Our school community is often likened to a family. Just like the members of a family, it is only by sharing the ordinariness of our lives that we really get to know one another. Living closely together we become familiar with each other's thoughts and feelings, how we react and respond in various situations and circumstances. 

One of the very first concepts we are taught about our faith is that God loves us.

The biblical idea of love is different from our Western understanding. In the West, we use emotive elements to define the word love. In the Middle East the motivating aspect of love is attachment. To love means to remain attached to another. In the Middle East to love means to stay connected to others. When we know that God loves us, we also know that God wants to be connected to us. This is how religion is supposed to work. The word religion is constructed by the prefix 're' (as in repeat) and then 'ligeo' (the root of the word ligament). Ligaments are the connective tissues that hold the bones together.

In a theological context then, religion 're-connects' us to God. That is the goal of love, to stay connected to God and to one another.

The theme of connection perfectly aligns to our school celebration of Harmony Day, which we officially celebrated on Monday March 21, but are continuing to explore throughout the week. Harmony Day provides an opportunity to celebrate the fact that Australians come from all over the world, but that ‘Everyone Belongs’. Today there are over 21 million people living in Australia who all contribute different ideas, religions, languages and customs to our country. The diversity of people who live in Australia make it such an interesting and special place to live. The annual celebration of Harmony Day is about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone and it recognises the truly multicultural nature of our society. Harmony Day is an opportunity to celebrate the fact that Australians come from all over the world. Our Australian story is so diverse, and this is very much reflected in our own school community, which is blessed by the mix of so many different cultures. This is especially important considering the cultural diversity of students at Mary Immaculate. Almost 65% of our students are from a language background other than English (LBOTE). Harmony Day is a day of cultural respect for everyone who calls Australia home – from the traditional owners of this land to those who have come from many countries around the world. By participating in Harmony Day activities, we can learn and understand how all Australians from diverse backgrounds equally belong to this nation and enrich it. 

Although we may come from many countries from around the world, each of us contributes to making up the pages of the bigger Australian story that we all share together. We thank Mrs. Grados for her leadership in providing resources for this special event and the staff for deepening the student’s appreciation for the importance of this day through coverage in classrooms during the week. 

Wishing you a Lenten week ahead that is filled with many opportunities to reconnect to God who often appears to us through our interactions with others. 

Tina Murray

Principal 

 ANZAC DAY MARCH - 25 APRIL 2022

We are pleased to inform our community that we will once again have the opportunity to participate in the Campbelltown RSL commemoration of ANZAC Day March and Service at Mawson Park. Students are invited to join in the ANZAC Day celebrations and march with the Mary Immaculate group. Students are to wear Full Summer Uniform including hat and meet at the corner of Queen and Dumaresq Streets at 8:20 am and then proceed to Mawson Park for the commemorative service. Students will be accompanied during the march by Mrs Murray. Parents are most welcome to join our school group. Participating students will need to be collected at the conclusion of the commemorative service at approximately 9:45 am at Mawson Park.

Parents are invited to register attendance via the Compass event that will be shared shortly.