Hello everyone, and welcome to 2024 at Bishop Druitt college! I am excited and honoured to be back working with all our amazing students.

Diary Dates

14th February - Ash Wednesday chapel service. Branson Centre, 9:30am.

28th March - Easter whole school chapel service, Branson Centre, 9:30am.

Every Wednesday - Worship on Wednesdays, Chapel of St Francis and St Clare, 8am.

All family members of BDC students are warmly welcomed to each of our worship times. If you would like further information, please contact me directly.

27th February - Godly Play Parent Evening, Chapel of St Francis and St Clare, 3:30pm.

Parents and guardians of BDC students in Years K-4 are invited to come and learn about Godly Play, which forms the core of our religious education program for these year groups. More information will be shared with these families soon.

Ash Wednesday, Lent, and Easter

Towards the end of this term, in our whole school Easter service, we will journey together through the story of Jesus’ arrest, death, and rising to new life. This is the core story of the Christian faith, and holds many layers of meaning and mystery. It is a story that captures the whole of human experience, from the depths of suffering and sadness, to the radiant joy of new life.

Since ancient times, the church has understood that we need a time of preparation to be able to enter fully into this story. Just as we might find ourselves reflecting on our lives as we approach New Years Day, or a significant birthday celebration, the annual re-telling of the Easter story also invites us to reflect on our own experiences of sorrow, regret, connection, hope, and purpose. In the church calendar, we allow ourselves forty days for this time of preparation and reflection, a time we call Lent.

Each year, the beginning of Lent is marked on Ash Wednesday, so called because of the ashes we use to represent our acknowledgement of the sorrows and regrets we carry. This year, our Ash Wednesday service will use the theme of ‘stardust’ to invite the BDC community to reflect on our connections with each other, the whole creation, and God. We warmly invite any family members to join us for this service.

Holy Communion and Baptism

Easter is also traditionally a time where individuals might choose to deepen, extend, or re-ignite their faith, by receiving Holy Communion for the first time, or by being baptised.

At BDC, students in years 3-12 are invited to participate in Holy Communion at our whole-school chapel services. For students just starting Year 3, or who have recently joined our college in years 4-12, our whole school Easter Service will be their first opportunity to participate in Holy Communion at BDC. We will be working with students in Year 3 to prepare them for this special time, and will share more information with parents of these students in the coming weeks. Please be assured that we recognise that our students come from a wonderful variety of cultural and religious backgrounds, and there are a number of options available for students to participate in a way that has meaning and integrity for them.

Baptism (sometimes called Christening) is a ritual the church has used since ancient times to show a person’s dedication to God, and willingness to be caught up in the new life and hope God offers. If baptism is something you or your children would like to explore, please get in touch, and we can talk about what that might look like for you.

Loads of blessings to you all,

Rev’d Lisa Williamson