Principal's Message

On Thursday September 1 we will be celebrating Brigidine Celebration Day. The Brigidine Congregation take their name from St Brigid of Kildare. Some facts in relation to this saint are:

• Feast day February 1
• Irish
• Also known as Brigit, Bridget, and Bride of Ireland
• St. Brigid and St. Patrick are both the patron Saints of Ireland 
• Known for distributing butter to the poor (as a sign of prosperity)
• Born near Kildare
• Was baptised by St. Patrick
• Established the oldest monastery in Ireland 
• She has many famous stories and miracles including legends about: her cloak, butter, a fox, a cow, and many others
• Patron Saint of Ireland, poets, scholars, farmers, children who’s parents are not married, new babies, fertility, nursing mothers, and dairy workers
• Known for making crosses from grass (St. Brigid’s Cross)

St. Brigid’s Day celebrates Ireland’s only female patron saint on February 1. What many people may not know is that the feast day of this 5th century saint was one of the most important days of the year for the rural ancestors of Ireland. With its origins in the Celtic festival of Imbolc, St Brigid’s Day was the festival of fertility and marked the beginning of spring in Ireland. It signalled an end to the darkness of winter and ushered in a new season of hope and growth. As such, the Irish rural ancestors celebrated the day with a festive meal and a host of customs, all aimed at securing St Brigid’s protection and promise of new life and abundance for the year ahead.

It is apt that we are celebrating our special day on the first day of September and the start of spring in the southern hemisphere. It gives us hope for better and brighter days. We take heart from the tradition that we belong to and the example of St Brigid and the Brigidines. We are looking forward to experience a day that symbolises all that we are as a community. We will celebrate our faith, our diversity and our sense of fun.

Raymond Pisani

Principal