TERM 4 CONNECTIONS MAGAZINE - 2022

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2022

TERM 4

EVANGELISE + GATHER >< SEND >

Advent Edition

3-5

FAREWELL COLLEEN & SHARON

6-9

PSALMS OF ADVENT

8-9

STORIES FROM THE REGIONS

11-13

CLASSROOM RESOURCES

VOL 27 ISSUE 4

From The Diocesan Coordinator Welcome back to the final term of 2022

I

have been reflecting on the interruptions to SRE teaching over the past couple of years and am grateful that we have had almost a full year in our schools in 2022. I can’t thank you enough for your ongoing commitment to the Ministry over these past few years; with all the challenges we have faced, your dedication is inspiring. Our children and young people need to receive a message of love and hope more than ever and that’s what you bring to them every time you go into a classroom.

As some of you are aware, this term we bid farewell to our two beloved CCD Administration Assistants, Sharon da Roza and Colleen Smith.Sharon and Colleen have given almost 40 years of service to the Ministry of SRE between them. Their dedication to our Ministry has served Parish Catechist Coordinators and catechists in so many ways and their friendly cheerful approach to their work has brightened the day of many over those years.

We will be sad to see them leave us, but we wish them both well for the future. Sharon is retiring and looking forward, she tells me, to craft days and catching up with friends. Colleen is taking up a role in The Entrance Parish, coordinating children’s and catechetical ministries. Her giftedness in this area will be a blessing to the parish and we certainly wish Colleen and the families she ministers to every blessing.

This term in SRE, we will celebrate the liturgical seasons of Advent and Christmas. These liturgical seasons present us with wonderful opportunities to do some craft activities with the children in the classrooms. Activities such as an Advent wreath, a Jesse tree or a Christmas card can help to bring these seasons to life in the classroom. If you’ve never done something like this before, I encourage to you to attempt a craft activity in the classroom. You’ll need to be prepared but the rewards can be real. In this issue of Connections, you will find some wonderful activities that are simple and easy to prepare which can be so much fun for the students. It also gives the children something to take home and place in a prominent position in their homes, and which has the capacity to draw the family together for conversation, reflection or a prayerful moment.

I can see families gathered around

the Advent wreath lighting a candle and saying a simple prayer as they prepare for the coming of Baby Jesus at Christmas.

You are invited to join us towards the end of the year for acouple of hours of spiritual reflection on Advent and a cup of tea to finish the year. You will find an invitation to our Advent Reflection mornings on page 14 of this edition. We have two special guest presenters from Catholic Schools Broken Bay, Jo Spek and Kerry Power. Why not bring a few people from your parish and join us. We’d love to see you.

For those who are yet to complete their ongoing Safeguarding training to be eligible for their new authorisation card in 2023, we are running a few extra sessions for green card holders on Zoom in November and December so that you don’t miss out. The dates are Friday 18 November from 11am-1pm; Tuesday 29 November from 6:30pm-8:30pm and Thursday 8 December from 1:30pm-3:30pm. (See flyer in this edition of Connections.)

Contact our Registrations Desk at registrations@bbcatholic.org.au or call 02 8379 1643 to book into one of these sessions. Please check with your Parish Coordinator if you are unsure about your currency with this training, which is required to be updated every 3 years.

Our Annual CCD Mass and Presentation of Awards is being held at Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral at Waitara on Saturday 5 November at 11:30a.m. A rose ceremony will immediately precede the Mass at 11:25 to honour deceased catechists.

Finally, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you and your families a very happy and holy Advent and Christmas season.

May God bless you and your families richly.

Alison Alison Newell 2 | CCD NEWSLETTER TERM 4 2022| VOL 27, ISSUE 4

Update From the CCD Team Kristy Komadina North Shore Region

A heartfelt thank you to all our Catechists for another great year in this most blessed ministry.

I have enjoyed meeting so many of you in person this year through training and other events and pray for more of the same in 2023.

There aren't enough words to describe the incredible hole that will be left by the departure of our Admin Assistants Colleen and Sharon after 17 and 19 years in their roles respectively. They are both the backbones of our team and the glue that keeps us together! Their knowledge and experience of our ministry can never be replaced.

