From the Rector

Dear Mazenod Community,

On behalf of the Oblate community at Mazenod College, I sincerely welcome you to our 60th Anniversary year. I have always believed that as soon as there is a single new member of our community, then we become a new community. We most definitely are a new community in 2026.

We have welcomed new students, new families and new staff for this Anniversary year as well as new towns and communities in boarding.

We welcome Mrs Sabrina Hughes, our new Principal, to the College and assure her of our every support as she leads our school community.

This year marks Mazenod’s largest enrolment and is a testament to the good character and reputation of many people. More families than ever before have found Mazenod to be their school of choice and we are absolutely humbled by that tremendous responsibility.

As a boarding school, we are at the service of families from all over our vast state and beyond. We welcome the following new towns and communities to boarding: Ardath, Balingup, Clackline, Konnongorring and Yarralin in the Northern Territory. These towns join our existing boarding towns which now number over 50. This is a source of tremendous joy for the Oblates and our entire College. Our boarding enrolments have experienced a more than 10% growth since last year as more families believe that a Mazenod College and boarding experience match their family values. The Oblates recognise that Mrs Annamaria Cream and her team have delivered a quality boarding experience based on genuine care with standards that continue to inspire.

My week has been dominated by welcoming our new Year 7 boys to College life, particularly in the College Chapel and introducing them to the Mass in a gentle and engaging way. I must admit that their energy and enthusiasm is exhausting at times and a reminder to me of my aging process. It doesn’t help that some of the boys alerted me to the fact that I had taught their fathers at Mazenod in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

All of the Year 7s respectfully entered into the spiritual heart of the College in the Chapel. They made a positive contribution to our culture of remembering old boys who have passed away, by selecting a name of an old boy and placing his name in their heart as they entered the Chapel. It is truly one of the great rituals of the College and each one of them embraced it beautifully.

Some of the feelings that they expressed in the Chapel were that it felt safe, relaxing, peaceful and welcoming. One student shared that he felt like the Chapel was built as a home for his heart. When he said that the whole class was silent and there was a genuine feeling of being in a wonderful Moment of Grace.

Moments of Grace are always around us and it is so wonderful to recognise and celebrate them.

There will be so many ways to recognise our 60th Anniversary and art will feature strongly. We have special projects that will be revealed along the way including mosaics, murals and icons as well as First Nations art as well. Here is just a glimpse of some of the special projects that will celebrate our 60th.

I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible during the course of the year as we celebrate our 60th year of mission and service at the College.

Take Care

Fr Michael Twigg OMI

Rector