Mission & Identity

Year 12 Thanksgiving Mass

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘I tell you most solemnly,

unless a wheat grain falls on to the ground and dies,

it remains only a single grain;

but if it dies,

it yields a rich harvest.

Anyone who loves his life loses it;

anyone who hates his life in this world

will keep it for the eternal life.

If a man serves me, he must follow me,

wherever I am, my servant will be there too.

If anyone serves me, my Father will honour him.’

(John 12:24-26)

This Gospel was proclaimed by Fr. Eladio Lizada OSJ, College Chaplain, at our recently celebrated Thanksgiving Mass. What an uplifting celebration. Gathered by the Most Holy Eucharist to give thanks to God for all the gifts bestowed upon the St Patrick’s College community, the moment invited our Year 12 students into a spirit of gratitude for all those who have supported them and cooperated with their desire to live joy-filled and flourishing lives. Undoubtedly, that is a long list. Our celebration of the Mass, through Word and Sacrament, constantly invites us to contemplate the true nature of human flourishing, and at its heart we encounter Jesus Christ: crucified and risen. Our call, as a Catholic school in the Edmund Rice tradition, is into an ever-deepening friendship with Jesus, and from this friendship we come to know what constitutes our perfect joy. In a word, love.  

However, this is not the love of cinema and pop culture. This is the love that calls us to ‘die’ to all self-interest and to serve the needs of our neighbour. When Jesus says that we must hate our life in this world, he is not advocating some form of morose self-loathing; he calls us to ‘die to’ all that stops us from loving. As we ask in our College Assembly prayer:

              O My God

               Give me your grace to live in your love always.

               Keep my eyes, my ears, my heart

                from clinging to the things that stop me loving.

               Raise my heart in joyful praise for your gifts and 

               let my love of you grow more and more every day.

                Amen. 

Our life as a Catholic school calls us to focus on the choices and actions that share in the gift of eternal life now. This demands our attention. Eternal life is not some reward God hands out to those He thinks have been good and loving in this earthly existence. Eternal life is our choice to accept the free and infinite gift of God into our living here and now, and the decision to conform all our choices and actions to the majesty and mystery of that gift. Such decisions and actions are what create and sustain St Patrick’s College, from the first sacrifices of the Christian Brothers who sailed from Ireland, to the sacrifices of parents that gift an education to their sons, to staff who offer themselves as friends-in-Christ for the sake of the students’ flourishing, to the students themselves who choose the better path among worldly temptations. And this is not mere talk or theory, as our recent Winter Food Drive shows. Even in these challenging economic times, our families freely donated essential items to those families in need. Such is loving service. This dying to self-interest for the sake of another is how our College community witnesses Jesus’ good news to the world.   

Behind every activity at St Patrick’s College there is the collaboration of many people. There is always of long list of thanks. To conclude with an example, here is the acknowledgement of those who prepared the Thanksgiving Mass, with a nod to Genesis Chapter 1. 

In the beginning when there were a Cathedral and a Hall, the Cathedral and Hall were empty, dark, and silent, while a wind swept down Sturt Street. Then the Maintenance Team said, “Let there be chairs for everyone”; and there was seating. And the Maintenance Team saw that the chairs were good; and the Team separated the standing and the seated. And there was gratitude from weary legs, the first thank you.

And Peter Shawcroft said, “Let there be audio in the midst of the silence, and let it separate the voices from the singing.” So Peter repaired the faulty connections that separated the Cathedral sound system from the SPC keyboard. And it was so. And there was perfect sound that evening, the second thank you.

And the College said, “Let the Students of Year 12 be gathered together into one place, and rehearsal begin.” And it was so. Matt Miller called forth his YLC’s, Shane Murphy and Chris Gleeson, and the teachers – Carly Twaits, Damian Kinnersley, Genevieve Browne, Howard Clark, Jarrett Giampaolo, Josh Ebbels, Katherine Swagerman, Sue-Ellen Jirik, Belinda Lees, and Peter Hutchins - that were gathered together in the pews and across the whole year, he called homeroom teachers. And Matt saw that his colleagues were good. Then Matt said, “Let these teachers bring forth kind assistance yielding help of every kind, and let us remember all the teachers who have guided our students over the years,” and there was a settled and cooperative student cohort, the third thank you.

And Tanya Drake, Nyarth Yanwei, and their team said, “Let there be plates and platters to separate the food from the tables in the Hall; and let this food be a source of fellowship and community for days and years, and let the joy of hospitality be Christ’s light upon the earth.” And it was so. The food and drink made a bit of a mess —the greater mess in the bin and the lesser mess of crumbs on the floor. Mark Mclean set the crumbs in the bin, first thing Saturday morning, and there was again a clean Hall, the fourth thank you.

And Majella Muller said, “Let the new Student Council bring forth choruses of music, and let their voices fly above the families gathered in the Cathedral.” So, Majella rehearsed with the students, singing to music created by Helen Lee. Mitch Leviston appeared, saying, “Let the Year 12 students sing for their parents and teachers, giving thanks for the shoulders they have stood upon.” And there was the beauty of music, the fifth thank you.

And God said, “Let the College bring forth Year 12 students of every kind: haircuts and facial hair and personalities of the earth of every kind.” And it was so. For God has made these young men of every kind, with the uniqueness of every kind, and every student that participated in the College opportunities of every kind over many years. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let us celebrate that humankind is made in our image, according to our likeness; and let them celebrate the Holy Mass with Fr Eladio Lizada OSJ, assisted by the work of Ebony Corden, and the generosity of Andrew Chamings and Paterson Meneely, and a Mass of Thanksgiving was celebrated. 

God blessed St Patrick’s College, and God said to them, “Be thankful and joyful, and fill the earth with your joy and justice.” God said, “See, I love with without limit and without condition. You shall never be alone.” And it was so. God saw everything that had happened in the Name of God, and indeed, it was very good. And for all those involved in the Mass, the sixth thank you. 

Thus, the timetables and extra-curricular activities for the Year 12 students of 2025 were finished, and the exams, in all their multitude, wait for many. Let us all be thankful that God continues to bless St Patrick’s College through the efforts of many.

SAGERS update

Finally, a note from our student environmental action group, known as SAGERS. Over recent weeks, our SAGERS group have been tirelessly weeding, re-filling, fertilising, planting and mulching the vegetable gardens. There's a buzz around the area (not just from the bees!) as students eagerly anticipate growing their own produce and herbs. The boys have planted a range of tomatoes, beans, other veggies and fruits such as strawberries, blueberries and passion fruit. Our students cannot wait to see the area come alive in the coming weeks, and experience the tangible results of their hard work, knowledge, and skill.

May we all be filled with God’s blessings for renewal and growth in this season of Spring.