Catholic Life in the New Year
Opening School Mass was certainly a sight to behold. The gym was bursting at the seams with our highest recorded student cohort in history.
A total of 543 students respectfully entered the gym and took their seat in anticipation of opening Mass, for most, the event marking their official return to the new school year. It was quite special to see Archie Freegard safely return to his position on the Student Executive team to open proceedings and lead us in prayer. The prayer focused on being grateful, to God, to health and happiness, and to our school community - pausing briefly so staff and students could reflect on their own gratitude, before standing to welcome Fr Domenic.
Isabelle then spoke the Liturgy of the Word, followed by the Responsorial Psalm by Bryce and Maka before Fr Domenic delivered the Gospel. He spoke of the parable found in the Gospel of Luke. The story emphasised the importance of using the time and opportunities granted by God to produce positive and righteous outcomes. He highlighted that in addition to prayer and acts of kindness, students should reflect on areas of their lives where they can improve. Fr Domenic conveyed a message that hopefully inspired students to be active participants in their spiritual journey, whilst fostering a sense of responsibility and gratitude, to pursue a meaningful and fruitful life.
Shortly after the Prayer of the Faithful and Offertory, House Coordinators were invited to announce our new House Captains for 2024. Fr Domenic blessed the badges then handed over to Mr Correia to present each student with their badge. Together, they recited the pledge to serve and uphold the values of the College. Mr Correia took the opportunity to address the school and reiterate Fr Domenic's message and how each of us can relate, no matter of our spiritual beliefs. He said that being the best versions of ourselves not only benefits our personal growth and development but widely benefits the growth and development of our school community.
At closing of the mass, students were dismissed with Year 12's requested to remain behind with Miss Braund to be issued their Class of 2024 Leavers apparel. It was a great start to the exciting year ahead and really set the tone for the upcoming Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday events.
Shrove Tuesday was a hot and humid one but that didn't deter many & with Saintly Brew open for business, we would think not!
The Religion Department, with assistance from our newly elected Student Executive team had a very successful morning in preparation for the masses that came to share pancakes in celebration of Shrove Tuesday. Saintly Brew reopened its doors in support serving breakfast beverages which made the occasion even more joyous. Spirits were high and it was so lovely to see everyone enjoying the occasion with their families, especially our Year 7 cohort, a sea of smiling faces! We are very grateful for all the donations made by families in support of this event.
A big thank you to Ms Tittums, the wider RE Department & our Student Exec for another successful Shrove Tuesday breakfast! Thanks also to the Saintly Brew team for their support, Mr Correia for his pancake flipping skills on the BBQ, and to all the staff involved that assisted on the day.
On Ash Wednesday we gathered to celebrate the beginning of the Church's season of Lent.
Welcomed by our Head Girl, Esther Willett-Green we all gathered together to observe Ash Wednesday as a faith community. The key message in beginning journey through Lent, Holy Week and Easter was about braving the unknown as God's beloved whilst carrying more love, respect, generosity, openness, hospitality and hope in our hearts. As a symbol of this message, six students brought six stones and placed them on the altar embodying the spoken words of the prayer.
Fr Domenic graced us with prayer and shared what Ash Wednesday not only means to the Church, but what it means to him personally. He said that Lent is time for all of us to pause and contemplate what kind of person we are and reflect upon how we can make a difference to the people around us, in our community or other parts of the world. He spoke about the work of Caritas Australia, then we watched a short video on Project Compassion and listened to some stories of people whose lives have been changed from it's generous donations. His reflection further emphasised the call to repentance, humility and self examination.
The distribution of the ashes followed, with the conclusion of the liturgy and our final song, before students were dismissed in the hope of approaching the season of Lent with a sincere and open heart. We hope you enjoy the photos from all these wonderful events. God Bless.