Deputy Principal

Week 11

At College Assembly on Friday, I spoke to our students about the celebration of Easter. Pope Francis in his address to the congregation at the Vatican on Easter Sunday spoke of Mark’s Gospel and the conversation that Mary Magdeline, Mary the mother of James and Salome, the mother of John and James, had in relation to who was going to roll away the stone at the entrance to the tomb as they walked towards it with spices so they could anoint Jesus’ body. When they arrived, as Pope Francis describes it, this was a time for celebration as the tomb was empty and Jesus had risen. 

I was explaining to the students that God has allowed us through his act of sacrificing his son Jesus, to begin our lives anew. God opened the tomb and that allowed us to celebrate Easter. The Easter celebration is about inviting God into our lives. We need to take advantage of the opportunities that God has given us. I asked the students to take stock of their lives and take time to reflect. What has been working for them, what things like relationships with family and friends do they need to work on? How will they work on these relationships? Do they need to spend some extra time with family and friends? That is time in person and not on social media to build real relationships.

What areas of their school life do they need to work on? Do they need to spend extra time reconnecting with their faith? Is it time they need to invest in particular subjects or areas of co-curricular? I reminded our young men of the opportunities that God has given them by attending a school such as St Patrick’s College. It is up to them to take advantage of these opportunities. Sometimes we can be frightened to take a chance at a new opportunity, however, I reminded them that it is better to try and fail than fail to try and that failing is okay.

Through their Lenten fundraising, our students have generously donated money to both Lucas Gardens and Chalmers Road Schools which will enable those schools to give opportunities to their students who have extra challenges. The funds raised will help to provide a speech pathologist and play equipment to those students who need an extra helping hand. 

This is indeed a time for celebration. To truly celebrate we must be open to God’s love and begin our lives anew.

Adrian Byrne 

Deputy Principal