Deputy Principal

Remembering Elizabeth Hayes

The Gospel reading for this Sunday, the Sixth Sunday of Easter, highlights the defining features of Christian ethics. In John 15: 9 - 17, Jesus shares the Great Commandment, “that you love one another as I have loved you,” and appoints his disciples to “go and bear fruit, fruit that will last.” In doing so, Jesus highlights the centrality of love and the need to live this love through our actions for others.

On Monday, 6 May, we commemorate the 130th anniversary of the death of Mother Mary Ignatius (Elizabeth) Hayes. Elizabeth Hayes is the founder of the Missionary Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, the religious order that established our College sixty-eight years ago. In our Franciscan tradition, Elizabeth Hayes is a wonderful example of a Christian woman who extended love to others. We can see in her life, how her deep faith in Jesus inspired her action for justice and her service of the Church.

Elizabeth Hayes was born in 1823 on the Channel Island of Guernsey, just over two hundred years ago. Following the death of her parents, Elizabeth travelled to England and began to work in shelter for poor women, then as a teacher at the Wantage school for disadvantaged children. It was here that she joined the Anglican sisterhood.

Elizabeth later converted to Catholicism and commenced her novitiate with the Franciscans in Glasgow, Scotland. Here she received the Franciscan habit and took the vows of poverty, chastity, obedience, and a fourth vow: to serve the foreign missions.

Elizabeth Hayes’ commitment to service abroad, resulted in the establishment of her order in Belle Prairie, Minnesota, USA in 1872. From their humble log cabin, Elizabeth Hayes and her early companions began their ministry of educating children.

Later, in the Diocese of Savannah, Georgia in the American south, Elizabeth and a small community of nine sisters established a vocational training school for the children of emancipated slaves. They "worked within the African American population exclusively, giving girls plain, simple English schooling, teaching them domestic duties, and visiting and nursing the sick..." (from Brian de Breffny, Unless the Seed Die: The Life of Elizabeth Hayes p.144).  

The central image of the Elizabeth Hayes icon depicts Elizabeth in the habit of the Franciscan Order she founded. The quotation is taken from her diary and reveals Elizabeth Hayes’ commitment to the service of the poor: “An incessant longing to work for the poor dwelt in my heart and was the subject of my prayers” (from the Diary of Elizabeth (Mother M Ignatius) Hayes, p.3). Elizabeth, like Saint Francis and Saint Clare, found God in the poor and the sick. Her service to them emerged from her belief in the dignity of all and her commitment to putting her faith in action. As she wrote in her diary: "A mission without work for the poor and sick, doing little or nothing for the place in which we live is not a very enticing aspect."

Elizabeth’s service to the Church is evident in her publication of the first Franciscan journal in English, the Annals of Our Lady of the Angels and the establishment of the Motherhouse for her Order at Villa Spada, in Rome. Elizabeth Hayes died at Villa Spada in 1894 but her pioneering spirit continued through the expansion of the Order throughout the world.

This mission continues today including here in Australia and in Papua New Guinea. It continues in our College community, especially through our service to others in our local community and in our world. This includes visits to Molly’s House, the Samaritans Community and Delamore; the Saint Anthony’s School Reading Program and Rosies Friends on the Street; the Sony Foundation Camp; the DV Care Pack Project and the Z Club’s Birthing Kit Project; and our Sprout Squad initiatives.

Let us pray that the ministry of Elizabeth Hayes continues to inspire us and, in the words of today’s Gospel, “to bear fruit, fruit that will last.”

Gracious and loving God, 

in the life and ministry of Elizabeth Hayes, 

you have given us an example of faith in action. 

Give us the courage to love one another 

through our respect for all people,

commitment to peace,compassion for the poor,

and service to those in need. 

We ask this through Christ Our Lord. 

Amen. 

Vinnies Drive

This week, to celebrate Elizabeth Hayes Week in our Year of Service, each House is asked to contribute food and grocery items to the Kedron Vinnies Pantry. These items will be packed during Open Day and distributed to families in need in our local area. Donations can be placed in the baskets in the Carceri. Each basket is clearly labelled by House.

Donations are welcome from Monday, May 6 - Friday, 17 May. 

Belle Prairie: Cereal, long life milk, tinned fruit 

Greccio: Pasta, pasta sauce, rice, instant noodles 

Perugia: Coffee, black teabags, tinned vegetables 

Rieti: Laundry powder, dishwashing liquid, soap 

Spoleto: Baked beans and tinned spaghetti; soup/chunky meat soup; tinned fish 

Villa Spada: Rice, toothpaste, toothbrushes, roll on deodorant  

ANZAC Day Services

Thank you to all our students who represented the College at the ANZAC Day services and march organised by the Kedron-Wavell Sub Branch RSL. Our College Co-Captains, Niamh Hooper and Kate O’Driscoll, laid wreaths on behalf of the College at both the Dawn Service and the Main Service. Thank you also to Mrs Helen Stower, Ms Victoria Uhr and Ms Tamara Richardson, for their supervision and support of the students.

In addition, this year our RSL Student Liaisons, Sofia Pezzetta and Amaeh Reed (Year 11), participated in the Kedron-Wavell Sub Branch RSL annual tour to Canberra. They visited a number of places of significance, attended the National Dawn Service and were wonderful ambassadors for the College. Please read their report on the trip in this week’s newsletter.

Eid Lunch, Islamic College of Brisbane

Last Saturday, the College was honoured to attend the Eid Lunch hosted by the Islamic College of Brisbane. It was a wonderful celebration of the conclusion of Ramadan, albeit at a difficult time for the Islamic community globally. As part of the official proceedings of the day, we acknowledged the sorrow of the ongoing war on the Palestinian people in Gaza, a conflict that has directly affected the Islamic College of Brisbane community. 

We hold in our prayers this community, the Palestinian people and all people of good will – including Jews, Muslims, Christians and those of no faith – seeking an end to this war. Thank you to our Captains, Madeleine Colclough, Ella Falzon and Dominique Van Zyl for representing the College and to Ms Jen Clark and Ms Claire Hatchman for accompanying the students to this event.  

Ponytail Project 

On Thursday 16 May, the College will be raising funds for the Cancer Council and people living with cancer by participating in the Ponytail Project. A total of twenty-three students are keen to donate their hair to this worthy cause.

Every year an estimated 4000 ponytails are needed just to make enough charitable wigs for those suffering from cancer or alopecia. One wig requires 20 ponytails and can cost thousands of dollars. Sustainable Salons collects all ponytails 20cm or longer, both coloured and uncoloured, and sends them to charitable organisations and wigmakers. Uncoloured ponytails 36cm+ are the holy grail for charitable wigs.

If you would like to support Team Mount Alvernia go to

 https://www.ponytailproject.com.au/fundraisers/TeamMountAlvernia388 .  

To support a specific team member, scroll down to the Team Members list and select the specific team member you would like to support. So far we have raised over $8500. A wonderful effort!  

86k for a Cure

During the month of March, our College Captains took part in the Children’s Cancer Institute’s 86k for a Cure. This fundraising event supports research into childhood cancer. In total, the Captains walked over 1000 kilometres and raised $4400. It is a wonderful achievement and demonstration of leadership as service. Congratulations Captains!