DIRECTOR OF CATHOLIC IDENTITY
END OF YEAR MASS
On Thursday November 24, the college celebrated the End of Year Mass in the presence of two of our local Sisters of Mercy, Sr Rosemary Graham and Sr Patricia Fitzgibbon. Fr Matthew Thomas celebrated the Mass with staff, students from the college and a 200-strong contingent of Year 12 family and friends. We especially thank Dr John Ballard (Mercy Education Limited Board Director), who was able to attend our final celebration for the year.
It has been another busy and exciting year, and McAuley House was delighted to be leading the liturgy for 2022. It is a year of endings: the Year 12 students have come to the end of not just another year but their final year at St Joseph’s College. For the parents present, it must feel like yesterday when they started as young, nervous Year 7 students in 2017. The final days of other year levels are filled with the last assessment tasks, exams and other final activities.
Following two years of COVID restrictions, many extracurricular activities resumed, such as retreats, camps, sporting events, Feast Day celebrations, food stalls, concerts, and college Masses. To acknowledge this, many images of this year’s college events were shown during the songs of reflection, a wonderful pictorial way to celebrate our Mercy Charism in action at the college.
During Mass, our 2022 student leaders handed over the leadership of the college to our new 2023 student leaders in a symbolic exchange of school banners, candles and handshakes. Fr Matthew blessed all our young leaders for their service and commitment to our college's Core Values.
After the Mass, in the year of celebrating the college's Core Value of Spirituality, our Year 12 students received a cross from the college to symbolise that their spiritual and faith journey will continue and that they are always welcome to return to the college. As the Year 12 students leave, we hope they continue to display the Gospel values and Mercy ethos of the college in the future as they seek out their goals and aspirations. They are many, with different gifts and talents, yet guided by the experiences that they have had at St Joseph’s College. We ask that they listen, be challenged, hold their head up, and be the people they were created to be!
To the rest of the college, we look forward to seeing you on your return in 2023 to uphold the Mercy values, particularly Excellence.
Miss Paula Cox
Director of Catholic Identity
