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Prayer
You created every person in your image and call us to live as one human family.
In a world marked by division, fear and misunderstanding,
fill our hearts with the self-giving love of Christ.
Teach us to see one another not as strangers or opponents,
but as sisters and brothers, worthy of dignity, respect and compassion.
Give us the courage to build bridges where there is distrust,
to seek encounter where there is separation,
and to work for justice with humility and mercy.
Help us to listen with open hearts, speak with kindness,
and walk together in the way of peace.
May your Holy Spirit guide us to welcome the stranger,
stand beside those on the margins, reject all forms of hatred and racism,
and become instruments of reconciliation in our communities.
Through the example of Saint Maximilian Kolbe and all the saints,
strengthen us to live the Gospel through sacrifice, generosity and love,
so that your light may shine through us and bring hope to our nation.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
This week’s prayer is taken directly from the annual Australian Catholic Bishops’ Social Justice Statement which has been recently published and is titled “Living the Gospel in Times of Social Division”. It is a beautiful document that highlights the countercultural message that the Catholic tradition offers to contemporary challenges such as polarisation, discrimination against people of certain faiths and races and even horrifying violence. Simple responses such prayer and reflection, personal encounter and restraint reflect Jesus’ central call to ‘love one another’ and give witness to each individual essential sacredness.
2026 Frayne Public Speaking Festival
On Friday 8 August, Sacred Heart College joined 14 other Mercy schools from Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia to compete in the annual Frayne Public Speaking Festival. This very special day was celebrating its thirtieth anniversary and was hosted by St Aloysius College, North Melbourne. The festival has students competing in public speaking, debating as well as the unique voice choir competition.
It was a fabulous day for Sacred Heart College as the students defended their 2025 title winning the overall Voice Choir prize. Competing against a number of larger Mercy schools, our students (from Year 7 – 10) performed two pieces: Earthrise by Amanda Gorman and What Teachers Make by Taylor Mali (featuring Another Brick in the Wall – Roger Waters) under the experienced direction of Hannah Monagle and Freya Egberts. Congratulations to everyone for the many hours of practice that led to the success.
Congratulations also to the College’s senior students who competed in the hotly contested Debating and Public Speaking competitions.
Student Activities
With the early signs of spring evident around the region, Sacred Heart College is alive with many co-curricular activities:
- Well done to the Year 9 students and staff who participated in the first iteration of the Alpine Camp in the Victorian Alps last week. We wish the second set of students similar good weather and ski conditions.
- Good luck to our Year 10 students who head off around our region and around the state for their various Work Experience placements. We hope they provide an important window into the world of work.
- Next Wednesday evening will see 24 fabulous primary school chefs competing for their school in the final of the Sacred Heart College Junior Chef competition. These very talented cooks have already completed the first round of competition preparing dips, chips and condiments and we wish them all the best for the finals.
Bereavements: Yours prayers are asked for the following families who are mourning the loss of a family member recently. The Pryor family on the passing of Patrick Pryor, grandfather of Darragh Year 9 and the White family on the passing of Salvatore (Sammy) Rao, step grandfather of Ollie Year 8. Our thoughts are with you all at this sad time.
Yours in Mercy,
Dr Darren Egberts
Principal
