Faith, Justice and Formation
Fathers’ Day Mass and Morning Tea Invitation
Don’t forget that you need to RSVP for the Fathers’ Day Mass and Morning Tea by Monday 1 September.
Please look back at last week’s Especean for more details about the day.
7:45 AM Mass is for families in Hanrahan, Hickey and Rice
9:30 AM Mass is for families in Berg, Coghlan and Crichton.
Here is the link to RSVP - SPC Fathers' Day Mass & Morning Tea 2025.
Gillian Daley
Director of Identity
Environmental Action in NSW Youth Parliament Program
Over the winter break, while many of us relaxed, one of our Year 10 students, Sivi Boichak, was engaged in debate in the NSW parliament!
Here, Sivi tells of his experience as he completed the 2025 NSW Youth Parliament Program:
“Each year the YMCA brings together around 100 youth representatives from across NSW for six months of civic leadership training. Led by young people, for young people, it is an incredible opportunity to develop leadership and advocacy skills through participation in democratic parliamentary policymaking.
I was delighted to have been selected as the youth member for Strathfield and offered a place on the Environmental Sustainability committee. Throughout Semester 1, our committee gathered weekly to draft a Youth Bill in consultation with our respective communities. Our bill was titled the Youth Environmental Duty of Care Bill 2025, and its purpose was to design an effective mechanism to hold companies accountable for environmental pollution in their jurisdictions. As a refuter, my amendment built up on existing legislation, introducing a tiered consequence system to the Bill which punished companies according to the severity of their environmental negligence.
In the final week of the break, our youth delegation presided in the NSW Parliament, where we debated all ten bills presented by the committees, along with their respective amendments. I was delighted that our bill had passed, along with my proposed amendment— and may be considered by the legislative assembly of NSW (being on the debating team came in handy!)
By participating in this program, I learned a lot about the system of governance in NSW, made good friends with the other youth representatives, and had the honour of meeting Mr Jason Yat-Sen Li, the member for Strathfield. While my participation in the program was generously supported by the Young Carers Network, I would strongly encourage other St Pat’s boys in Years 10-12 to consider applying for this wonderful program next year. Applications open in October, and I would be happy to chat about it in more detail with those interested. More information can be found here: https://www.ymcansw.org.au/community-services/youth/youth-parliament/."
We look forward to hearing more about this and hearing how Sivi’s experience and learning can help shape our own context.
Heidi Viney
Learning Enrichment Teacher