Catholic Identity & Mission News
Welcome back to Term 3! I hope that all enjoyed a restful and relaxing break – we had certainly earned it! Term 2 ended with the great annual celebration of St Peter’s Day. On each campus, the day commenced with mass and again, our students and staff gathered with great respect and spirit, to join together in prayer to give thanks for our College, and for our patron saint, St Peter. Facilitated by Fr Antony Rebelo at Cranbourne Campus and Bishop Greg Bennet at Clyde North, the masses were enlivened by beautiful music from our Music Ministry classes and strong participation from the congregation (even those viewing the livestream at Clyde North campus)! I feel very proud that our multi faith community unites in prayer and praise on a day that celebrates our Catholic identity and culture.
An additional feature of our Clyde North celebration was an ‘exhibition’ of some of our Art Ministry artworks that our Year 10 and 11 Art Ministry students had created around the theme of the 30th anniversary of the College. Ranging from paintings, drawings, digital prints and sculpture, these works highlighted the many connections that students make between the story and example of St Peter and how we can experience them today. Some Art Ministry pieces were also included in the works exhibited in the foyer of the Geode Centre during the recent production of ‘Bring it on!’ and will also feature at the upcoming Father’s Day Breakfast. Ensuring these pieces are displayed is another way to celebrate the diverse talents of our students, and their talented and committed teachers!
Sadly though, during the term break, there continued to be bad news in terms of the conflicts in places such as Ukraine and Israel / Palestine, and even an assassination attempt in the United States. Stories of bullying, corruption and crime seem to dominate our news and often, young people (and adults) can feel very despondent and helpless in the face of the worst attitudes and behaviours of humanity. It’s not uncommon to hear, ‘Where is God?’ in the face of such misery. In our Staff Professional Learning sessions in Terms 2 and 3, we are looking more closely at the Gospel of John, and one of Jesus’ key themes in this Gospel is that God lives in US. One interpretation of the well-known passage in John’s Gospel, ‘There are many rooms in my Father’s house’ (Jn 14:2) is that WE are the rooms; we are God’s new Household, established through the ministry and sacrifice of Jesus, and our faith in Him as the Son of God.
In our Catholic community, we are called not to ignore or be indifferent to the problems of our world but to be proactive in responding to them as best we can. We know that in many ways, we are powerless to change them but Catholic Social Teaching demands that we stand in solidarity with those who are oppressed or suffering. Our works of Social Justice raise money for organisations who can provide material support for those in need, but equally important is that we don’t put our ‘heads in the sand’ and ignore their plight but rather, we educate ourselves and we pray for their needs. There are regular updates on global (and sometimes domestic) situations in our SPACE news, and our daily prayers, and often special prayer intentions, focus on praying for peace, love, and justice.
Our College theme this year, to ‘Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly’ compels us to an authentic response to local and global issues. Obviously that response must come freely but it’s the mandate of an educational community like ours to inform, form, and inspire our students to be active global citizens, upholding the dignity of all, and being in solidarity with those who suffer. As Term 3 begins, we celebrate the blessings of our College and continue to pray for peace.
Ms Fiona McKenna
Deputy Principal - Catholic Identity & Mission