Catholic Identity & Mission News

Welcome back to Term 3! While this year we have a slightly shorter Term 3, it’s still packed with lots of activities. In my portfolio alone, three of our Houses, MacKillop, Kolbe and Augustine, will be celebrating their Feast Days, all staff will participate in their Staff Spirituality Day on August 8, our College Captains will meet with Bishop Greg in Warragul for their biannual meeting, and then our 2026 student leadership election process commences. The planning is also well underway for Year 12 Graduations and Retreats, and the FIRE Carrier School preparations also continue. St Peter’s really is a vibrant and busy place! 

Earlier this week, we welcomed our Japanese friends, 20 students and 2 staff, from Wako Kokusai High School. It was wonderful to see the connections that had evidently been made between the hosts and guests via email and social media before even landing in Australia – watching them meet in person for the first time was very heart-warming! The late Pope Francis had taught that there should be joy in faith and interpersonal connections. He said something like a person of faith shouldn’t have a face like a ‘pickled pepper’ – they should not be sour or bitter, they should be happy and hopeful because this is how we will live life to the full. These traits are by-products of the Gospel! 

In this Year of Jubilee, the Year of Luke in our Sunday Gospels, these traits are also reinforced by Luke’s depiction of a radically inclusive Jesus. I presented on this topic to staff at our Staff Professional Learning day on Monday this week. Using material from Fr Brendan Byrne’s book, ‘The Hospitality of God’, we looked at how Jesus consistently chose and sought out those on the margins of his society. In fact, by as early as chapter 8 of Luke’s Gospel, Jesus has already recognised, included and cared for the poor, sick, the ‘vulnerable’, the reviled, women, community and religious leaders, a Roman centurion and his slave, great crowds of people, foreigners, those who are blind and those who beg and on it goes. He teaches that ‘the measure you give will be the measure you get back’ and it’s clear that a key theme of this representation of  Jesus is that he means to be as extravagantly generous as possible. 

The generosity of all our host families, and all who welcome and include others in our school, is reflective of the gospel-centred, inclusive college we aim to be. Again, it taps into our annual theme, that we should ‘be the reason for hope’. As Term 3 commences, it is my hope that in the busyness of school, we remain focused on who we are called to be by our loving God, knowing that the measure we give in all our efforts, is the measure we will get back. 

Ms Fiona McKenna

Deputy Principal – Catholic Identity & Mission