Faith and Mission
College Family Mass
On Tuesday 18 March, the St Bede’s College Family Mass was celebrated at ourMentone Campus. The principal celebrant was Fr Martin Tanti (Parish Priest Parish of the Holy Spirit and St Francis, Sandringham, Hampton and Hampton East), and the concelebrants were Fr Justin Ford (Parish Priest Mentone / Parkdale East), Fr Huy Nguyen (Assistant Priest, St Mary of the Cross Parish Mordialloc and Aspendale) and Fr Joseph Nguyen (Assistant Priest, Priest Mentone / Parkdale East). Four Brothers from the Mentone Community also joined us for Mass.
The focus of the celebration was the Jubilee Year: Pilgrims of Hope, reflecting our College theme and the universal theme of the Church for 2025. The words of welcome, read by two of our leaders, set the focus for the Mass:
“Tonight’s Mass is an opportunity for us to acknowledge the importance of our families. It is in our families where our basic needs are met, where we learn to live in a community of love, of difference and forgiveness, where we are encouraged to be the best we can be.
Our families are our first educators of faith, so, it is also in our families where our love and understanding of God grows and is nurtured and for that reason we thank God for the gift of our families.
Tonight’s Mass is also an opportunity to celebrate the Jubilee Year; occurring every 25 years, the Jubilee Year invites us to pause, reflect and reset. It is a sacred period of time dedicated to forgiveness, reconciliation and spiritual renewal. It is an invitation to repair relationships, connect with our faith, and find time to be still to listen to God’s dream for each of us.”
All ministries within the Mass were undertaken by students – welcomers, readers, altar servers, offertory, extraordinary ministers of Communion. For each of these roles the students rehearsed prior to the Mass, ensuring that they were well prepared and confident to undertake their ministry. Further, our Year 12 College Captains were presented to the community, and received both a blessing from Fr Martin and a San Damiano crucifix from the College as a reminder of the centrality of Jesus in our lives.
At the conclusion of the Mass, Deb Frizza delivered the Principal’s Address and College Captain, Maurice Kerbage spoke about the positive impact of Mission Action Day.
The evening concluded with a light and enjoyable supper of doughnuts and coffee, and an opportunity for students, families, Brothers and staff to mingle and connect. The Family Mass is a valued and tangible hallmark of our Catholic identity.
Catholic Education Week
Last week we acknowledged Catholic Education Week, an opportunity for St Bede’s College to join all 334 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese to celebrate our distinctive Catholic identity, our achievements, and the role our College plays within parish and local communities.
Eight of our Senior Years Students represented the College at the Cathedral Mass and Colloquium for Secondary School Students on Friday 21 March, where Year 11 student Daniel A received a special blessing as our Holy Year Ambassador.
Thank you to all our student ambassadors: Finn C, Flynn H, Flynn S, Cooper M, Angus L,
Alessio D, Daniel A and Jesse S. Some have written about their experiences below:
"Everyone joined in the Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral with respect and joy. The responses to the parts of the Mass were said with great conviction. It was good to see the primary students there with the secondary students, reminding us that we share our faith. Of course, the Cathedral is always a wonderful place to be." Flynn H, Year 12
"I was lucky enough to go to the Catholic Education Week Mass; which was amazing as almost 300 schools in the Catholic Archdiocese attended. Despite the rain, St Patrick's Cathedral in East Melbourne was absolutely full of people from around the archdiocese, all there to celebrate the event. The highlights of the Mass were the releasing of the brand-new icon of St Patrick and the procession and displaying of the banners of the 300 schools. The endorsement of the ambassador for the Jubilee Year of 2025 was a central part of the day and fortunately I was chosen as the candidate to represent the St Bede’s Community. Later in the day we were able to attend the Youth Leaders Symposium." Daniel A, Year 11
"After the Mass at St Patrick's Cathedral, we moved to the Catholic Leadership Centre to listen to guest speakers on the importance of leadership, love, compassion, and amazing opportunities in the future for the ACU leaders.
