There are many ways we might hear and follow to the call of God. This week's stories touch on some of the ways God speaks to us, calling us to respond with our whole lives.

The word vocation tends to evoke a call to married, priestly or religious life, and while these callings are always significant, there are other important ways that God calls us. We talk with Silvana Scarfe from Proclaim: The Office for Mission Renewal, whose work with young people has taught her valuable lessons about how we might go about discovering our personal, God-given, ‘unrepeatable’ mission in life.

One way God can shape a young person’s purpose in life is through education. As thousands of students prepare to return to university campuses in coming weeks, we offer ‘A Catholic’s guide to O-Week’. Two Catholic students share their insights into the joys and challenges of university life, and offer some tips on how to thrive on campus. We also hear about a recent gathering of more than 100 old collegians from St Patrick's College, who came together to mark the 55th anniversary of the school’s closure and to reminisce about their rich, shared history.

Of course, God's call to mission is not just for individuals but for the whole Church. Last Friday, the Catholic bishops of Oceania concluded their week-long gathering in Fiji. The assembly drew bishops from across our region to listen and discern how God is calling the Church to respond in our part of the world, and to explore how they might bring a ‘distinctively Oceanic voice’ to the upcoming synod on synodality.

Making time for regular prayer is fundamental to any attempt to hear and respond to God’s call—something that Six30 Holy Hour at St Patrick’s Cathedral has been helping people to do for more than 20 years. Regular participants Klara Rawdanowicz and Joe Melhem share how they fell in love with eucharistic adoration and how it changed their lives.

As we approach Ash Wednesday next week and prepare to enter again into the Lenten season, may we listen ever more carefully for the still, small voice of God in our lives.
 
A Catholic’s guide to O-Week
Next week, thousands of students will get their first taste of life on a university campus as they participate in Orientation Week. O-Week can be exciting and unsettling, often for the same reasons. Two students, Cecilia Clark and Shawn Mitchell, share some of their experiences of campus life, reflecting on how people can live their faith authentically and how new students can set themselves up for success.
 
 
Discovering and living your personal vocation
When we hear the word vocation, we might think about a calling to the priesthood or religious life, to married life, or maybe to a particular job or profession. But each one of us—with our individual gifts and talents—has a unique part to play in God’s mission, regardless of our situation in life. And the process of discovering and living our own personal vocation needs to begin and end with our relationship to God.
 
 
Bishops will carry shared mission home from Oceania assembly
Written by: Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC)
On Friday 10 February, the Catholic bishops of Oceania concluded their week-long gathering in Fiji with a missioning Mass, being encouraged to respond to the hopes and challenges they shared with hearts of mission and service.
 
 
The gaze of love: how adoration can change your life
Written by: Christian Bergmann
When it comes to love, sometimes the simplest things are best. Two Melbourne-based young adults, Klara Rawdanowicz and Joe Melhem, share how they fell in love with eucharistic adoration, what it means for them, and why they think more people should try it now that Six30 Holy Hour has started again at St Patrick’s Cathedral.
 
 
St Patrick’s collegians mark 55 years since school’s closure
Written by: Fiona Basile
This year marks 55 years since the closure of St Patrick’s College, and this month, more than 100 former students met to mark the anniversary at an event hosted by the 400-strong Old Patricians association, which has been helping to maintain the connection between former students and their rich, shared history for more than a century.
 
 
Lent: a guide for the perplexed
With Lent approaching once more, we thought it might be a good time to revisit and respond some of the questions that come up every year: What is Lent? Why do we observe it? What is penance, exactly? And, perhaps most importantly for some, are Sundays included? We also point you to some great resources to help you enter more fully into this sometimes challenging but always gracious season.
 
 
‘The communication lines have to be open for us to be able to discern anything, to understand who he is, understand his heart, understand why he created us, why he loves us … The more we understand him, the more we can understand ourselves.’
 
 
Silvana Scarfe
on why prayer is foundational to discerning and living out our calling
 
Upcoming events
 
St Mary’s Parish Thornbury: 100th anniversary
Saturday 11 February 2023
– Sunday 19 February 2023
Join the St Mary’s community to celebrate their 100th anniversary! To mark this special occasion, the parish will host a series of events: Saturday 11 February (2–4pm): musical prelude, followed by a talk on ‘Our Lady of Lourdes: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow’ by Professor Joan Barclay Lloyd Wednesday 15 February ...
 
 
God and Beer: ‘Faith, Family and Football’
Wednesday 15 February 2023
6.30pm–8.30pm
An initiative of the Knights of the Southern Cross, God and Beer brings together people of all ages from across the south-east suburbs several times a year. By drawing on the truth, beauty and goodness of the Catholic tradition, God and Beer aims to inspire and strengthen Christians through ideas ...
 
 
Panel Discussion: Statements from the Soul
Tuesday 21 February 2023
6.15pm–7.45pm
‘Statements from the Soul’ is a new collection of essays from diverse religious leaders and thinkers advocating the moral case for the Uluru Statement from the Heart and for a First Nations voice to be enshrined in the Australian Constitution. Moderated by prominent journalist Patricia Karvelas, presenter of ABC's RN ...
 
 
Rite of Election 2023
Sunday 26 February 2023
3.00pm–4.00pm
The Rite of Election is a significant occasion in the life of our local Church in Melbourne. It marks the beginning of the final preparations of our catechumens and candidates towards receiving the sacraments of initiation. Join Archbishop Peter A Comensoli and the Proclaim team at the Rite of Election ...
 
 
RCIA online seminar series: ‘Into the Deep’
Tuesday 28 February 2023
7.30pm–9.15pm
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults online seminar series with Fr Elio Capra SDB is aimed at equipping parish clergy, staff and RCIA teams. ‘Into the Deep’—Easter Vigil and the Period of Mystagogia is the fourth session in this series and will include: the Easter Vigil—sacraments of initiationmystagogialife-long discipleship ...
 
 
St Patrick’s Cathedral concert: Elyane Laussade
Friday 3 March 2023
6.30pm–8.30pm
To open the St Patrick’s Cathedral 2023 Concert Series, acclaimed concert pianist Elyane Laussade brings her distinctive virtuosity and finesse to this beautiful and inspiring space. In a program which is sure to please, Elyane will present several gems of the classical repertoire, including Liszt’s Liebestraum and Mozart’s famous Variations ...
 

This newsletter is published by the Communications Office
of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne.
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