Sue-Anne Sherwood North Shore Region

As we draw to the end of an era with our beloved Colleen and Sharon leaving us, I wonder who will keep us smiling with all their smarts, fun, memes and endless patience. Both such intelligent and caring woman. Yours are very big shoes to fill. You are both angels and have been the heart keeping the CCD office moving and shaking. You are so loved and we all wish you all the best in your retirement and new endeavours.

I want to wish them both the very best for this next stage in their journeys. I will miss them both dearly!

With travel back on the cards, I hope you’re all able to visit all the special people in your lives. My daughter and I travelled to Oberammergau in Germany to meet my Mother there for The Passion Play (I know a few other Catechists have been this year too – what an experience!) and other Grandma is currently visiting from South Africa.

Have a restful break over the summer and we will see you in the new year refreshed and renewed with energy!

Wishing you all a blessed Christmas. Unwind, relax, enjoy! We are praying for your intentions this season.

Michael Tebbutt Central Coast Region

Well, Term 3 is over. It has been a busy one as usual and it is great to be able to welcome new catechists on board as they take their first steps in this ministry or, as in some cases, take up where they left off.

A highlight for me this term was presenting the Level One units on music, drama and storytelling as a workshop day, rather than 3 two hour training sessions. In each of the venues where this workshop was presented, there was much laughter and many smiles. The CCD team is planning to present this workshop again at various locations in the Diocese in 2023.

As this term gets underway, I am looking forward to exploring the Psalms in Level 3, continuing to upgrade the WWJ PowerPoints for 2024 and meeting the wonderful kids we teach in our classes each week.

What I am not looking forward to is saying farewell to Colleen and Sharon. It is a great loss for all of us that they are moving on and I am sure you will join with me to say thank you and see you soon.

John Donnelly Northern Beaches Region

While greatly enjoying teaching at Mona Vale and Avalon Public Schools it has been a bit irregular. The schools were frequently understaffed, student attendance during winter was low and sometimes I was unable to attend due to work commitments or sickness. Then there were the usual disruptions of camps and carnivals as well as the unusual one of a school building program.

One can only hope and pray that through all this chaos the students have heard and responded to the Gospel call to be disciples of Jesus. At times like these, it is worth remembering that the Holy Spirit's work does not need everything to be smooth and calm, in order to inspire us to love God and follow Jesus. In fact the scriptures portray a very different impression of the work of the Spirit.

Given some students will have not heard the Christmas story from us in a few years – let’s make a special effort this year to proclaim the good news of the birth of baby Jesus in a way that impacts not just our students but also their families.

F A R E Sharon da Roza This is my final ‘snippet’ in ‘Connections’, as after almost 19 years of working with the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. Who would have believed way back in February 2004, that I would be clocking on with CCD until December 2022? Not me!!

My job has evolved so much over the years; from two rather sedate days a week, to the five-days a week at a much busier pace. My job title has almost stayed the same, but not the job.

There is really nothing similar about it at all, and in fact I feel I have done about at least six different jobs since I started. The world of compliance that we now live in did not exist then. The Diocese did not issue the CCD authorisation cards, there were no identification checks, no legally required mandatory training, etc, etc. In fact, many declined to share their birth date for our records, as they considered this information far too private to be shared with us! How times have changed, and all for the better when it comes to safeguarding our children.

I have worked with so many people over these years, both in the CCD team, the wider Diocesan teams, and not forgetting all the many incredibly dedicated parish coordinators and catechists out there in the parishes. However, at the core over most of these years there have been certain CCD colleagues; my wonderous, grace-filled manager Alison (best boss ever!!), along with Michael, Colleen, John (and not to be forgotten, Joe). We have all worked together for so long, they really are my ‘other family’.

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Many other people who have wormed their way into my heart during these years have also been past and present CCD teammates and other colleagues from the Chancery. I have retained strong friendships with so many of these people, they will be an integral part of my retirement. I won’t name them, but these amazing people all know who I mean.