The function brought out previous students who had attended a trip to Rome and London and expressed how this trip affected them positively in how they think about their faith and their place in the world. After the students spoke, Fr Jerome Santamaria delivered an address based on this year’s theme: “Arise, shine, for your light has come.” This function was a highlight of the day as the messages spoken were thought provoking.” Angus L, Year 11
"The main message that I took from the Colloquium was: put God first, God has to be your priority. It is important to build community by spreading your faith. Do this with confidence as God is always there for you." Cooper M, Year 12
Mission Action Day
St Bede’s College Mission Action Day (MAD) is a special day when the whole College Community puts our faith into action.
Your support via donations on Mycause will contribute to our goal to improve the needs of schools and communities in great need
Since 2005, our MAD fundraising has contributed just over one million dollars to projects in Catholic and Lasallian schools in Pakistan and Papua New Guinea.
The outcomes of these projects provides students with:
- Clean drinking water
- Safety from life-threatening diseases
- Safe, secure and comfortable classrooms
- More inclusive education, especially for female students
- Safer, cleaner bathroom facilities
- Improved wellbeing for students
- Better places to learn and play
We will be welcoming donations up to May 4, 2025.
Holy Week Reflection
Holy Week is an extra special week in the Church’s year recalling significant and solemn events in the life of Jesus; his suffering and death. But the week is not only about memory or history; it is an invitation for us to shape the way we live our lives today and into the future influenced by the witness of Jesus.
The highpoint of Holy Week is Good Friday, a time to reflect on the Passion and Death of Jesus. It is a story that we are familiar with, we hear it each year, we reflect on it each time we go to Mass, we might even think of it each time we look at a Cross or crucifix. While it is important that we meditate upon the Passion and Death of Jesus, we know that this story of suffering and sacrifice leads ultimately to a story of hope and optimism based on the Resurrection.
The suffering of Jesus reveals his humanity and speaks to each of us who have experienced personal suffering or loss. Drawing on his Jewish heritage, Jesus cried out from the cross the words of the psalmist: (Psalm 22)
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but find no rest.
I am scorned by others, and despised by the people.
All who see me mock at me; they make mouths at me, they shake their heads.
Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.
Do not be far away! O Lord, come quickly to my aid.
Take some time to read this excerpt of the Passion from the Gospel of Luke (23:44-49):
It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Having said this, he breathed his last. When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, “Certainly this man was innocent.” And when all the crowds who had gathered there for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home, beating their breasts. But all his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
Reflection
It is hard to know exactly what those people thought when they looked upon the cross and saw the dead body of Jesus. What we do know is that over the centuries, many have looked upon the Cross and have pondered what it meant for them.
When you look at the Cross, what do you think of?
The Cross of Christ is the single most sacred symbol of the Christian faith. For many of us it holds special personal significance. For all of us as members of a Catholic school community we recognise and honour what it represents.
In all churches on Good Friday, the Cross will be venerated by millions of people worldwide, in this way we connect to the one universal church. When we venerate the cross we are doing two things:
- Firstly, we acknowledge the sacrifice that Jesus made for all of humanity through his passion and death; so we pay the highest honour possible.
- Secondly, we can take to the Cross our own sufferings, burdens and disappointments and place them before Jesus, just like those who have come before us.
Take some time now to read this message about the significance of the Cross from the teachings of St Paul:
Make your own the mind of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in the form of God, did not cling to his equality with God
But he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming as human beings are; and being in every way like a human being, he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross.
And for this God raised him high, and gave him the name which is above all other names; so that all beings in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld, should bend the knee at the name of Jesus and that every tongue should acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:6-11
Ritual Action
Next time you are in front of a cross, touch it lightly, bow before it, kiss it, or simply stand before it. Then pray…
Our Father, who art in heaven,hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come; Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Enhancing Catholic School Identity Surveys
ECSI surveys capture a snapshot of the attitudes among students, teachers, staff, leaders and families towards the foundations of Catholic school identity. At St Bede’s College, we rely on this critical data (feedback) so we can plan for our future with authenticity and intention.
Survey access
1. Access the surveys at www.ecsi.site/au/user/
2. Enter the case-sensitive password Ghj654 and click login. (enter this manually, do not cut and paste)
3. Displayed on the screen will be your unique User-ID and Password (case-sensitive).
Save this information (write, print, or email it) to access the website at a later time.
Your feedback is essential, so please take the time (around 55 minutes) to complete the surveys when the links are shared with you. Be assured that responses will be anonymous. The surveys close on the 25 April 2025.
Ria Greene
Deputy Principal - Faith and Mission