February 14th, 2008 College Chronicle

Dear Parents,

During the Canonization of St Maria Goretti in the Piazza of St Peter’s on 24th June, 1950, Pope Pius XII in his homily said:

“You fathers and mothers, tell me – in the presence of this vast multitude, and before the image of this young virgin who by her inviolate candour has stolen your hearts… in the presence of her mother who educated her to martyrdom and who, as much as she felt the bitterness of the outrage, never complained about her daughter’s death and is now moved with emotion as she invokes her – tell me, are you ready to assume the solemn duty laid upon you to watch, as far as in you lies, over your sons and daughters, to preserve and defend them against so many dangers that surround them, and to keep them always far away from places where they might learn the practice of impiety and of moral perversion?”

A Catholic School is an aid and a complement to parents in the education of their children: education of the intellect and also of the will. Children must know their Faith and be able to defend it intellectually (development of the intellect) and they have to have the courage to live it and, if necessary, die for it (development of the will).

The formation of the will is a much more delicate aspect of formation. It is brought about by a profound spirit of willingness to make sacrifices. At School this is by obedience to teachers and regulations, and charity among themselves. Let us all take advantage of this time of Lent to encourage the children to making sacrifices, particularly in the keeping of their Lenten resolutions.

The General Meeting will be the opportunity for the School to present itself to the parent body and I hope that all families will be represented.

Fr Michael Delsorte
Principal

What's On

Feast of St Thomas Aquinas

SCHOOL MASS - SOLEMN HIGH MASS … Fr Black
8.30am - CORPUS CHRISTI CHURCH

Parents are asked to have their children at the church by 8.25am
and then to bring them to school at the conclusion of Mass.

Br. Alban, F.M.S., R.I.P.

Of your charity pray for the repose of the soul of Br Alban Michael, F.M.S. (1917-2008) who passed away aged 91 on the evening of the First Sunday of Lent, 10 February, fortified by the rites of our Holy Mother the Church, faithful to his vocation, and clothed in the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

He was born Lawrence William McMullen at Peria, in the North Island of New Zealand, on 10 January, 1917. He made his first vows as a religious in the Little Brothers of Mary, or Marist Brothers, at Timaru in the South Island on 12 September, 1938, and devoted most of his religious life to Christian education in Fiji and New Zealand. From 1981 he was the faithful companion of the late Fr Augustine Cummins, C.SS.R., first in Australia, and, finally, accompanying him to Orkney, Scotland in 2003.

Requiescat in pace.

ANNUAL COLLEGE GENERAL MEETING

MONDAY 3rd MARCH 2008
7.30pm

TYNONG TOWN HALL

Fr Delsorte expects that all families will be represented
at this important General Meeting for the College.

A light supper will be provided at the conclusion of the meeting.

General news

OFFICE HOURS
Please note that the office is now closed from 3:15pm each afternoon. Parents are requested to conduct any business prior to this time. Thank you.

ABSENTEES
Parents are reminded that a phone call is required to the office if any of your children are going to be absent. Please phone prior to 9am.
There are several pages of Absentee Notes in each child's diary. Please fill in one and then this is to be given to the Homeroom Teacher when the child returns to school.

FAMILY RECORDS
Thank you to the many families who have already returned the family records that we had on file. Any families who have not returned this yet, you are reminded that they are due back by tomorrow 15th February. It is of the utmost importance that all contact numbers and addresses are up to date. Also, we strongly urge you to check that our medical records for each of your children are accurate. Please note that in an emergency, if parents or the emergency contact people cannot be contacted we then will arrange medical attention with either the Bunyip Medical Centre or Station St Medical Centre in Pakenham.

LUNCH ORDERS
Please note that you do NOT need to supply a brown paper bag. The orders are faxed to the Milk Bar and they are supplied to us already bagged. So, simply write the order on the outside of an envelope and place the correct money inside. The order needs to be placed in the basket in the office before 8.30am. As per normal, lunch orders are available Monday and Thursday of each week. We remind parents that Monday is reserved for students who are in Mannix or McKillop and on a Thursday orders are for Kolbe and Bosco.

CHOIR
Senior girls choir practice will be held every Wednesday afternoon from 3:15pm - 4:00pm.

LOST PROPERTY
A legionnaires hat and 2 school jumpers.

P&F News
CHOCOLATE MONEY
There are several families who have money outstanding for boxes of chocolates from 2007. Would you be so kind as to pay this at the office in the next 7 days.
There are still boxes of chocolates and natural snakes available that perhaps parents could sell at their workplace.
These can be collected from the College office.

CASH FOR CARTRIDGES
Please don’t throw them in the bin, bring them into school.
Inkjet, laser, fax and photocopier cartridges are all worth money. Please leave at the College office.

DINNER AUCTION MEETING
All committee members are reminded that our first meeting for 2008 is on Friday 22nd February at 7.30pm.
If you are interested in being a part of the team that organizes the auction then please call Pauline on for details of the meeting.

Interesting Facts on Australia

• Shark's need to swim, or they will sink!
• The Emu is the world's third largest bird. The Ostrich and the Cassowary take the top positions.
• Fairy Penguins live for an average of seven years.
• The box jellyfish is responsible for more deaths in Australian than Snakes, Sharks and Salt Water Crocodiles.
• Only the female red back spider bite is dangerous to humans.

Saint of the Day

February 14th: St Valentine; Priest and Martyr.

VALENTINE was a holy priest in Rome, who, with St. Marius and his family, assisted the martyrs in the persecution under Claudius II. He was apprehended, and sent by the emperor to the prefect of Rome, who, on finding all his promises to make him renounce his faith ineffectual, commanded him to be beaten with clubs, and afterward to be beheaded, which was executed on the 14th of February, about the year 270. Pope Julius I, is said to have built a church near Ponte Mole to his memory, which for a long time gave name to the gate now called Porta del Popolo, formerly Porta Valentini. The greater part of his relics are now in the Church of St. Praxedes. To abolish the heathens' lewd superstitious custom of boys' drawing the names of girls, in honour of their goddess Februata Juno, on the 15th of this month, several zealous pastors substituted the names of Saints in billets given on this day.

Reflection. In the cause of justice and truth, prudence should not be held in account; otherwise prudence is mere human respect. St. Paul says: "The wisdom of the flesh is death."

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