‘Building Connections in the Spirit of Hope’ - this year’s Family Week theme - took on a deeper meaning in light of restrictions due to COVID-19.
At CatholicCare, we are celebrating the affirmation and encouragement we received from the connections that we made during this time. Family Week was a good reminder to all CatholicCare staff, and our broader CatholicCare family, to take a moment to reflect and strengthen relationships in our lives.
We warmly celebrate and thank all schools, students and teachers for their enthusiastic embrace of this year’s Family week. The ingenuity and eagerness to find new ways to come together and celebrate was truly inspiring!
We saw schools engaging in prayer services and creative online activities; sharing videos, articles and resources in school newsletters; and undertaking projects that were both fun and educational.
It was also great to see schools sharing their Family Week activities on social media, and engaging in our own social media posts! Marymede Catholic College made an inspiring video with students discussing memorable family moments and what they appreciate about their family, and we saw other schools sharing family photos too.
Photo: CatholicCare staff member and her daughter knitting for Genazzano FCJ College’s ’Blankets for the Homeless’ Family Week project.
Our thanks also goes out to Catholic Education Melbourne, Sale Diocese Catholic Education Office, Catholic School Parents Victoria, and Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne for their contributions and support.
And a special thank you to our volunteers who spent time in March helping us contact schools across the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne and Diocese of Sale to spread the word about Family Week this year.
So many people contributed to making this year’s Family Week a truly special time. We thank each and every one of you!
Now that this special celebration has come and gone, we ask you this - what connections were you able to build or develop during Family Week?
And how are you intending to keep and develop those connections?
Share your thoughts with your friends, family and colleagues; and share them with us!
Family Week will be back in May 2021. I hope you can join us to be part of our celebrations then.
Thanks be to the Spirit of Hope who encourages us to reach out and connect with others and who sustains and shapes us through difficult times.
Jeff Wild, Community Engagement Coordinator
CatholicCare Facebook page | CatholicCare Instagram page
Read more: