Faith and Mission

This year the College is embarking on deepening our relationship with Aegis Montgomery House at the rear of our campus. As part of our Roncalli Service program a group of six Year 9 students will visit the residents each Tuesday afternoon. Research has shown that volunteering at an aged care facility offers numerous benefits for adolescent students and residents alike. The aim of the program is to create intergenerational connections, promoting mutual respect and understanding between different age groups. These personal connections can foster a deeper appreciation for the sacred in human relationships. Hopefully, the experience will enrich the lives of the residents at Montgomery House and contribute to our students' formation as individuals of competence, conscience and compassion. The Roncalli Service Program embodies the College’s mission by actively engaging students in the service of their community and fostering a sense of responsibility towards others.

Janeen Murphy

Deputy Principal Faith and Mission

Way of the Cross

During the season of Lent, crosses have been placed in various points around the campus, to form the ‘Way of the Cross’. Each cross is numbered – there are 14 altogether – however, people are free to choose just a few, or even just one for their own personal reflection. There is no one ‘correct’ way.

If people would like a more structured walk there is a scripted version, which can be accessed with a QR code. The script allows for a short walk, with seven stopping points, located around the Chapel precinct. There is also a longer walk, with 14 stations stretching from the Library to E Block.

Walking and pilgrimage are part of our Christian and Judaic heritage. Walking the Way of the Cross at the College is a mini-pilgrimage into beautiful little places on the College grounds, as well as participation in a centuries-old Lenten tradition. It reminds Christians of the last hours in the life of Jesus, and of the great love that God has for humans and for all of Creation by entering into their world and journeying in their experiences, including pain, suffering and death.

Community Mass

Thank you to Year 8 students who prepared this morning’s liturgy, where we proclaimed the readings of the Third Sunday of Lent in anticipation of the Mass of this Sunday (or Saturday evening). There are some particularly rich readings during the season of Lent, and families are warmly invited to join our Community Mass over the remaining weeks of term. Some families appreciate the opportunity to hear the readings in advance to prepare for larger, busier parish celebrations.

Everyone in the College is warmly invited to gather for the liturgy. If you are new to the College or have not attended Community Mass before, just come to the Chapel for an 8:00am start – there are no reserved seats. Next Friday, 8 March, students in Koolyangarra House will take on the preparation and we look forward especially to seeing Kooly students, families and friends.

After Mass the conversation continues over coffee in the café!

Community Mass details:

College Chapel
Fridays in term time
Starts: 8:00am and concludes 8:30am

Do you have a child in Years 3, 4 or 6?

Parishes have begun enrolling for their Sacrament Programs and parents are encouraged to enrol their child in their ‘home’ parish.

The program is family-focused, parish-based, Catholic school-supported. This means that parents are respected as first educators in the faith of their children.

The family is supported by the College Religious Education program. In Year 3, students are taught the content for First Reconciliation; in Year 4, the content for First Holy Communion and in Year 6, the content for Confirmation. Students celebrate these sacraments in their parish.

Each Parish has their own unique Sacrament program. Some parishes located nearest to the College have supplied details about enrolment and dates, including City Beach, Claremont, Doubleview, North Beach and Subiaco. Please see the Parish Sacrament Programs page on the College website.

Parents often have questions about the Sacrament program, so don’t be afraid to ask:

Your parish priest or Sacrament Coordinator
The Archdiocesan website;
Email Mary-Anne Lumley or phone on 08 9383 0513.

Season of Lent

There are 6 Sundays in Lent and this weekend is the Third Sunday. Michael McGirr from Caritas Australia gives us a reflection based on this Sunday’s readings.

If the world is one great classroom, then God is a fantastic teacher. We have all had experience of this: the firm and gentle way that God opens our minds and helps us to understand.

Sundays’ Scripture readings show three different ways that God tries to get through to us. In the first reading, God sets some clear expectations for behaviour. They are all based around respect, both for the teacher and for those with whom we share the class! At the same time, God reminds us ‘I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the house of slavery.’ In other words, these are not random rules. They are designed to protect our deepest freedom. Disregarding them sends us back into captivity.

In the Gospel, Jesus is annoyed by people who think they know everything but who have not properly understood the basic lesson about justice and reverence. ‘Stop turning my father’s house into a market.’ Finally, St Paul speaks about wisdom. ‘God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.’ This is another style again: inviting us into a mystery, almost using riddles to get us to think outside the box.

It is no surprise that the Catholic community has always valued education and done a great deal to make it accessible for people around the world. Just as God teaches us, so too do we try to share the wonderful gift of learning with others.

This week, Project Compassion brings us the story of Leaia, who lives in Samoa. With the support of Caritas Australia’s local partner Caritas Samoa, a water tank was installed in Leaia’s home to harvest rainwater. This means that her family can now have access to clean water to drink and bathe. The time that was previously spent walking to collect water in buckets from a neighbour down the street can now be used for other essential tasks and, most importantly, her children don’t have to miss out on school. School is a doorway that opens onto a better world.

The Gospel today says that Jesus knew what a person had in them. We should try to be the same: to see the potential, not just the surface.