Rector's Report

Greetings and welcome back to a new term of learning and activities. I am sure you all enjoyed the welcomed break from the regular routine of drop offs and pickups. I was pleased to encounter students, families, and staff at various Easter liturgies at St John Vianney, Springvale North and St Marys Star of the Sea, Sorrento. It was especially pleasing to witness our students participating in the various liturgies and youth activities. I pray that this will be an enriching term for all of us involved with and in Mazenod College.  

Unfortunately, the joy of the Easter celebration message, the promise of new life in the now and forever has turned to feelings of grief as we witnessed the tragedy of the Bondi Junction killings and then the attack on an Orthodox Assyrian church Bishop, priest, and members of the community in Wakeley, Sydney. Added to this we also witnessed the murders of women in our society over the past month. These attacks were on innocent people who were just going about their normal daily activities. All these senseless acts of violence have changed families, friends, and our society forever more. At times like these we struggle to understand what we can do. What we can do to balance our thoughts and feelings is to pray. I have added this prayer for peace which I invite you to pray so that we can all live and enjoy the peace and freedom that is our gift from God commencing with this Eastertide.  

Prayer for Peace

We pray for the power to be gentle;

the strength to be forgiving;

the patience to be understanding;

the willingness to love all;

and the endurance to accept the consequences of holding on to what we believe to be right.

May we put our faith and trust in the power of the Easter Season to overcome evil and the power of this love to overcome hatred.

We pray for the vision to see and the faith to believe in a world that can be free from violence,a new world where fear no longer leads people to commit injustice, nor selfishness that brings suffering to others.

Help us to devote the thoughts, words, actions, and energy of our lives to the task of being peace makers, praying always for the inspiration and the power to fulfill the destiny for which all people were created, to be an image and likeness of our creator God. 

We also pray, that like St Eugene de Mazenod, we will have the vision “to see the world through the eyes of Christ”.

St Eugene de Mazenod

Pray for us. 

Mission Action Day (MAD)

Mission Action Day was a huge success for the Oblates Missions due the generosity of our families, staff, senior students, students, and sponsors. A special mention to Jennifer Vissenjoux and her team for their enthusiasm and ensuring all of us were kept aware of the real reason we celebrate MAD.

The day commenced with an Easter liturgy in the Provence Centre followed by our students hitting the streets of Mulgrave for their walkathon. The Parents and Friends were generous with their time by being present at the finish line to offer a well-earned Zooper Dooper to the students after their 5Klm walk or run. After this the students launched into the variety of food and fun festivities for the remainder of the day before being called to assemble in the Provence Centre for the drawing of raffles and the announcing of the winners from the various activities. A final blessing for a Holy and safe Easter was accompanied by the joyful noise of enthusiasm for the starting of their holiday break.

On behalf of the Oblates, I want to thank all of you for your generosity towards our missionary endeavours around the world, particularly in our Asian Oceania Region which has resulted in $48,000.00 being raised. You can be assured that every dollar goes towards much need assistance and makes a huge difference to the lives of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

Rosies - Faith in Action

On Good Friday March 29 Mazenod students and staff made the extra missionary effort by giving of their time to offer friendship to the disadvantaged of Melbourne through the Rosies Oblate Street Outreach. 

Our students participated in the solemnity of Good Friday by praying the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy on the minibus, as we travelled into the City of Melbourne to meet our “friends on the streets”. Let us continue to pray for Christ to help all those who enrich our lives by their friendship, hospitality, and conversation with our Rosies’ Street Mission.

In conjunction with Rosies, we, as a College community, are encouraging the work of sustainability for our environment and at the same time supporting the missionary work done by Rosies by collecting soft drink cans and bottles. Once collected these can be deposited in the bins at the college or at the Return It Container Deposit Collection Centre that is situated at 14 Enterprise Court, Mulgrave. Once you begin to deposit the drink containers the donation tab on the screen can be selected for Rosies. The barcode or the code for Rosies can be found on MazCom. 10 cents may not seem like much but collectively the amount adds up and all monies assist the Rosies Youth Mission. Please keep your containers out of the recycling bin and become a part of St Eugene de Mazenod's mission and vision.

                                                  “With a Can we Can make a difference”.

2024 - The Year of Prayer

In preparation for the Jubilee Year in 2025, Pope Francis has asked that this year of 2024 be “a year dedicated to rediscovering the great value and absolute need for prayer in one’s personal life, in the life of the Church, and in the world”.

Here at Mazenod we strive to open our students and staff to the various forms of prayer associated with our tradition within the Catholic Church. This Year of Prayer is a timely reminder to take the opportunities to be still and listen to God’s voice that can transform our lives. Over the next couple of newsletters, I will highlight these prayer traditions that can be a source of hope for our Christian lives.

1: Adoration: Adoration is the exposing of a consecrated host, the Blessed Sacrament, allowing people to sit and pray in the presence of Jesus Christ. It is an act of humility and reverence before the greatness of God. In his reflections, the Pope often reminds us that in adoration we acknowledge our total dependence on God. This form of prayer opens us to a deeper sense of wonder and awe before God’s goodness, strengthening our faith and trust in Him. Adoration specifically refers to any prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament whether in front of a closed Tabernacle or in front of the exposed host in a monstrance. It is a pure expression of the soul turning to God in gratitude and reverence. 

The Jubilee Logo

The logo shows four stylized figures, representing all of humanity, coming from the four corners of the earth. They embrace each other to indicate the solidarity and fraternity which should unite all peoples. The figure at the front is holding onto the cross. It is not only the sign of the faith which this lead figure embraces, but also of hope, which can never be abandoned, because we are always in need of hope, especially in our moments of greatest need. There are the rough waves under the figures, symbolising the fact that life’s pilgrimage does not always go smoothly in calm waters.

Often the circumstances of daily life and events in the wider world require a greater call to hope. That’s why we should pay special attention to the lower part of the cross which has been elongated and turned into the shape of an anchor which is let down into the waves. The anchor is well known as a symbol of hope. In maritime jargon the ‘anchor of hope’ refers to the reserve anchor used by vessels involved in emergency manoeuvres to stabilise the ship during storms.

It is worth noting that the image illustrates the pilgrim’s journey not as an individual undertaking, but rather as something communal, marked by an increasing dynamism leading one ever closer to the cross. The cross in the logo is by no means static, but it is also dynamic. It bends down towards humanity, not leaving human beings alone, but stretching out to them to offer the certainty of its presence and the security of hope.

At the bottom of the logo is the motto of the 2025 Jubilee Year. 

Yours in Jesus Christ and Mary Immaculate

Fr Harry Dyer OMI