At times I have had so much fun and frivolity (all whilst toiling away, I might add) and you just looked forward to coming to work each day. However, the love and pastoral care from co-workers also makes this place a special place to find yourself working in.

Retiring is maybe a bit like when you first leave home. It’s what your heart desires. But you know you will miss your usual daily life, seeing the same faces each day, etc. So, I am fully expecting to be homesick a bit a first and may have to pop in for the odd visit, but eventually I will be having so much fun I will forget to phone ‘home’ and when I do remember, I will not tell them everything that I have been up to! They may want to join me and then who will be left to work in the CCD? Thank you to everyone I have worked with over the years. Thanks for tolerating my craziness, thanks for the friendships, for the love, for the laughs we have had, the tears that we have shared and the wonderful sense of camaraderie that I feel so fortunate to have experienced during this time. I will miss you all.

W E L L This is a very hard farewell message to write. By the time you get to read this, I will have left CCD and have started in my new role as Pastoral Support Worker and Family Faith Support with Our Lady of the Rosary Parish, The Entrance.

Colleen Smith

I started with CCD in October 2005 after having worked 5+ years as Admin Support with Centacare (now CathoilcCare) Central Coast Family Centres and Parish Secretary at Wyong Parish.

During my time with CCD, I continued to offer admin support to CatholicCare during the school holidays for approximately 10 years.

In 2016 my employment changed to full-time, and this took on another level of involvement and allowed me the time to become more engaged in some of the ‘behind the scenes’ administration tasks one being the introduction of our new database and invitations to engage in other areas of the Office for Evangelisation team ministries.

When I first started with CCD, I worked 15 hrs a week and had school holidays off which was an absolute bonus being the mum of two young boys aged 2 and 4 and a husband that works shift work as a paramedic. 17 years later and my boys are now 19 and 21, and adults that take care of themselves, my husband continues his work as a paramedic which in today’s world is challenging.

Some of the memorable highlights that I have been involved in during these past 17 years are:

I have enjoyed my time with CCD immensely and have learned so much along the way and met many people who have touched my life. Not only work colleagues but also the many catechists, parish coordinators, and clergy that I have interacted with on many occasions. Know that you are all very special people.

During my time with CCD I have witnessed many changes, not only with staff but also with the introduction of the new curriculum, ‘Walking with Jesus’ that replaced ‘Joy for Living’, the review of SRE in state schools by the Department of Education which saw the introduction of many of the compliances that we now have in place around safeguarding training, classroom management, etc.

·Introduction of the new SRE curriculum, ‘Walking with Jesus’ ·2007 World Youth Day, the Journey of the Cross, and Icon visiting Central Coast State schools. ·2008 Days in the Diocese for World Youth Day ·2011-2012 providing administration support to the Diocesan Synod coordinator ·Attending the Installation of two Bishops to our diocese. (I have been privileged to work with 3 of the 4 Bishops of the Diocese) ·Attending and facilitating group sessions at Proclaim 2016 Sydney Conference at Chatswood ·Interim Team Leader for the Life Marriage and Family ministry ·Coordinating several of the masses for people with special needs, now known as the Mass of Inclusion. ·There have been many CCD events where we have had great presenters and sometimes representatives from other dioceses which was also a great way to meet and share resources. ·And last but not least the opportunity to teach SRE in our state schools.

Continued on page 15...

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The Psalms of Advent: A Guide for Living as Jesus Asks.

When we think about the Scripture readings of the Advent liturgies, we often think of the message of Isaiah or Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus and John as the voice crying out in the wilderness, proclaiming the imminent arrival of the Saviour, so great that he, John, is unfit to carry his sandals.

When you read this psalm, read it slowly and savour the images that arise. Let them fill your imagination of a ruler so powerful and yet so loving and just. He rescues the poor at the first sign of need. He makes room for those who are destitute in his heart.

This is an image of the perfect king.

What do the psalms say to us in the season of Advent?

Often, all we remember of the psalms after the first reading is the antiphon we repeat after each verse.

The following week, we hear echoes of Jesus’ mission statement from Luke’s Gospel when Jesus read from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah in the synagogue in Nazareth.

