From the Principal

Advent is a season of new beginnings, marked by a spirit of expectation, anticipation and preparation for the birth of Jesus on Christmas Day. Fittingly, our Year 6 Farewell Mass took place this week during the early days of Advent. Less a farewell and more a celebration of the learning and growth of our Year 6 students, this transition time also heralds the expectations and anticipation of what might be. The same can be said for all of our students as the school year draws to a close, with classes finishing, College trips returning, backpacks being unpacked, and books being stored away in anticipation of what might come.

Given tomorrow is the anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council, it is timely to reference Pope John XXIII’s encyclical Pacem in Terris and an Advent Prayer for Peace. When Pope John XXIII issued Pacem in Terris in 1963, the Second Vatican Council was still in progress. It was the time of the Cold War, the building of the Berlin Wall, and the growing threat of nuclear war. In fact, Pacem in Terris was written in response to the Cuban missile crisis in which the world narrowly avoided nuclear war. Also known by the English title Peace on Earth, Pacem in Terris remains relevant today, particularly given the most recent impacts of war being felt across the globe.

Advent Prayer for Peace

Jesus, Prince of Peace,

Through your power and inspiration,

may all peoples welcome each other to their hearts

as sisters and brothers.

And may the peace they long for

ever flower and ever reign among them.

(Adapted from Pacem in Terris by Sandie Cornish)

Finally, given this is the last Newsletter for the 2023 school year, I extend my thanks to everyone in the John XXIII College community for their warmth, support and generosity. I hope everyone has the opportunity to spend some precious time with family and friends during the break and I wish everyone a peaceful, joyful and blessed Christmas. 

Daniel Mahon

Principal