It has been an incredibly busy two weeks at Hennessy. The Spiritual and Pastoral life of the College has been buzzing with activity and opportunities.

Opening Mass was celebrated last week with a great show of our commitment as a College to celebrating the sacraments together in the Eucharist. Students demonstrated impeccable reverence and joined together for the first time as a College for Mass. Students were also welcomed with the official Badge Ceremony directly following. New House members received their House badges as well as students who had attained leadership roles within the school. Congratulations to the Year 10 Peer Support Leaders, Year Level Captains and House Vice Captains who officially begin their ministry. Thankyou to Mr Mitchell and Mrs Riordan for their organisation and to all the parents and guests who joined us. It was wonderful to celebrate the beginning of the year together again.

Last week we also began our fundraising campaign for CARITAS in Project Compassion. CARITAS is one of the Catholic Organisations that we support within the Archdiocese for the support they offer around the world and in Australia to those less fortunate. Each week students look at stories from around the world to see where their fundraising is going. This year the theme for Project Compassion is “For all the Future Generations”, based on the scripture “And Mary said, “Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed.” Luke 1:48. This year, the theme asks us to think about the great yes that Mary spoke when the angel told her she was to become the mother of Jesus. She freely accepted God’s invitation to take up a unique place in the history of the human family.  The prayer Mary shared with her cousin Elizabeth says, “all generations will call me blessed”. Her yes is for all future generations. May ours be too! For over 55 years, Caritas Australia has worked hand in hand with the most marginalised and remote communities in Australia and overseas to confront the challenges of poverty.  We are incredibly proud of how the Hennessy community embraces Caritas and the importance each House places on fundraising for this worthy charity.

Last week, lead by Mrs McInerney, students began the fundraising drive for the 2023 Cambodia Immersion. Students attending the Immersion do not fundraise for themselves, but for the materials and items needed to build houses for the remote communities which they will be immersed in. Look out for further information on upcoming fundraisers and please support this wonderful program.

We were also visited by Senior Constable Karen Clarke and Constable James, our Police Liaison Officers, who presented to us important information on the use of technology and its impact on students today and into the future. We are so grateful to have active Police Liaison officer who is well loved and trusted within our community.

A reminder to all parents about upcoming events and excursions. All event and excursion consent and information can be accessed through the Compass portal. It is important to note that the enrolment agreement states that events that are directly linked to the curriculum, are low risk and within 3kms of the school do not require individual parent consent. However, with all events occuring at the College, information is always provided through the Events section of the Compass portal.