This year, we begin Advent with Psalm 122 and this psalm leading us to the House of the Lord, rejoicing. It is a celebratory psalm, rejoicing that Jerusalem, the House of the Lord, is built strongly compact, on the safety of Mt Zion. It is here that the tribes of the Lord are gathering to give thanks to the Lord.

It is a prayer for peace and prosperity for all.

Ps 146:6-7, 8-9 The LORD God keeps faith forever, secures justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry.

The LORD sets captives free.

The LORD gives sight to the blind; the LORD raises up those who were bowed down.

The LORD loves the just; the LORD protects strangers.

Ps 122: 6-7, Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!

May those who love you prosper!

May peace be within your walls, prosperity in your buildings.

Psalm 72 in the second week of Advent looks forward to the justice with which the King’s Son will govern the people.

Ps 72:1-2, 7.

O God, with your judgment endow the king, and with your justice, the king's son; he shall govern your people with justice and your afflicted ones with judgment.

When the king’s son, Jesus, is reigning, the poor and afflicted will be cared for and their lives will be saved. All shall be blessed. This is foretelling of the reign of God. This psalm celebrates the coming of the king and it gives us an insight into the second coming of Jesus.

Ps 72: 7.

Justice shall flower in his days, and profound peace, till the moon be no more.

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Week 3 of Advent continues the promise of justice that was announced in Psalm 72. The psalmist here continues a marvellous description of Yahweh as a God of power, care, justice, and compassion. The psalmist describes Yahweh in His great works of love and power.

In Week 4 of Advent, Psalm 24 is a confident statement of the might and power of God and askes who can ascent to the House of the Lord. The answer is simple.

Psalm 24: 4 One whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain.

What does this mean for us?

As we travel through Advent to celebrate the birth of the King’s Son, the one who will rule with justice and with love and concern for the poor and the afflicted, we must bring about the peace of the Lord and truly rejoice on our journey. We have spelt out for us what the Lord will do for the poor and the stranger, the hungry and the imprisoned.

The question I ask is how can we be involved? What can we do?

If you are like me and want to reach out to all those poor and afflicted, the blind and the oppressed, the widows and the orphans, and help them out but you will probably find that the job is way too big and there is no way that you can do it. But remember! We have been given a code for living. Let us start with ourselves and use these Psalms and this Advent as a time for reflection and discover what imprisons us. What it is for which we hunger. In what ways are we blind or bowed down?

Let us turn to the Lord and allow ourselves to be made whole by His merciful love.

May we prepare well for celebrating the birth of the King’s son; to bring about the Reign of God in our homes, among our circle of friends and in the classrooms in which we bring the Good News of the Son and may we experience the peace of the reign of God’s Love.

Michael Tebbutt Regional Coordinator

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Connecting with Catechists in Chatswood Chatswood is a unique place in our diocese. Home to Our Lady of Dolours Parish, who have given themselves the title of "Church in the City". The church and parish centre are situated in the heart of the business and shopping district in Chatswood, fully immersed in the hustle and bustle of a burgeoning multicultural city.

Tucked away in a corner of the parish office, working incredibly hard is Maricel Malapira who is the Parish CCD Coordinator.

Maricel looks after 6 schools in the local area and has a very healthy cohort of volunteer catechists and helpers that provide SRE lessons each week at these schools.

Since that time late in 2018, Maricel has built an incredible team who genuinely love to spend time with each other. Maricel says that many of the catechists meet weekly after their classes for a coffee to debrief and learn from each other. "It is a relief knowing that you are not alone having those challenges in classroom management and getting some good advice from those who have been doing it for years. A newbie can learn from the seasoned catechists and vice versa."

During 2020 and 2021 with schools being closed during COVID lockdowns and beyond, the Chatswood catechists continued to meet online to maintain the connection with each other. The teams from each school met weekly on Zoom at the same time that their classes would normally run. Each group ran a little differently. Some became a simple opportunity to connect socially whilst others used the time to learn new skills. As Maricel puts it, "It kept our passion on fire to continue in our ministry."

