Catholic Mission Diocesan Launch

On Wednesday 18th September, some of our newest Youth Ministry Leader students represented the College at the Diocesan Catholic Mission Launch at St John’s in Nowra. This yearly event to commence World Mission Month starts off with a main focus, this year’s focus involved looking to promote and support the work of various church agencies in Ghana who work to provide the basic needs of orphaned or outcast children. Whilst confronting at times, this was a wonderful opportunity for representatives from all Catholic schools in the diocese to come together as one community and stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are less fortunate than ourselves. During the liturgy, we had the fortunate opportunity to learn and gain insight on some of the struggles in which the children of Ghana go through when they are outcast from their community, often due to disability. We were privileged to hear from Monsignor Anamooh, who gave a first-hand insight into the work of the Church in Ghana and the many needs that this year's appeal can assist to address.

The College held a number of events during Term 3 to raise awareness for the work of Catholic Mission and to raise funds to support their work. Events were run by each of our SRC student leaders, supported by Year Coordinators and Pastoral Teachers.

Mr Kevin Wade Oztag Match - Staff v Students - Year 11 & 12 SRC

Wednesday 11th September saw the staff take on the students in our annual Mr Kevin Wade Oztag match. The match honours both the sportsmanship and care of others that were very much characteristic of Mr Wade. The match was a tight affair with the staff holding on for a tense 3 - 3 all draw against a fast-finishing and well-credentialed student team. The real winners on the day were those that are supported by Catholic Mission with our BBQ raising over $400 for Catholic Mission. Well done to our Year 11 & 12 students and helpers who organised and ran a very successful event. Thank you also to the staff and students who participated in the match.

Staff v Students Netball - Year 9 & 10 SRC & Donut Eating Competition - Year 7 & 8 SRC

During August the staff took on the students in a Netball match and Doughnut Eating Competition both in aid of Catholic Mission. The Netball match was a tight affair with the staff holding on for a 16 -15 victory against a fast-finishing and well-organised student team. In all the Stage 5 BBQ raised over $300 for Catholic Mission, which is a great result. Well done also to our Year 7 and 8 student leaders who organised a doughnut sale and doughnut-eating competition which the students won convincingly. Again all money raised has gone to support Catholic Mission. Thank you to all the staff and students who participated in both of these wonderful events.

Youth Ministry Update

Primary School Activitate Fire Days

Our 2019 YMLs have supported a new initiative in the Diocese this year, by attending and helping to facilitate two Primary School Activitate Fire Days. These days bring together Year 6 students from a cluster of schools from the same region to participate in a Youth Ministry retreat experience similar to the LIVE Twilight retreats we run here at Magdalene. Our YMLs did a great job running various ice breakers and leading small groups at both the local cluster event held at St Clare’s Primary school (involving students from St Pauls, St Justines and St Clare’s) and more recently at the Southern Highlands event held at Thomas Aquinas Primary at Bowral. The represented the College with distinction and were admirable role models for the primary school students.

LIVE Festival 2019

On Friday 30th of August 61 students from Year 10 and Year 11 travelled to Wollongong to participate in the Diocesan LIVE Youth Festival. This festival was a great opportunity for new experiences, new friends and new encounters with the Holy Spirit. The day included a wide range of activities such as talks, live music, dancing, bubble soccer and much more. These experiences were all aimed at giving the youth of our Wollongong Diocese the opportunity to explore their own faith and spirituality in a supportive and community-oriented environment. This year the event was held at a new venue, the WIN Entertainment Centre in Wollongong. The day started with energy and response to the sounds of the CYMW Rock Band and was followed by a range of talks and guest presenters. Each session provided ideas and lessons about what it means to be catholic, one significant activity included a talk and presentation on Mental Health from Jonathan Doyle. Jonathan is best known as a motivational speaker and leadership councillor working with leaders from all over the world. We got to learn a lot about who he really is behind his voice, how his faith has helped him overcome the challenges of mental illness and the journey that made him who he was. This journey resonated with many students and provided an opportunity to reflect and refocus in their own lives. All in all an absolutely fantastic day was had by the Magdalene Staff and Students who attended.

Youth Ministry Leaders

We were fortunate to have a significant number of Year 10 students apply to be Youth Ministry Leaders for 2020. These students will follow on from and work with our 2019 YMLs who have done a fantastic job building the role and supporting the important work of Youth Ministry in our school. In addition, these students will represent the College at the upcoming Australian Catholic Youth Festival in December this year. A detailed application process was undertaken and it is with great pleasure that we announce our 2020 YMLs:

• Talia Omac
• Madison Hamilton
• Alyssa Greenhalgh
• Lyndsey Dunlop
• Mali Dillon
• Kristina Younan
• Hayden Abernethy
• Beau Severin
• Andrew Rixon
• Brady Cottle

A big congratulations to all the students who applied and we look forward to the continued growth of Youth Ministry under the leadership of our YMLs in partnership with the Student Representative Council.

Mr. Peter Collins

Mission Coordinator