Catholic Identity & Mission News

Last week our Clyde North Campus Year 10 students enjoyed their Reflection Day and we celebrated the ‘Feast Day’ of Mary Glowrey, one of our eight House Patrons. I’ve put Feast Day in inverted commas because Mary Glowrey is not yet a saint so she doesn’t officially have a Feast Day, but we certainly hope that one day she will be declared a saint by the Church and thereby get an official day in her honour! Glowrey House is one of two Houses celebrating their Feast Days this term. The other House is Marian House who will participate in their House mass and celebrations on Thursday, May 23. It is only fitting that two of our three ‘Mary’ House Patrons (the third Mary being Mary MacKillop) celebrate their special days in May because May is the ‘Month of Mary’. The global Church focuses on the unique role that Mary played in the Incarnation and her perfect model of discipleship. We acknowledge that Mary knew great joy and suffering as a mother and draw on her example as a source of encouragement and consolation especially when we pray for peace.

Next Friday, May 17, marks the start of Catholic Education Week. The theme of Catholic Education Week for 2024 is ‘See, I am making all things new’. Unpacking this theme, the Diocese of Sale explains, “This saying is taken from the Book of Revelation, and it points to a new way of looking at the world; a new way of responding in order to bring about a better world. All things are made new because people can make life choices - they can choose love, compassion, peace, goodness, and justice.” 

“Through dialogue with the Christian story, Catholic schools invite young people to consider Jesus’ message, his life, death, and resurrection. There is a sense of hope, integral to the Catholic faith, as well as a sense of  joy that openness or dialogue brings. Dialogue, that bridge word, that word which builds bridges and enables the pursuit of a more humane and just world, is fundamental to making all things new. Amidst tensions and conflicts in our world and a lack of responsibility toward the common good, there is a need for all people, irrespective of race, creed, and culture, to reach out in a dialogue of love.” 

At St Peter’s, dialogue helps us to ‘do justice, love kindness, and to walk humbly’ with God, each other, and all of humanity and already, we have made some special contributions to the launch of this annual celebration of Catholic schooling. Firstly, some months ago, we filmed short clips where students from both campuses identified how they are ‘making things new’ as well as the things they love about their Catholic school. A selection of these clips is expected to feature in the Diocese of Sale’s promotional video for Catholic Education Week, likely to be shown at the launch event that we (St Peter’s!) are hosting on Friday, May 17. Our Music Ministry students, led magnificently by Mr Matthew Van der Velden, Mr Nigel Patawaran, and Ms Genevieve Lyte, will be singing at the Leadership Mass to be held at St Thomas the Apostle and then guests from around the Diocese will attend the award presentations to be held in our Geode Performing Arts Centre. Hospitality will be provided by our VET Hospitality students. The whole afternoon promises to be both a wonderful celebration of Catholic education and of how it is provided at St Peter’s College.

For our students, they’ll get their first taste of the ideas and themes of the week in their Pastoral lesson on Tuesday, May 14. Kendra Bressan and Tristan Estrada (our CLN and CRA Campus Liturgy Captains respectively) are, along with the House Leaders, leading this session via a film they have made and a project they are promoting which centres around the theme of Catholic Education Week and our eight House Patrons. How did our House Patrons try to ‘make all things new’ and how can we recontextualise this today? There will be a number of other events and activities during Catholic Education Week but in the meantime, I invite you to consider the blessings and benefits of a Catholic Education and how, through dialogue, we can all work together to ‘make things new'

Ms Fiona McKenna

Deputy Principal - Catholic Identity & Mission