One of their other secrets to success is undoubtedly the support they receive from the clergy in their parish. Fr David Ranson recognised the huge role that the SRE ministry plays in reaching out to families across the parish that he appointed Fr Marek Woldan as the Chaplain of CCD in Chatswood.

Myself and John Donnelly recently visited the Chatswood-based catechists to run a training session in their well-equipped rooms onsite and what we observed was a group that were truly a team and that were dedicated wholeheartedly to the ministry of SRE. Without a doubt one of the secrets to their success is the way that Maricel brings people together and fosters a real sense of community amongst all the catechists. Maricel came to the role in 2018 when the previous coordinator stepped down. She had only been part of the ministry for 6 months or so and hadn't even taught a class yet, however others recognised a talent within her and she was soon appointed to the role.

"It kept our passion on fire to continue in our ministry."

MARICEL MALAPIRA

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Fr Marek has an extensive background in catechesis and is there to support the catechists in any way that he can. He is a bright and bubbly presence at their meetings and is there to provide faith formation both informally and via regular retreats that have been very well received by all, helping to boost morale and to further cement the togetherness of the group.

One of the current initiatives that the Chatswood catechists are undertaking is to give a small gift to each of the students in all six schools to celebrate the return to SRE classes this year after two years of disruptions. Maricel has organised a variety of gifts according to the class group. Maricel explains, "For Kindy, Year 1 and Year 2, a group of catechists are preparing a handmade Christmas ornament. For the Years 3, 4 and 5 they will get a wooden cross of nativity. We bought them from https://www.arksupplies.com.au/ when they had a clearance. For Year 6, I have made a crochet cross bookmark that they can use for their Bibles which is also our gift for them. " Maricel has also made it a priority to reach out and engage with the families of the students who participate in SRE. She sends out an informative newsletter each term so that families who may not already have much to do with the parish know about what is going on and have the opportunity to come and see. They regularly have class Masses where Maricel and Catechists introduce themselves to families and get to know them better. Maricel also likes to support the students and their families through the sacramental program which is another opportunity for connection.

I have been so impressed by what is being achieved at Chatswood in our ministry.

Their success is a testament to the hard work of each and every person who gives of their time and talents. They are a group with strong leadership from Maricel and are boosted by the unwavering support of their priests.

Kristy Komadina

Regional Coordinator

Teaching Student a Catechist in 4 Schools!

Cameron Drake is a current teaching student from Australian Catholic University specialising in Music and Drama who happens to also fit in teaching SRE at four schools in the Hornsby region. Cameron's studies require him to undertake volunteer community engagement and his SRE teaching is a recognised component of his degree.

When Cameron graduates he hopes to become a high school teacher but in the mean time, having so much hands on classroom experience is invaluable to Cameron.

At the same time he gets to share his love of God with so many students each week.

Catechist coordinator Cynthia Gilbertson absolutely loves having Cameron teaching in the schools. She finds that the students respond so well to another young person.

Cynthia also recognises that more young people who are studying teaching, particularly at our Catholic universities would be a boost for our ministry. "We would love more students, like Cameron, who are training to be teachers to come along and help us Catechists teach SRE, as we are very short of Catechists. It is such a rewarding ministry and yes, the students do enjoy what they are taught. More importantly they enjoy having the younger ladies and gentlemen come in to teach them."

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Curriculum

Age Appropriate and Sensitive Teaching of the Christmas Story

What could possibly cause offense in beautiful lessons about the birth of Baby Jesus?

What could be more cute – wise men, lambs, angels, the holy family, shepherds, donkeys? Surely this story is innocence personified. Well so we thought until we asked groups of experienced catechists at recent training sessions.

Given we present Christmas every year our lessons in the Walking with Jesus program are designed to take up different aspects of the story as we develop students’ knowledge, understanding and appreciation of it meaning and significance.

In the infant year (K, 1 & 2) we introduce students to the various characters and their roles. Angels are messengers, Mary and Joseph say yes to God, Wise men recognise and respect the newborn king, Herod is the villain. Older students are challenged to understand the significance of Jesus being the promised Messiah as we guide them to a deeper appreciate the significance of the incarnation and salvation. Throughout the program students are constantly challenged to follow the example of these characters and respond as disciples. Well that’s the theory but sometimes it’s hard not to be distracted from the key message.

