Faith, Justice and Formation

National Reconciliation Week – a Matter of Justice

Each year National Reconciliation Week takes place from 27 May (anniversary of the 1967 Referendum) to 3 June (anniversary of the Mabo Decision), recognising the need to continue to work for authentic reconciliation between our First Nations brothers and sisters and each of us. 

'It is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.’ (NRW Website – see below). 

This year’s theme is Bridging Now to Next. It ‘calls on all Australians to step forward together, to look ahead and continue the push forward as past lessons guide us.’ 

“In the #NRW2025 theme artwork created by Kalkadoon woman, Bree Buttenshaw - native plants − which are known for regenerating after fire and thriving through adversity − symbolise our collective strength and the possibilities of renewal. This is a time for growth, reflection, and commitment to walking together.

Australia’s history of reconciliation is not a linear one, we have made great strides and experienced disappointing setbacks.” (National Reconciliation Week - Reconciliation Australia).

As a Catholic school in the Edmund Rice Tradition, we are committed to working for justice, and this week is about just that, doing what is right and working for the good of all, for What is a man or a woman if s/he does not seek to make the world a better place? (ERA for Change). Our EREA Charter inspires us to never give up and states clearly in our Touchstones:

Inclusive Community – We welcome and celebrate the diversity in our local, national and global communities, responsive to each person’s aspirations and needs, and committed to the 

common good.

Justice and Solidarity – We are committed to local and global justice and peace, grounded in a spirituality of action and reflection, inspiring us to listen to, walk with and learn from all creation, especially those who experience powerlessness.   

We cannot live by these Touchstones and not work for reconciliation; in a way that doesn’t start with ‘…, but….’. There are so many reasons we need to continue to right the wrongs of the past, with our First Nations peoples’ lives, wisdom and talents diminished in different ways. As a school community we will ‘listen to and walk with’ our First Nations peoples in the hope of a better world for all.

Pope John Paul II made it very clear in 1986 that the Church in Australia would never be complete without us embracing our original peoples and their culture, and this has been followed by subsequent Popes. Our own Australian Catholic Bishops have made a commitment to reconciliation with plaques and acknowledgements of country placed on Churches around the country, not to mention the use of symbols and rituals from Aboriginal culture used within Masses and more.

In 1997 Catholic Religious Orders made a formal apology to all Aboriginal peoples after the Stolen Generations (Apology to Indigenous People from Religious Orders of Australia — Catholic Religious Australia) and the Church’s Justice and Peace Office outlines the following: Catholic Social Teaching on Indigenous Peoples | Justice and Peace Office.

It is not wrong for us to Acknowledge Country or to use Smoking Ceremonies (which can only be performed by recognised Elders). These are all part of our respect for the peoples who walked on this place continuously for more than 60,000 years before us. They do not conjure up spirits and the like. They are about connection with the land and each other.

Since 2013 St Patrick’s College has travelled to Alice Springs to learn from our First Nations brothers and sisters and since 2014 our College has made this commitment to reconciliation:

A God of love whose warm arms embrace all of us, which is who I believe in, will not judge us for embracing those of difference or acknowledging another way for people to know Him. He will judge us if we do not. God sent his son, Jesus, for us so that we may ‘have life and have it to the full’ (Jn 10:10), but we can never have life to the full if we don’t work for others to have it too. Ask yourself – do many of our First Nations peoples have the same access to a full life?

Only in recent years have I watched and heard some ill-founded views and comments coming from the mouths of some of our young people, which breaks my heart. We MUST ‘love one another’ (Jn 13:25) and so I urge you as parents/carers to talk with your children about the work we try to do here. All of us are equal before God and our role is not to divide but to unite. We need to stop the hurt and racism, which doesn’t come from many, but is often louder because the rest of us don’t always stand up and say ‘no’ to the negative comments. “They shall know we are Christians by our love.”  

Aboriginal people believe that if you live on this same land as them then you are one of them and you must be cared for. I see this in action over and over again, but how do we respond? Surely, we can do the same? Surely this is part of our faith?

I pay my respects to all elders, past, present, and emerging, from the lands on which I work and play. I thank them for sustaining the beauty and ongoing creation of this natural environment so we too may enjoy it and benefit from it. As a school in the Edmund Rice tradition, we are a community challenged to stand for Justice and Solidarity. Thus, we acknowledge with deep sorrow the atrocities committed against First Nations peoples throughout history. More importantly, we recognise the ongoing injustices and the failure to create a society that is truly fair and just for all First Nations people today. This apology is offered with genuine respect and a commitment to listening, learning, and doing better.

As an EREA school, we endorse the Uluru Statement from the Heart, and the position of our Trustees is clear and can be read here.

Our Assembly this Friday is dedicated to National Reconciliation Week, and this weekend sees our Reconciliation Round of Co-curricular, committing ourselves to right relationship and justice, as we ‘bridge now to next.’

Our Lady Help of Christians Mass, St Mary's Cathedral Sydney 2025

On 23 May, the wet and rainy Friday last week, a group of Year 6 students and Ms Osorio Navaez (Acting Stage 3 REC) headed out to represent the College at St Mary’s Cathedral in the celebration of the Solemnity of Our Lady Help of Christians. It was a beautiful Mass where the boys honoured the Patroness of Australia with all Catholic schools represented. 

I thank the boys for doing us proud and hope they took a lot from the experience. I also thank Ms Osorio Narvaez for enabling these students to grow in their faith.

Gillian Daley

Director of Identity

Year 5 Belonging Day

On Wednesday 21 May, the Year 5 boys took part in their first Formation event across two venues, as part of their St Patrick’s College Identity journey. The focus of the day was based on the theme of 'Jesus, Edmund and Me'. Throughout the program, the boys developed their understanding that Jesus is at the centre of our lives, and that Edmund, follows the example of Jesus and is a model for our story. As such we are made in the image of God so our story is caught up with that of Jesus and Edmund. Our job is a simple one, we live in the image of God and emulate the examples of Jesus and Edmund. The boys had a wonderful, faith-filled day, connecting with each other, their teachers and some Year 11 students, while also forming new friendships.

Milena Osorio Narvaez

Acting Stage 3 - REC