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This Sunday is the 5th Sunday of Easter and the Gospel reading is John 14:1-12.
Jesus the Way to the Father
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.
Read LessExecutive Director’s Reflections
Dear Friends and Colleagues
Fr Michel Remery, the founder of the highly popular smartphone app, Tweeting with GOD, spent the last week of April visiting Catholic schools across Tasmania.
He interacted via Zoom with some 1000 teachers from Catholic schools all over the state, including an in-person conversation with 800 teachers in the St Mary’s College Auditorium.
He also met face-to-face with students in primary and secondary schools.
Fr Remery – now an internationally recognised evangelist – started his apostolate interacting with young people aged 16 to 35 in his parish in Holland.
Out of these deep conversations about so many questions of faith came the idea of Tweeting with GOD.
Now published in thirty languages, the app provides simple, clear answers about Catholic belief and practice for millions of interested inquirers around the world.
Fr Remery shared a delightful hour and a half talking with the St Thomas Aquinas Teaching Schools cadets.
His deeply attentive style was evident as he responded with great respect to the questions asked by 25 emerging student teachers gathered in Hobart, Launceston and the Northwest Coast.
The questions came fast and thick. They were all deep and penetrating: How can a good God allow pain and suffering in the world? Who wants to become a saint? Is it OK to live a bad life and then repent at the end? Why is there a Hell? Is anyone there? What is the cause of evil in the world? How do we get to Heaven? Why did God make us? Why does God love us? Why does God call us to love one another? Is the Bible true? Who wrote it? When was the Old Testament finalised? When was the New Testament published?
Afterwards, Fr Remery commented on the intellectual depth of the cadets, and praised the extent of their religious understanding.
For Fr Remery, there is no such thing as a silly question. In each case, he would ask the questioner to reflect on their question and suggest a way that it might be answered. He then encouraged the other cadet teachers to make helpful suggestions.
His invitational and supportive style of discourse encouraged all participants to think deeply and to activate the use of reason and logic in working towards an answer.
He assured the group that any attempt at an answer, no matter how it came out, would be treated with respect.
Fr Remery provided the cadets with a shining example of respectful dialogue that seeks nothing less than the truth.
His message: That everyone should seek to grow in their personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
See more about Fr Remery's visit later in this issue of Communiqué.
Yours in Christ
Executive Director
Catholic Education
National Catholic Education Commission Privacy Manual
The 2023 Privacy Compliance Manual is now available providing the latest assistance and guidance to Catholic schools in relation to privacy requirements and cyber safety. The manual, including a specific section relating to data breach, responds to increasing cyber security threats and the need to prepare appropriately. The manual supersedes the 2019 version which should no longer be used.
The NCEC Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander network connect with Country
We were blessed to come together in prayer this morning at the summit of kunanyi with visitors from the NCEC Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander network and guides, Tas Longford and AJ King. Tas is an Indigenous performing artist and Yorta Yorta man who was born into and continues to live as a member of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Community in lutruwita (Tasmania). AJ is a Bigambul and Wakka Wakka man from lutruwita who is passionate about the visibility of Aboriginal culture, and the concept of reclaiming and reimagining place and space.
Rosa Connell, our Programs System Manager said “The NCEC Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander network have come to Tasmania to further progress the work plan and develop understandings of issues and challenges in the education space. The network took time to gather and understand the Tasmania history”. With these amazing guides and the beauty of kunanyi, visitors were treated to perfect conditions to appreciate and make connections to Country.
We were thankful for the opportunity to host members of the NCEC Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander network in our beautiful state.
CET Staff learn 'how to grow in faith'
On Monday 24 April staff from 26 schools, along with staff from the Tasmanian Catholic Education Office joined together for a System Day: How to Grow in Faith.
The day invited attendees at St Mary’s College, and via Zoom at several locations across the state, to participate in a number of faith-enriching experiences. This included listening to presentations and readings from key members of staff from the Catholic Identity and Evangelisation team at Catholic Education Tasmania.
Attendees were also blessed to have Father Michael Remery present keynote presentations based around his ‘Growing in Faith’ program, which has been developed to help grow the faith of students and teachers. Fr Remery hails from the Netherlands, and has a wealth of knowledge and experience around engaging young adults and students, helping answer questions about God, Church, and life.
Narragunnawali Awards applications deadline extended!
The deadline for the Narragunnawali Reconciliation in Educations Awards 2023 has been extended, giving you an extra week to complete an application for your school or early learning service. The deadline for application submission is now Friday 12 May 2023. Start your application To be eligible for the Narragunnawali Awards, schools and early learning services must have a published Narragunnawali Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). To apply for the Awards: Log in to access ‘Your RAP’ and follow the prompts to apply for the Awards. To learn more about the application process, download the Info Kit and watch the Narragunnawali Awards 2023 webinar.
Australian Catholic Education News
The latest issue of the Australian Catholic Educations News from the National Catholic Education Commission is now available.
Early Learning for Three Year Olds Co-Design Working Group
Throughout March and April, workshops were held to gather feedback from families, services and community members across Tasmania about early learning for three-year-olds. The workshops built an understanding of current and future early learning needs in communities. The Department for Education, Children and Young people understand that not everyone could attend a workshop and are encouraging parents and community members to complete a survey about early learning for three-year-olds.
Understand the impact of cancer on young people, and how educators and schools professionals can help
Canteen Australia are currently working with many young students around Australia who are impacted by cancer; either their own diagnosis or in the family. Whether they’re dealing with a close family member’s cancer or their own, studies show that impacted young people experience high or very high levels of psychological distress, compared to peers their own age. This can significantly affect their educational outcomes as well as their behaviour at school. Canteen Australia will be hosting a FREE Webinar for educators and school professionals to help understand the impact of cancer on young people, how you can help a student, where to get further support for your school, and how Canteen can help young people and families.
Date: Tuesday 9 May 2023
Time: 3.45pm-4.30pm
Where: Online – register through Eventbrite
Online session for faith formation and scripture resources
The National Catholic Education Commission will run an online session on Tuesday 9 May at 4pm covering the Faith Formation and Religious Education resources available to schools. These include staff, student and parent formation information, scripture resources and the popular Together at One Altar online resources.
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Catholic Education Tasmania acknowledges and pays respect to the original and ongoing custodians of the land. We acknowledge the continuing connection to land, seas, air and waterways and commit ourselves to the ongoing journey of reconciliation. We honour Elders past and present.