At the recent training sessions on Age Appropriate and Sensitive Teaching from the Authorised Curriculum, catechist practiced presenting the Christmas story sensitively to students who may be recent refugees or migrants, live in non-traditional families.

Catechists also explored creative ways to engage multiple intelligences while presenting the story to different kinds of learners.

Here are some of their ideas: Dressing up and acting out the Christmas story Jesus in a Crib as the sacred space Rap and hip hop to carols Reflect on the story from the point of view of different characters Discuss how each character may have felt at different points of the narrative.

Create Christmas Cards with images and scenes from the bible story and religious messages.

Play with models of the nativity

Catechists tell us that students ask about being married or not, being a virgin and having a baby. Then there is the biblical language – ‘betrothed’, ‘not having relations’ and ‘being found with child’. And what about all the contextual details – Roman Empire, Year of Caesar Augustus, Palestine, Bethlehem in Judea not to mention the different names for the child such as Emmanuel.

However we decide to present Christmas this year, it is our privilege and honour as Catechists to be sharing the Gospel story of the birth of baby Jesus and what it means to us. Amid all the celebrating, commercialism and confusion let’s remind our students and their families that

JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON.

John Donnelly Regional Coordinator

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Classroom Resources

Kindy - Year 2

Christmas Story Cloze Passage

Hey Kids! It's time for you to have some fun.

Fill in the missing words!

One day an ..................................... came to ................................... and told her that she would have a special baby. ................................. was to name the baby ....................................... . ................................. and ..................................... had to travel to Bethlehem. ................................. even rode on a ....................................!

While they were there in Bethlehem ................................ was born! ...................... and ......................... couldn't find room at the inn so ......................... was born in a stable.

There were .......................... in the nearby fields taking care of their .............................. . An ........................... came to tell the ........................ that ........................... had been born. The ......................... went to see ........................... and they were amazed! The ............................ praised God and hurried to tell everyone about the Saviour's birth.

Shepherds

Angels Angel Mary

donkey

Jospeh

Jesus

sheep

Christmas Activity Sheet

Years 3 and 4

Classroom Resources Curriculum

Classroom Resources

Christmas Craft BUILD YOUR OWN ADVENT WREATH YOU'LL NEED...

Paper or cardboard

5 cardboard- rolls

paper plate

green card or dried leaves

glue/tape

Cut out the candles being careful not to chop off the flames.

Use the link above to download the free printable advent wreath template.

Once you've downloaded the template print onto some strong white paper or card.

Colour all the parts (love, hope & peace in purple, joy in pink and Christ leave white.)

Wrap the paper around each cardboard roll, securing with glue or tape.

Using scissors or a sharp craft knife, cut 4 'X' slits around the plate and a circle in the centre. Push the candles through the 'X's to secure in place.

Finish decorating with paper leaves or even dried leaves from the garden.

HOW TO BUILD YOUR WREATH IN PICTURES

Set up your wreath in a prominent part of your home.

Fold down all the 'flames' and each Sunday in advent, lift up one of the flames.

In the WWJ curriculum there are different aspects of the Advent and Christmas seasons which have been developed with sensitivity and appropriate language for the age of the children we teach.

Add "Christ's" candle to the centre of the wreath on Christmas day!

Craft activities can be found in: • Kindy student manual WWJ K.9.4 Jesse Tree • WWJ 1.9.3 Get Ready “Advent Candles” craft activity • WWJ 2.9.1 Joyful preparation Advent Star and Wreaths craft activity.

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Upcoming Training and Reflection Day The CCD Broken Bay team is committed to the protection and safeguarding of all the children that we come into contact with through our ministry in public schools. We have an ongoing legal requirement that means every 3 years safeguarding training must be renewed by every Catechist. Sometimes child protection laws and practices can be updated and this is just one of the reasons that regular training is essential.

If you are a Catechist on a GREEN CARD and the last time you completed Safeguarding was late 2018 or early 2019 you will be due for the refresher.

