Principal's Message
Easter
For all Christians, Easter is a solemn time when we reflect on the Passion narrative and remember the suffering and death of Jesus Christ before celebrating his triumphant resurrection. On the evening of Holy Thursday, we specifically recall the Last Supper and the simple, yet powerful example of Christ ‘breaking bread’ and sharing a meal with his followers. On Good Friday, many Catholics will walk the Stations of the Cross, deeply reflecting on the suffering of Jesus and of all humanity. Easter Sunday allows us to celebrate Jesus Christ rising again - his death and subsequent resurrection are central to our Faith and a reminder that we too can begin anew.
This week, in respective Religious Education classes, our students have been challenged to reflect on the personal challenge of renewal that Easter brings. I pray that we can all experience the hope and renewal that comes with the celebration of Easter. In fact, given the circumstances that our world continues to find itself in, amidst the ongoing challenges of our global pandemic and the unfolding tragedy of the conflict in Ukraine, the Easter message of hope and new beginnings could be particularly relevant.
At the end of this most extraordinary and difficult term, as we approach Holy Week and reflect on the final days of Lent, I am also reminded that our lives have been somewhat simplified in that we have been forcibly challenged to focus on the simple things such as family, safety and health that are most important in life. Easter provides us with the time and the context to continue to pray for our families, our school communities, the wider community and for ourselves in a true spirit of hope and of faith.
In his recent Easter message, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB reflected on Easter being a time when we can return to trusting in God and returning to God in prayer. The Archbishop says:
“As Christians, one of our instinctive, and very sound responses is to turn to God in prayer. We are disciples of the one who told us to ask, to seek and to knock, believing that in doing so God would respond (Matt 7:7). We have been, are, and will continue to be, people of prayer for the needs of our world, whether that be our family, our neighbourhood, our fellow Australians or people we have never met on the other side of the world. It is central to our faith that we know ourselves to be part of the human family, brothers and sisters together, with the one God as father of us all… Echoing the constant teaching of our Catholic tradition, Pope Francis has often reminded us that faith does not spare us the burdens and sufferings of life. What faith can do is enable us to bear these painful realities, sometimes with great difficulty, in union with Christ. What we cannot do alone, we can hope to be able to accomplish if we cling to Him.”This is our Easter message of hope and renewal.
I take this opportunity to thank the staff, students and their families for their extraordinary efforts and support during this challenging and busy first term. I trust that everyone has a relaxing term break (it is certainly deserved) and invite you to appreciate a Holy Easter.
Please note that students will have a staggered commencement for the start of Term 2:
Term 2 | |
|---|---|
| Monday, 25 April | ANZAC Day Public Holiday |
| Tuesday, 26 April | Year 4–6 students return 8.30am Year 7–10 online Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews 9am-6pm |
| Wednesday, 27 April | Year 7–12 students return 8.30am |
Live Jesus in our hearts.