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Guided Prayer

Overview

The Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney, in collaboration with Sydney Catholic Schools, celebrates Social Justice Sunday and the Feast of St Mary Mackillop – by encouraging students to donate a gold coin to support the Charitable Works Fund (CWF).

This year's Feast Day Fundraiser will be around Social Justice Sunday, the last weekend of August 2022 or a date suitable for your school.

Purpose

The purpose of this initiative is three-fold:

1. Increase Awareness and Devotion to St Mary Mackillop

2. Grow awareness of Social Justice Sunday

2. Share the Joy of Giving by supporting our Charitable Works Fund agencies with a gold coin donation.

St Mary MacKillop

St Mary Mackillop plays an important role in Australian Catholicism as she is our first and only Saint. She lived a life of goodness, humility, poverty and prayer; she took care of the orphans and those experiencing difficulties and hardship.

Today, many people experience poverty and homelessness, mental health issues and disabilities. St Mary, like all the saints, can help us.

More about St Mary Mackillop

Mary was born in Victoria to Scottish immigrants. She was the eldest of eight children and spent her early years working to support her family. At the age of 24 she dedicated her life to God and took on the name “Mary of the Cross”.

Along with Fr Julian Tenison Woods, Mary opened a school in a disused stable in Penola, South Australia. Her vision was to provide education for underprivileged children. Many other women came to join her there, and Mary and Julian founded Australia’s first religious order: the Sisters of St Joseph.

Mary and the Sisters were committed to serving the poor – to going to where the need was and living amongst those in need. This took Mary all over Australia to many rural areas.

Mary faced fierce opposition throughout her life, which at one point culminated in her being excommunicated. In the face of trial, Mary was a model of forgiveness, insisting no ill be spoken of those who wronged her, while also remaining resolute in her convictions.

Despite her struggles with Church authorities, Mary MacKillop and her Sisters were able to offer social services that few, if any, government agencies in Australia could. They served Protestants and Catholics alike. They worked among the Indigenous. They taught in schools and orphanages and served unmarried mothers.

Money was a constant worry, but the Sisters, who begged from door to door, were bolstered by faith and by the conviction that their struggles were opportunities to grow closer to God.

By the time Mary was approaching the end of her life, the congregation was thriving. She died in 1909 at the age of 67. Her liturgical feast is celebrated on August 8.

Mary was remarkable as a strong female leader in 19th century Australia. Education in this country is what it is today thanks to her dedication and determination.

Charitable Works Fund

The Charitable Works Fund (CWF) is responsible for collecting funds for the purpose of supporting the charitable and pastoral works of the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney.

It is your charity, the charity of the Sydney Catholic community, and your local parish. Click below to find out more about the great work that CWF supports!

More about Charitable Works Fund

The CWF supports our local community through:

Aid and support to our disabled and deaf through the Ephpheta Centre. They do this by organising Sunday Mass in sign language, sacramental preparation for both children and adults, pastoral care and community support, outreach to families with young deaf children, advocacy services, spiritual development and leadership.
Formation for our future seminarians through Our Seminaries. They do this by providing an environment that nurtures the calling that a man experiences for service in the priesthood, looking at their character development, pastoral skills and academic training to enable them to carry out their mission in the Church.
Catechises to students in Schools through Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. They do this through training and supporting around 2,000 volunteers who teach Special Religious Education classes each week to around 30,000 Catholic School Children in public schools.
Ministry and community to our Aboriginal community through Aboriginal Catholic Ministries by providing pastoral care to Catholic Aborigines and supporting them in the living of their faith
Assistance to vulnerable families through CatholicCare. They do this through counselling, accommodation, employment assistance, migrant support, aged care and family support.
Pastoral support to university students, patients in hospitals and those in prisons through Catholic Chaplaincies. They are a source of comfort and friendship to people in need, minister to the sick and help foster a Catholic culture at university campuses.
Plus many other ministries and services!

MATERIALS

To best support you in organizing this CWF Schools Appeal, the Catholic Archdiocese has created this suit of materials for Primary and Secondary schools alike. Use of these materials is optional.

If you have any questions or issues with accessing any of the above materials, please contact:

Bethany Marsh
Fundraising and Marketing Manager
bethany.marsh@sydneycatholic.org