Faith Matters
Mission & Identity Resources
AUGUST 2026
Opening Reflection
A Staff Spirituality Day … an induction session for new school board directors … a liturgy with Loreto Staff and Sisters celebrating the anniversary of the first Loreto Sisters setting foot in Australia … meetings to finalise the annual gathering of Canonical Steward Directors with School Board Chairs and Principals … this week just passed has involved practical service as a ‘partner in mission’ with people in all key roles across the Loreto network. The variety has been energising and provided various opportunities to experience the Felicity Mary Ward wrote about when she shared her insights about ‘the Just Soul’ (Mary Ward, 1 November 1615).
‘Partners in Mission’ is the title of the Loreto Ministries New School Board Director Induction Program that we have launched this year. The program explores what a MPJP is, how those who accept senior leadership roles across Loreto accept leadership roles in the Catholic Church, canonical and civil responsibilities of school board directors, as well as the inspiration and guidance of the Mary Ward tradition and, importantly, relationship. This program brings people from across the network together. It invites everyone who participates to recognise that they are part of a network that is modelled on Mary Ward’s Circle of Friends – an open circle that is inclusive, encourages others to share their gifts in the service of mission and one where everyone is empowered to use their voices. One of the highlights of the program for me has been hearing what our school board directors love about their schools and the inspiration that the Mary Ward charism brings. Another has been the questions participants have brought to the table. The program has clearly been warmly embraced, and it has been wonderful to have so many board directors (and chairs) take up the invitation to participate.
The call to be ‘Partners in Mission’ is also present in the theme for the annual gathering of Canonical Steward Directors with School Board Chairs and Principals. This is such an important event on the calendar given the opportunity it provides to strengthen relationships and better understand the needs and responsibilities across the network. The full title of this year’s gathering is, ‘Partners in Mission: Governing with Felicity, Grounded in Relationship’, and it highlights the wisdom of Mary Ward in its subheading: “Work with great tranquillity, joy and magnanimity, for what is not done in one year can be done in another.” (Mary Ward, 1629). This quote from Mary Ward certainly speaks to the experience of establishing a MPJP! The nature of the mission-focused leadership Loreto Ministries supports is evident in this long, yet pertinent theme. Key senior leaders across Loreto ministries are called to be inspired by the example, mission and faith of Mary Ward, to interpret and develop the Mary Ward charism while reading the signs of the times, and to have faith in each other and a loving God who wants what is best for us. To authentically lead in the Loreto network, we must all embrace this responsibility to be inspired by and steward the most significant asset the Loreto tradition presents – the Mary Ward charism.
Our liturgy at the Loreto centre to mark Loreto Heritage Day celebrated the invitation we accept and the responsibility we have when we join with all who serve Mary Ward’s mission today. In our Concluding Prayer, we asked the following for ourselves and for all across the Loreto network:
Loving God,
Friend of Friends,
May we too stride out, spirited and strong, with the courage to embrace the freedom you have gifted us, the compassion to nurture the dignity of all and the strength to continue to find new ways to work for justice. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord, Your Son, and in the name of Mary Ward, Amen.
Mission Calendar Days
4th August
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day
The 2026 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day theme is “Living Our Truth”. In a Loreto context, the truth that Mary Ward embraced was that all people are children of God, blest with inherent dignity, potential and the right to opportunities that support potential to flourish. On this Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day, may all those who embrace the Mary Ward charism make an extra effort to “recognise and celebrate the strength, pride and potential of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children” (SNAICC) and find ways to ensure “every child grows up safe, strong, connected to culture and supported to reach their full potential.” (SNAICC)
8th August
Feast of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop
Those new to the Loreto network may not realise that Australia’s first saint, Mary MacKillop, was friends with Mother Gonzaga Barry. These women, of similar ages, were contemporaries who became friends as they both navigated the challenges of leading their sisters and expanding their ministries. The Loreto presence in Adelaide was encouraged by Mary MacKillop, who wrote to M. Gonzaga of the significant impact the Loreto sisters could have in that place. When describing the inspiration she received from MacKillop, M. Gonzaga wrote: “I look upon Mother Mary as a saint, and I hope she will be the first Australian-born saint canonized. On the strength of what she told me I made the foundation in Adelaide in 1905.” (M. Francis Tobin, 1923, Mother Gonzaga Barry, Her Life and Letters).
