Our Mission as Catholics starts in the classroom and extends to our family and our communities. We are workers in God’s vineyard and sometimes we feel that our work is not enough but note that we are all contributing to accomplish a big picture and the main artist is Jesus.
I would like to share with you the Romero Prayer as we reflect on what we have done as Catholics and what we are called to do:
The Romero Prayer
It helps, now and then, to step back and take the long view.
The Kingdom is not only beyond our efforts; it is even beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work.
Nothing we do is complete, which is another way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said. No prayer fully expresses our faith. No confession brings perfection. No pastoral visit brings wholeness. No programme accomplishes the church’s mission. No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about.
We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water the seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces effects far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything and there is a sense of liberation in realising that. This enables us to do something and to do it well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest. We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders, ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.
Our Special Character team have had a busy end to Term one. Here are some of the things they have been involved in over the last two weeks:
Caritas Lenten Appeal
The Caritas Lenten Appeal is taking a different approach this year – hearing the ideas of the new leaders for Caritas, both staff and students, our Head Prefect, Benedict, together with the other student leaders stepped up by giving their time to inform the school of the need to help out others. They went around every Monday and Wednesday to collect donations from each homeroom class. The students are now very familiar with the purple boxes that go around every Monday and Thursday morning. It is helping move the entire school to see that everyone is part of the church community, and we can all help, even in the smallest of ways.
Caritas Justice Chat
Our Deputy Head Prefects Johann Ang, Alexandra Lazatin and our Service Prefects Teresa Croker and Daniel Pereira attended the Caritas Justice Chats via Zoom on 29 March 2023 with Student Leaders from Carmel College and St. Catherine’s College (Wellington). The student leaders were made aware of the Catholic Social Teachings Principles that each of us live by. They were presented with the things that Caritas is doing in response to the Catholic Social Teachings and they enjoyed some fun games and different challenges. They also listened to a guest speaker who shared his experience in the field.
There are different ways of helping but helping would only make sense if we understand why we are doing it. This is what the student leaders were made aware of. The Caritas Justice chat illustrated the different events and activities currently going on – something that most of us here in Auckland are not aware of.
Helping is not just giving out funds or material things, helping, as presented by Caritas, also entails helping our brothers and sisters rise from the challenges they are in. This is done by finding out the source of the problem and finding ways on how to overcome these problems.
Overall, it was a good learning experience for our student leaders who are now challenged to share what they have learned to the school community – allowing them to understand what needs to be done.
MUFTI for Caring Foundation
One of the Catholic organisations that the Diocese of Auckland is focused on is the Caring Foundation. The Catholic Caring Foundation is focused on helping out different organisations around Auckland, targeting those in need the most. They provide material and financial help to these organisations.
This year, each house has been assigned to a Catholic Organisation to help the school understand what they are doing and learn more about the different people in our country and how our Catholic organisations are helping. Akaroa house is linked to the Caring Foundation.
The students really stepped up and gave up their gold coins to help more people. Kudos to everyone!
Lenten Liturgy
Our Lenten Liturgy this year had a little flavour – we had live stations of the cross, where selected students re-enacted the scenes of each station. The Prefects led the community in praying, leading us with a wonderful and meaningful way of seeing and feeling the love of Jesus for all of us. They identified different things that we are doing that are similar to what Jesus had experienced in the way of the cross. This may be our simple acts of ignoring the needs of others to our failure to be understanding to people who are different.
The students took things positively and were moved to be more prayerful and spend more time with God.
Special thanks to the Deputy Head Prefects for Special Character and the Service Prefects and our actors.
The Lenten Liturgy does not end in school but all of us are encouraged to attend the Paschal Triduum celebration in our different parishes.
Please see announcements and Holy Week timetables from our neighbouring parishes below:
St. Luke’s Parish, Flat Bush
St. Mark’s Parish, Pakuranga
Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish, Howick
Good Friday, 7 April Stations of the Cross Procession: 9.00am
They are seeking families to volunteer to lead a station on Good Friday – if you have done this before or are new to the parish, please consider getting involved and popping your name down on the sign-up sheet in the foyer.
God bless,
Mr. Omar Tamayo
