From the Rector

Dear Mazenod Community

A sincere and warm Oblate welcome back to the College following the three-week mid-year break. I hope it was a time of renewal and valuable family time. I enjoyed spending time with my family visiting from Queensland, as well as taking a road trip to Merredin and Kalgoorlie to experience some of Western Australia’s Goldfields culture.

It was a wonderful Moment of Grace to join our fellow Catholic colleges at St Mary’s Cathedral for the opening of the Catholic Schools Performing Arts Festival in Western Australia, and to celebrate our own Arts Mass here at the College. The visual, creative and performing arts are a key and core element of our culture and something we are very proud to celebrate. I give thanks for the creative people of the world, who are needed more than ever in a world grappling with artificial intelligence.

This week, we have been celebrating NAIDOC Week, which gives due recognition and respect to the many achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Our celebrations have included activities that promote awareness and appreciation, football games and other celebrations. I am particularly grateful to Simon Hayward and Amelia Nunnerley, who continually give of themselves to ensure our community is a place of safety and growth for all our students, particularly the First Peoples of this land. The sound of the didgeridoo between classes has been a welcome reminder of the many achievements we are celebrating.

This week, I have had the great honour of accompanying our Year 10 students to the Holocaust Institute in Menorah and the Perth Hebrew Congregation in Yokine as part of their retreat experiences. These visits help solidify our relationship with our fellow Jewish Australians, particularly at this very sensitive time. The College has a very positive relationship with the Jewish community through these visits and the awareness they foster. The students learned to remain alert to the types of circumstances that lead to hate and division and to be people of peace.

It was also deeply moving and spiritually significant to celebrate Mass at Fremantle Prison as part of the College Board Formation Experience. This was the first Mass celebrated at the prison since it closed in 1991, soon after the riots. The Oblates of Mary Immaculate have provided pastoral care in Fremantle since 1894 and, for more than a century, have cared for Western Australian prisoners and their families. We reflected on St Eugene’s care for prisoners and the importance of retaining and restoring human dignity so that, both during and after imprisonment, there is an opportunity to live a meaningful life.

Take Care and God Bless

Fr Michael Twigg OMI

Rector