, with 97% of students attending their scheduled remote learning classes since the start of Term 3. This is an exceptional result and a credit to our students, staff and also our families. The key now is to continue to attend all scheduled lessons this week and to ensure all set work is completed.
While it is impossible to predict how long we will be required to operate in Remote Learning Mode, the Leadership team is planning for a sustained Term 3 delivery, should it be the case. We are currently awaiting further advice from the Victorian Government and the Chief Medical Officer regarding a possible return date for on-site learning.
Once again, I would like to congratulate our students, staff and families for the manner in which they have entered into this unique period of time and for their on-going commitment to remote learning.
Future Directions
The College, as part of its vision and mission, aims to provide excellence in learning. This will be supported by ongoing development and upgrading of College buildings, grounds and facilities.
Some exciting news is that work is well underway on the new Year 9 Learning Centre. This centre will be a great inclusion for our community and students
will reap the rewards of this state of the art facility. This building will host nine homerooms, as well as two large collaborative learning spaces and numerous staff offices. The building and other new facilities recently opened at the College provide a rich and stimulating learning environment for all our students to flourish and reach their full potential. The Year 9 Learning Centre should be completed ready for the start of the 2021 school year.
Click here to view a video of the Year 9 Building update
Uganda Project
We continue to build on the very positive relationships that has been established between CRC Caroline Springs and St Luke’s parish as well as our sister school St Francis primary school in Kizinga Uganda.
By reaching out in friendship and solidarity with the community of St Francis, Kizinga we have given hope to hundreds of children and their families who otherwise couldn’t access education. The support of our students has enabled the construction and furnishing of a brick classroom; a food program; the refurbishment of the church with a concrete floor; and soon the installation of water tanks.
Compassion, empathy and love for one another are the cornerstones of our teaching at Catholic Regional College Caroline Springs and we are immensely proud of our community for continuing to embrace the Uganda Project.
