Dear Parents and Friends of Holy Cross,

A very warm welcome back to Term 4 to all, and many blessings from the holy places of my recent pilgrimage through Ireland, Rome and Assisi. Our students and staff have entered this last term of the school year with enthusiasm and plans for great faith and learning experiences.

A Pilgrim in Rome: Walking Through the Doors of Hope

As "Pilgrims of Hope”, early last week, our Diocesan pilgrimage group of principals, teachers, office staff, along with our Director of Schools Peter Hill, and Bishop Brian Mascord, visited Rome, during this special once-every-25-years event in the Catholic Church: the 2025 Year of Jubilee! 

A Jubilee is like a super-special, whole year dedicated to God’s forgiveness, renewal, and fresh starts!

• In the Old Testament (the first part of the Bible), the Jubilee was a time every 50 years when debts were forgiven, and the poor got their land back. It was a year of freedom and fairness.
• Pope Francis and now Pope Leo have called us to a year of hope and to being a Pilgrim. As "Pilgrims of Hope." this means choosing to see the good in the world, being kind to one another, and bringing God's light to people who might be sad or struggling. We can all be a sign of hope!

A key part of the Jubilee is the opening of the Holy Doors (Porta Santa) in Rome. Imagine a very beautiful, heavy door in a church that is sealed shut with concrete or bricks for 24 years. Then, when the Jubilee year begins, the Holy Father, the Pope, ceremonially knocks the wall down to open it! More information- A history of the Holy Doors.

The doors are opened in four major Basilicas (big, important churches) in Rome:

1. St. Peter's Basilica (The main church in the Vatican). We celebrated a very special mass in one of the small chapels in the Vatican Grottoes, located on the lower level of Saint Peter’s Basilica, consisting of a system of vaults built between 1590 and 1591 to support the floor of the Renaissance building and houses many tombs of past popes.
   
   
2. St. John Lateran (The Pope's Cathedral in Rome)
3. St. Paul Outside the Walls
4. St. Mary Major. Santa Maria Maggiore is the largest Marian church in Rome,
   
   and regarded as the first Marian sanctuary in the Western world. Pope Francis was laid to rest at Santa Vatican Grottoes are located on the lower level of Saint Peter’s Basilica, and consist of a system of vaults built between 1590 and 1591 to support the floor of the Renaissance building. Maria Maggiore on the afternoon of Saturday, 26 April 2025, following a funeral procession from Vatican City.Francis became the first pope to be interred outside the Vatican since Leo XIII in 1903, and the first pope interred in Santa Maria Maggiore since Clement IX in 1669.

I was especially moved by our visit to Santa Maria Maggiore, walking through the Holy Door, praying in front of the tomb of the late Pope Francis and sitting silent in prayer and reflection at the relic of the Holy Crib, the manger in which Baby Jesus was laid to rest. For this, Saint Mary Major is often also referred to as the “Bethlehem of the West”. The first Christmas night Mass was celebrated here and Pontiffs have been keeping this tradition alive for centuries. Take a virtual tour here 

Lastly, we were blessed to be present at the Pope’s general Audience which occurs every Wednesday in St Peter’s Square. Our own Bishop Brian sat with many other Bishops from around the world, and had the wonderful opportunity to meet Pope Leo XIV!

What the Holy Door Means for Children ?

We can explain this tradition to our students simply:

• Jesus said, "I am the gate" (John 10:9). The Holy Door is a powerful symbol of Jesus.
• Walking through the Door is a bit like walking back to Jesus. It symbolises renewal and accepting God's mercy and forgiveness. It's a fresh start with God, where we can leave our old mistakes behind and promise to try harder to be a good person.
• Every Time We Enter Our Classroom, Church, or Home: We can remember the Holy Door and choose to walk through it with hope in our hearts, ready to be kind and full of God's love. We can even decorate our classroom door as a special "Door of Hope" as a reminder!

How Can Families Participate?

We encourage you to discuss the Jubilee at home. You don't need a passport to be a Pilgrim of Hope!

• Be a "Hope-Giver": Encourage your child to do simple Acts of Kindness or Works of Mercy—visiting a lonely neighbour, praying for someone who is sick, or helping with chores without being asked. These are tangible ways to spread hope.
• Family Prayer: Use this year as a time to say the Our Father prayer together with a new focus on forgiveness and remembering that God loves us.
• Local Pilgrimage: Consider making a short family pilgrimage to your local Parish Church or Diocesan Cathedral. A pilgrimage is any holy journey done with prayer in your heart.
• Cathedral Jubilee Pilgrimage and Feast Day Celebration- Sat 6th December, 10am–7:30pm @ Venue: St Francis Xavier Cathedral, Wollongong
• Jubilee Pilgrimage Day: Our Souls and Prayer - Sat 6 December, 10am–3pm @ Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church

May the remainder of the 2025 Year of Jubilee be a time for your family to be truly Pilgrims of Hope, growing in faith and kindness.

STAFFING NEWS

Staffing Announcement

Schools across our Wollongong Diocese, including ours, continue to be in a period of recruitment. In our profession, as with many other professions, growth, change and improvement are an integral part of our employment and vocation.

I congratulate Christopher Whitehall on his recent appointment to St Therese’ West Wollongong from 2026. Holy Cross has been his first school for the past 10 years, and this opportunity to now expand his teaching experience in a different school setting is one we know he will embrace with the same commitment and passion he has given here in our school community. I know you will join me in  acknowledging Chris’s service and thank him particularly for his contributions over recent years to co-organising our school’s sporting events such as Athletics and Swimming carnivals, and gala days for our primary students.  He will be missed and wish him well as he embarks upon his next challenge. Our leadership team is currently in the process of recruitment to replace both Miss Facci and Mr Whitehall.

TEACHER PROFESSIONALISM

Our school’s Annual Improvement Plan’s impact on improving students’ faith, learning and wellbeing is highly dependent upon the ongoing professional learning and capacity building of our staff. The professional learning opportunities and official events that staff have engaged with the last two weeks: 

World Teachers Day

Next Friday, 31st October we celebrate World Teachers Day around Australia. This is a day to celebrate how teachers are transforming education but also to reflect on the support they need to fully deploy their talent and vocation, and to rethink the way ahead for the profession globally. We are honoured to teach at Holy Cross and we are very aware of how fortunate we are to be a part of this community.

May the peace of Christ be with you,

Milena Colussi
Principal