Catherine McAuley Westmead eNewsletter

News from the Religious Education Coordinator

Ash Wednesday

On Wednesday, 2nd March we entered into the Church’s season of Lent with Ash Wednesday. All staff and students participated in the Ash Wednesday Liturgy which was streamed from the Mercy Chapel into Homerooms. The receiving of ashes reminds us of our faith and humility. In his homily for Ash Wednesday, his Holiness, Pope Francis said, “the ashes remind us that worldliness is like the dust that is carried away by a slight gust of wind. Sisters and brothers, we are not in the world to chase the wind; our hearts thirst for eternity”.

Lent is a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. On 19th April, 1841, Venerable Catherine McAuley wrote the following words to Mary de Sales White:

"The impression made on our minds by forty days meditation on Christ’s humiliations, meekness, and unwearied perseverance will help us on every difficult occasion, and we will endeavour to make Him the only return He demands of us, by giving Him our whole heart, fashioned on His own model - pure, meek, merciful and humble. All will then be easy and sweet, no agitation, no particular desire except to please and glorify God”.

Just as during Lent, Catherine accompanied Jesus on his journey to Calvary, we have commenced our Lenten journey. During this significant time in the liturgical year, we are reminded of those whose basic needs have not been met. Pope Francis in particular has appealed for an end to the war in Ukraine, “the silencing of the guns.” He also said that “God is with those who work for peace, not with those who use violence.” In this Lenten season, may we be aware of the suffering of others whether they be in Europe or those in our own country affected by the devastating floods. May we be generous in our prayers, fasting and almsgiving, so that all can live their lives with dignity in peace.

Ash Wednesday Prayer

International Women’s Day

This year, International Women’s Day will be on Tuesday, 8th March. It was first observed on this date in 1911 when thousands of women marched for workers' rights, voting rights, and an end to discrimination. The question could be asked 111 years later: do we still need an International Women’s Day? Sadly the answer is yes, although great progress has been made, women around the world are still fighting for equal rights. It is easy to forget that in Australia with the right to vote, access to education and health care, the ability to drive a car or decide for ourselves if we want to enter into marriage, that not all women are able to make these choices for themselves.

There's no place for complacency. According to the World Economic Forum, sadly none of us will see gender parity in our lifetimes, and nor likely will many of our children. Gender parity will not be attained for almost a century. As young women of Mercy, our students are advocates for the rights of women. Through their support of our Social Justice initiatives including Mercy Works and the Women’s Shelter at Parramatta, they are helping to provide a better future for vulnerable women and children. As they continue their education and commence their careers, our young women of Mercy will speak out for what they know to be right, fair and just.

The campaign theme for International Women’s Day 2022 is #BreakTheBias. Whether deliberate or unconscious, bias makes it difficult for women to move ahead. Knowing that bias exists isn't enough. Action is needed to level the playing field. Whether it be Grace Tame, Brittany Higgins, Rosie Batty, Julia Banks, the players in the AFLW or a McAuley Girl, each person has their own role in levelling the playing field. At Catherine McAuley Westmead, we have no better example than our patroness, who devoted her life to the service of marginalised women and children to level their playing field in Dublin, Ireland.

Genevieve Banks
Religious Education Coordinator

#BreakTheBias is the theme for International Women's Day 2022

News Articles

This Week on Social Media

Follow Catherine McAuley Westmead on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn for regular updates. One of the posts from this week is shown below:

AROUND THE CLASSROOMS - Year 11 Visual Arts students of Ms Breen are exploring Still Life through digital photography. Yesterday the students were taking photos of vegetables in the style of Edward Weston, an American 20th Century photographer best known for his carefully composed, sharply focused images of natural forms.

In the words of the students, “we are trying to make the vegetables look unnatural and weird by focusing on unusual angles and isolating them”.