It's very important to note: any catechist who is not up to date with their safeguarding training will not be given a green card at the start of next year and will therefore not be able to enter into a classroom until it is completed.

At the end of the year, it can be wonderful to take a step out of our busy lives and take some time to reflect in a prayerful and engaging environment.

This December we are hosting two reflection mornings with special guest presenters Jo Spek and Kerry Power who come to us from Catholic Schools Broken Bay. The morning will begin with reflection on John the Baptist followed by liturgy and morning tea. Then in the second half, we will all get a chance to play with some "Godly Play" resources and complete a beautiful craft activity to take home.

We hope this morning nourishes you spiritually and refreshes you in preparation for the Advent and Christmas seasons.

registrations@bbcatholic.org.au 8379 1643 14 | CCD NEWSLETTER TERM 4 2022 | VOL 27, ISSUE 4

Continued from page 5 ...

During COVID, as we worked remotely from home, I was confronted with how to keep in touch with everyone and connect with our, catechists, students, and families. Through the creation of the WWJ PowerPoints, we produced the Learning from Home lessons which were then shared with the CCRESS (Catholic Conference of Religious Educators in State Schools – NSW & ACT) network on their website where I had the pleasure of working collaboratively with Sydney Archdiocese IT department. We also started offering training on Zoom and having many of our meetings on Zoom not only with our Coordinators but with our Chancery colleagues. This was a great experience to learn the workings of Zoom using break out rooms etc. I also created the first digital version of CONNECTIONS which Kristy Komadina has now taken to a new level.

My decision to leave CCD was not easy and took many months of discernment, in the end, I felt the call from above to take up this new position and there was no decision to make as I felt it was made for me. This is not goodbye, just farewell for now as I am sure that I will still see many of you at Sacramental meetings etc.

I have experienced many changes and growth since I first started with CCD in 2005 where I had to ‘dial in’ to access the internet (who remembers that?), to now, where we are training catechists with the use of Zoom.

I am very nervous and excited to start my new role and I will truly miss you all. I hope that as you continue in the CCD ministry you will keep me in your prayers and keep sharing your faith and spreading the Gospel to our Catholic students in our state schools.

Lastly, my sincere thanks to the wonderful CCD team members (past & present), the work that we have done over the years has been amazing and the respect we have for each other is second to none. I have never experienced working with such a gifted and talented team. A very special acknowledgment of gratitude to Alison Newell for her extraordinary leadership, I will be forever thankful to you all.

Blessings and farewell, Colleen

CONFRATERNITY OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE BROKEN BAY Caroline Chisolm Centre 423 Pennant Hills rd PENNANT HILLS NSW 2120 PO Box 340 PENNANT HILLS NSW 1715 ALISON NEWELL CCD Diocesan Coordinator P: 8379 1637 M: 0424 737 911 E: alison.newell@bbcatholic.org.au SHARON DA ROZA Diocesan CCD Admin (NSH & NB Regions) P: 8379 1638 E: sharon.daroza@bbcatholic.org.au

KRISTY KOMADINA North Shore Region P: 8379 1639 M: 0400 809 644 E: kristy.komadina@bbcatholic.org.au SUE-ANNE SHERWOOD North Shore Region P: 8379 1639 M: 0416 141 508 E: sueanne.sherwood@bbcatholic.org.au JOHN DONNELLY Northern Beaches Region P: 8379 1640 M: 0437 964 072 E: john.donnelly@bbcatholic.org.au

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Central Coast CCD Resource Centre 12 Ashton Ave THE ENTRACE NSW 2261 (Behind OLOR Church) PO Box 390 THE ENTRANCE NSW 2261 MICHAEL TEBBUTT Central Coast Region P: 8379 1641 M: 0407 218 677 E: michael.tebbutt@bbcatholic.org.au

COLLEEN SMITH Central Coast Admin P: 8379 1642 E: colleen.smith@bbcatholic.org.au Registrations for CCD Training P: 8379 1643 E: registrations@bbcatholic.org.au WWJ Curriculum Resources P: 8379 1642 E: ccdresources@bbcatholic.org.au

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Wishing you a holy advent season and a blessed Christmas!

See you in the new year!