Faith, Justice and Formation

2025 Opening College Mass  

Last Friday the whole College community came together at the Quaycentre, Homebush, to celebrate the start of a new school year and acknowledge the importance of all of us living and working in inclusion and harmony. 

Our College Chaplain, Fr Jack Evans, concelebrated the Mass with Fr Tom Stevens, Parish Priest of St Patrick’s Mortlake, both leading us through a reflection on scripture, ritual and prayers, centred on being like Jesus, the great includer. 

At the beginning of proceedings, our new Year 5 students were welcomed onto the stage by their Year 12 House Prefect, before passing through a guard of honour formed by their Year 12 brothers. They received their House Prayer Card and took their rightful place amongst their peers. 

College Captain, George Lahoud, and Inclusive Community Prefect, Michael Bridge,  introduced this year’s scriptural theme chosen by the student leaders: ‘Friends love you like a sister or brother – they are born to give support during adversity.’ (Proverbs 17:17), and outlined the EREA Touchstone focus for the year, Inclusive Community; both central themes for our Mass. 

In his Homily, Fr Tom talked of what it means to be someone who steps out of their comfort zone to lead and ensure a better and more inclusive world for others. He talked of our moral imperative to care for the other and ensure no one is left behind, noting examples of where this doesn’t happen in our world, and also where it does happen. Fr Tom also reminded all of us how we belong to a community and need to ensure a place for all. 

The symbols, readings, prayers, actions and hymns all looked at how we need to be a place of welcome and how we are to include rather than exclude. We sang ‘All Are Welcome’, ‘For Everyone Born (a Place at the Table), ‘One Bread One Body’ and ‘Come As You Are’ to show that no matter who you are, you belong with us.  The College Orchestral Ensemble and Choir lead by Dr Taylor, guided the music for the Mass beautifully. As one community, after communion, we also connected mind and body through movement to the Yirrmal song, Mayangan, showing we reach out our hands to make this a better land together. 

The newly revised EREA Charter outlines the Touchstone of Inclusive Community in this way – 

‘We welcome and celebrate diversity in our local, national and global communities, responsive to each person’s aspirations and needs, and committed to the common good.’

Our community is diverse in many ways, and anyone who makes somebody else feel less worthy for being here is not living their Christian faith, nor working for the Common Good. Our Mass celebrated our calling by our Creator God to accept, care for, include and love one another. When we open our hearts and refrain from judging, we can really be other-person centred, just as Edmund Rice modelled for us. Being an inclusive community is a powerful thing – doesn’t everybody just want to belong??!! This is what we celebrated. 

And this recognition of inclusion continued into our High Achievers’ Assembly showcasing the academic achievements of the Class of 2024; the whole day bringing together our two great missions – faith and education – and showing that we are all made up of different parts, together creating the whole person. 

Gillian Daley

Head of Identity