Faith and Mission

This week, our College has entered into the theme of Refugee Week – 'Finding Freedom: Diversity in Community'. This national observance invites us to reflect on the journeys of people who seek safety, hope, and a future free from fear. At its heart, Refugee Week challenges us to walk with compassion, to listen deeply, and to act justly.

A highlight of our week was the Human Library event, where staff and students had the opportunity to engage in one-on-one conversations with individuals who have experienced displacement and resettlement. The moving stories from Assadullah, Volodymyr, Wahida and Tim offered windows into resilience, courage, and hope, helping our students to grow in empathy and understanding.

The Human Library.pdf

We extend our thanks to our college families for their generous support of the CARAD Food Drive. Your donations of essential items will make a real difference in the lives of refugees and asylum seekers here in Perth. The timing of this act of service, so close to the Feast of Corpus Christi, is especially meaningful, reminding us that to receive the body of Christ in the Eucharist is also to become His hands and heart for others.

We also gathered this week to celebrate St Louis House Day, honouring St Aloysius (Louis) Gonzaga SJ, the young Jesuit saint after whom our House is named. Known for his selflessness and deep faith, St Louis gave his life caring for others during a time of plague, a model of living for 'higher things'. His legacy continues to inspire our students to live with purpose and generosity.

Before John XXIII College was established, the Jesuit-run St Louis School in Claremont carried this same spirit forward in our local Catholic tradition. In a beautiful alignment of history and heritage, Mother Mary Gonzaga Barry ibvm, whose 150-year legacy we celebrate this year, also chose to keep the Feast of St Aloysius. Her commitment to the establishment of the Loreto sisters in Australia and education continues to shape our mission today.

As we reflect on Refugee Week, the Feast of Corpus Christi, and the lives of St Aloysius Gonzaga and Mother Gonzaga Barry, we are reminded of our shared calling: to be people for others, walking humbly, serving generously, and listening always to the stories that shape our common humanity.

Janeen Murphy

Deputy Principal Faith and Mission

Community Mass

Music always brings beauty and joy to our Friday Community Mass. Next Friday, our beautiful and faithful Chapel Choir will welcome other singers and musicians in the College and Music students will be preparing the readings.

Everyone is welcome! Don’t worry if you are not familiar with Catholic liturgy; it is a relaxed and user-friendly Eucharist. Just come to the Chapel for an 8:00am start. Afterwards, there is coffee in the Circle of Friends.

If you have any questions about Community Mass, please contact Mary-Anne Lumley.

Community Mass details

College Chapel
Fridays in term time
Starts at 8:00am; concludes at 8:30am.

Sacraments

Parents often have questions about the Sacrament program, so don’t be afraid to ask. Below are some useful points of contact:

Your parish priest or Sacrament Coordinator
John XXIII College website
The Archdiocesan website: Parishes & Mass Times
Mary-Anne Lumley or via phone on 08 9383 0513

Good News for Corpus Christi

At Community Mass this morning we offered, at the altar, food and personal care items our College community has gathered to give to CARAD, for the refugees and asylum seekers. In the gospel we proclaimed at Mass (for Sunday’s feast of the Body and Blood of Christ) Jeus commands the Apostles: ‘You give them something to eat’! The homily from Michael Tate below invites us to consider with the hope how our generosity is linked to Jesus’ mission, of bringing heaven to earth, the future to the present.

Recently I met with a couple to discuss their forthcoming marriage. Naturally, I asked to see the engagement ring. It was very beautiful and she (and he!) were thrilled to see it flashing in the morning sun. Of course, it was a symbol of their current love for each other. But, much, much more. It anticipated the future, a wonderful future. It created a commitment to the future. It was as if the ring were saying: ‘There will be fulfilment in the future.’

But is it possible to actually drag the future into the present?

Our Lord Jesus Christ is Master of the Universe of space and time. He can make it possible to bring the future life of Heaven into the present.

One of the Jewish symbols of Heaven was a great banquet – a wonderful feast.

Jesus Christ is Lord of space and time - he can make it possible to bring the future life of Heaven into the present. Every so often, Jesus would host a meal which anticipated the future, a wonderful future, a meal which promised ‘There will be fulfilment in the future’, and actually brought that future into the present.

The feeding of the five thousand in today’s gospel is one of those anticipatory sharings in the banquet of the age to come. We say this feeding is miraculous, and it was. And a major part of the miracle is in the transformation of the Twelve Apostles.

Our Lord did not personally feed the five thousand. He required his followers to get involved in alleviating hunger: ‘You give them something to eat.’ They were quite happy to leave the crowd to fend for themselves, or resort to market economics. But when they shared the food Jesus had blessed, the miracle of the hospitality of God was multiplied throughout the crowd – extravagantly.

And so Our Lord gave his followers and the crowd a real taste of that future generosity of God towards humankind which we can symbolise as a heavenly banquet. But, it would not have happened had the inner groups of disciples not shared Jesus’ vision and got involved in what seemed to be an impossible task.

Of course, the Last Supper was the greatest anticipatory meal which Our Lord shared with his disciples. And, at Mass, after invoking the Holy Spirit and using the words of Jesus at that supper, we have a real sharing in the future. When we eat the heavenly bread and drink the spiritual drink, we are eating and drinking the life of the Risen Lord in glory, the glorified humanity of our Risen Lord Jesus Christ. The life of the future.

And then? And then we must do as the Twelve were directed to do. We must go to alleviate the hunger of the world – the hungers of the world: ‘You give them something to eat!’ There is a myriad of hungers in the world: for food, for the other necessities of life, for companionship, for justice. We must go out and identify those hungers and then fulfill Our Lord's Command: ‘You give them something to eat’!

Fr Michael Tate is former Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Tasmania. He was a Senator for Tasmania from 1978-93, being Federal Minister for Justice from 1987-93. He served as Ambassador to The Hague and the Holy See from 1993-96.