As we celebrate the Feast Day of St. Mary of the Cross MacKillop, let’s offer a prayer of gratitude for the lives of both St. Mary and M. Gonzaga; two remarkable women who, along with Mary Ward, embraced the belief that “God wants us by every means in our power to lead others to life.” (Mary MacKillop, 1899, Feast Day Reflections)
About Mary from Mary MacKillop Place – includes timeline of significant dates, and videos of the story of her life.
12th August
International Youth Day
In Loreto schools, every day celebrates our youth and focuses on ensuring the young people in our care know they are loved, blest with potential and able to chase their dreams. The theme for this year’s International Youth Day is “Different Contexts, Common Aspirations” – it reminds us that no matter where young people are, ALL are entitled to safety, respect and opportunity to flourish.
The United Nations World Population Highlights 2026: Youth (published in June 2026) shares key messages that provide a fascinating insight into the challenges for young people around the world today and into the future. I’d like to feature three of them for your consideration:
“More than half of the world’s 1.3 billion youth live in low- and lower-middle-income countries.” (p.X, United Nations Concept Note)
“Safe, orderly and regular migration can contribute to empowering young people.” (p.X, United Nations Concept Note)
“Every year, nearly 1 in 10 women and girls aged 15–19 give birth in low-income countries.” (p.XI, United Nations Concept Note)
I encourage you to review pp.X-XI for more details.
The United Nations concept note for International Youth Day 2026 highlights three interconnected sub-themes: Global Solidarity, Shared Challenges, and Youth Innovation.
15th August
Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
In this Loreto Year of Felicity, listen for the great joy in the Gospel reading for the Feast of the Assumption of Mary (Luke 1:39-56): joy when family comes together, the joy of bringing new life into the world, the joy of recognising God’s love and the joy of being able to share that love in this world. The immense joy depicted in this story is possible because of the great faith in God that Elizabeth and Mary (and John) have, and the freedom that results from embracing that God wants what is good for us, “a future with hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).
In this experience of imaginative prayer - Imagining Mary’s Moments Before the Assumption – the power of gratitude is evident. As we ask Our Lady of the Assumption to pray for us, may we draw strength from Mary’s example of faith, joy and a contentment that comes from finding meaning in purpose.
Prayer: Our Lady of the Assumption, Pray for Us! – by Father Arturo Soso SJ
30th August
Social Justice Sunday
In February 2026, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference released its first of two Social Justice Statements for 2026, entitled “The Cost of Our Living – Economic and Social Justice for the Common Good”. It includes this prayer of solidarity and hope.
The second Social Justice Statement for 2026 will be released on Friday 7 August. Called “Living the Gospel in Times of Social Division”, it will explore the current social tensions in Australia, noting the rise in anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, attacks on migrants and on First Nations Peoples. At the heart of this statement is an encouragement to embrace a civilisation of love which requires us to embrace a culture of encounter; of reaching out to those who are different from us, have different experiences from us and think differently from us.
The Loreto Schools of Australia Mission Statement declares that “Where accepted notions or modes of our society deny or are at variance with the deepest truths of humanity, as revealed in Jesus, then we are called, like Him, to be counter-cultural, however unpopular that may be.” (p.10) May this year’s Social Justice Sunday provoke timely conversations, conversations that see all of us that up the invitation our social justice programs in Loreto schools offer each day - to move beyond our comfort zones and walk in relationship with others, sharing God’s love with all we meet by working for justice that sees the dignity of all respected.
THANK YOU
Carolyn Young
Director, Mission & Identity
BA (Hons.), GradDipEd (Sec.), MRE, MEdLead, MBA (Exec)
M: 0460 034 208
"Serve God with great love and liberty of mind" MARY WARD