From the Rector

Dear Mazenod Community,

I sincerely hope that you all were able to enjoy some quality family time over the break and enter now into Term 3 with renewed enthusiasm and commitment to the rest of the year ahead.

I enjoyed visiting boarding families in the following towns: Broome, Beagle Bay, Moora, Miling, Wongan Hills, Port Hedland, South Hedland and Xantippe. The hospitality and experiences I received were very much appreciated. Our College community is enriched by having members from all over our vast State and visiting families helps them feel more a part of our community here. All families would rather their son/s were at home with them, but that is not always possible in order for them to get a quality and excellent education.

This week we have been celebrating NAIDOC Week as its scheduled dates were during the school holidays. NAIDOC Week marks a powerful milestone: 50 years of honouring and elevating Indigenous voices, culture and resilience. The 2025 theme, "The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy," celebrates not only the achievements of the past but the bright future ahead, empowered by the strength of our young leaders, the vision of our communities and the legacy of our ancestors.

We at Mazenod are absolutely proud of our part to play in the development of the next generations. Our College is the richer for attempting to live out reconciliation each and every day. To be trusted by families with the education of their sons is the highest honour it can receive and it is after this trust that we share the care and love of Jesus and the meaning and purpose that a faith provides. We have much work to do and with the partnership of the College, Boarding and families, I genuinely believe we are on the right path. Jesus and St Eugene de Mazenod OMI would also have high expectations of us and I believe they would love our commitment.

I also had the joy of heading down with some Year 7’s to work on our section of the Bibbulmun Track just in Glenoran, which is approximately 30 minutes from Manjimup. Amazingly the section of track that Mazenod is responsible for is named “The Boarding House”. During our time down there we ensured that the track is clear of debris and that the sleeping hut is prepared and ready to welcome hikers and people wishing to stay. Caring for the Bibbulmun Track is just one of the ways we are taking seriously our obligation to share for our common earth and I thank Mr Damian Wallis for his coordination. I am particularly looking forward to sharing Mass with the boys and staff who are there.

Next week we will be welcoming staff from our fellow Oblate Colleges located in Queensland and Victoria and these occasions are wonderfully enriching and collaborative. It will be great to welcome our fellow Oblate Schools to our Mazenod community. The hope of these sessions is to increase our knowledge of St Eugene and how best to help bring the Oblate charism to life.

This weekend we are celebrating our Cebula House Family Mass and it will be great to share the evening with some of our families. This will be the first House Mass celebrated with our families present and we look forward to sharing the joy of it with our wider community.

Finally, I would like to offer a personal invitation to the 50th Anniversary Mass of the building of the Parish Church at  Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Lesmurdie. Mass will be celebrated at 9:30am on Sunday 17 August. All will be very welcome.

Fr Michael Twigg OMI

Rector of Mazenod College