“Christ will be glorified in my body”. Philippians 1:20

The above quote is the start of the first reading from this Sunday. It reminds me of the well-known quote from St Teresa of Avila;

 “Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.”

In both of these quotes, we are reminded that God’s work on earth needs to be done by our hands. Each one of us has the opportunity and the tools to do good for others and to help to bring about the Kingdom of God at this present moment. This is a privilege but also a responsibility. It is easy to assume other people will make the decisions or do the hard work, but as long as we leave this to others, we are not using the gift we have been given to improve our world. If we are to do good in our actions and behaviours, we become the body of Christ and will glorify Him through our deeds and behaviours. 

As our Year 12 students complete their formal secondary studies, they will move into a new phase where they can be the hands of God on earth. This coming week is the last of formal classes for our Year 12 cohort of 2020. These students have missed out on many final opportunities throughout this year and unfortunately, are also unable to have a final graduation. We will be having a final farewell assembly for these young women and men but unfortunately cannot have the usual celebrations or visitors. As they move out of this last phase of their schooling, I wish all these students the best wishes on behalf of the whole Mount Carmel Catholic College community. May God go with them as they move into their HSC exams and onward into their future.

As you would be aware from previous newsletters, one of our School Improvement objectives for our current four year cycle is to examine feedback, how we give it and how we receive it. Earlier this term, a number of staff voluntarily engaged with the Pivot program, where students were able to give teachers feedback on their delivery of lessons. This feedback has been appreciated and will be used for ongoing reflection. I have also had feedback given on my leadership via the survey opportunities that were sent out to parents (and staff) over the last few months. The next step in this feedback gathering will be a program called ‘Tell Them From Me’. Toward the start of next term, you will be given the opportunity to feedback your views on our College as a whole. This feedback will be used by the College Leadership Team and staff in general to review our practices, retain what is good and improve where we have these opportunities. I ask you to keep alert for this survey when it is sent and provide feedback, both positive and constructive.

Over the past few months, Bishop Brian had been celebrating Sunday Mass and livestreaming it. These Masses each Sunday and can be accessed here.

Mr Steve Lo Cascio