On Friday 25 June, we gathered in the MSC for the celebration of a Eucharist of Thanksgiving for the patronage of St Benedict and the Sisters of the Good Samaritan. We are grateful to Fr Feleki from the Campbelltown Parish for having lead us so enthusiastically in our Eucharistic celebration. Fr Feleki brings a joyful spirit to our communal prayer and we extend our thanks to him for his prayerful support of our community.

The context of our Eucharist was the Benedictine value we are focused on this year, which is stewardship. In focusing on stewardship, our catchcry has been “stewardship is heart work”. This catchcry alerts us to the dimensions of stewardship. Stewardship is fundamentally any act of caring—therefore it is “heart work”. In being good stewards, we are expected to care for others, for the environment, and for ourselves. Stewardship is a way we can live out the Greatest Commandment—“to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your soul, and to love your neighbour as yourself.” Our Eucharist together was an invitation for us to open our hearts to the love of God made real and present in the Eucharist we celebrated together.

It has now become customary for students and staff members to be invited to offer the reflections on the readings used at Mass. On this occasion, the reflection was written and presented by Year 10 student, Monique R. who delivered an inspiring understanding of stewardship, particularly from an Aboriginal woman’s perspective. In her reflection on stewardship, Monique confidently proclaimed, “I am a proud Wiradjuri woman and what I've been told by elders of my mob is that the land is sacred and everyone, Aboriginal people and non-Aboriginal people, must proclaim and practise custodianship."

Benedict day is also a day of fundraising for the work that the Sisters of the Good Samaritan of the Order of St Benedict do, both in Australia and overseas. Our collective fundraising efforts on Benedict Day will be offered to the Good Samaritan Foundation which oversees the many good works the Sisters do to bring hope and compassion to so many disadvantaged people. We ask God to bless the work of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan.

Angelo Gattone - Mission Coordinator