Mission & Identity

He fed them with the finest wheat

and satisfied them with honey from the rock. (Cf Psalm 80:17)

This Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. From the Missal we read:

During the Passover meal the Jewish people remember God's saving deeds in the past. In this act of remembering, God's saving power is experienced in the present. Through the ritual meal the Last Supper Jesus points to a future event, his crucifixion, in which his body will be broken and his blood shed to inaugurate a new covenant between God and humankind. In the Eucharist we remember Christ’s saving action and participate in its fruits.

These are dramatic words and images, set within a distinctively religious context. But let us remember that our religious spirit expresses our desire for the fullness of life and joy; our capacity, that is in every way a gift from God, to overcome challenges with the hope that never disappoints. When our Traditions speaks of Jesus’ crucifixion, his broken body, and his blood shed, we are proclaiming to the world that love transforms all suffering – in the grittiness and pain of its reality - into the goodness of God’s plan for salvation. A St Patrick’s Education is motivated by and directed towards knowledge of a universe that is in love with God, and the formation of the freedom that cooperates God’s love revealed in Jesus. 

Last Sunday, which was Trinity Sunday, our Boarding Community celebrated Reconciliation Week with Mass in our Old Collegians’ Chapel, followed by dinner in the Pavilion. Many thanks to College Chaplain Fr Eladio Lizada (and the Mission Liturgy Team) and Catering Manager Nyarth Yanwei (with his team) for the joy and celebration of this important moment. In both the Mass and the dinner, we lived our witness to the new covenant inaugurated in Jesus. The Trinity is the reality that true reconciliation strives for. 

At the Mass we prayed: 

God of love and justice, we pray that our political, religious and community leaders act in the interests of all the people in this land. May they walk the talk of reconciliation.

God of love and justice, we pray for those who still suffer sadness because of the government policies of the past. May they be healed by your love in mercy and compassion. 

To both these intercessions we responded: Lord, lead with us towards peace and reconciliation.

This week concludes Edmund Rice Month where a key focus has been our major fundraising event of the year. Let us acknowledge that our current economic climate is very challenging. Our families continue to sacrifice much to pay fees and meet the obligations of daily life. Inspired by the love that comes to perfection through service of others, following the example of the crucified Christ who makes God’s eternal love real in the present, let us pray that our students have done what they can, what they are capable of, to raise their $40.   All funds shall assist the work of our nominated justice partners: 

• Edmund Rice Community Services:
• Edmund Rice Aid Overseas Fund:
• Edmund Rice Camps Victoria:
• Caritas Australia:

I will take the cup of salvation,

and call on the name of the Lord. (Ps 115:13)

May all people welcome God’s love into their lives.