From the Principal

Dear Parents, Students, Staff and Friends of Mazenod College,

On Wednesday this week, we gathered to celebrate Mass to give thanks for the Arts and in his homily, Fr McMahon spoke of the three transcendental elements of God – true, good and especially, the often forgotten; beauty.

Our beloved Pope Francis, in addressing the young people at World Youth Day in 2016 in Krakow, Poland, encouraged the youth throughout the world, to focus less on technology and “to download the best link of all… a heart which sees and transmits goodness”.

It is a wonderful reminder from Pope Francis and from Fr McMahon, of our innate ability as human beings to seek and transmit goodness and beauty in all that we do, a concept that is increasingly poignant given the world in which we currently live.

Our students have this ability too. The Catholic Schools Performing Arts Festival is one such way and a most endearing and joyful event on the Catholic school calendar. From very modest origins back in 1989, the Festival this year has grown to include in excess of 20,000 students involved from 163 Catholic schools from across Western Australia, performing in a range of artistic disciplines at over 12 venues within the metropolitan area. This year’s Festival commenced with a Praise and Worship celebration held on Thursday 20 July at St Mary’s Cathedral and culminates some 52 days later with the amazing Festival Concert at the Perth Concert Hall on Monday 11 September.

The festival has 14 sections of varied and diverse forms and from a Mazenod perspective, we have 103 students performing in 54 performances – solos, duets, ensembles, bands, choir and drama monologues. Thank you to our Performing Arts staff, led by Mr Sam Graham and Mr Dan Jonkov, our talented students and supportive parents and families.

Accompanying the Festival is the Angelico Arts Exhibition and as detailed in the associated literature, “…is open to all Catholic school students and features an array of creative, colourful, inspirational and spiritual works ranging from aboriginal and contemporary paintings, ceramics, sculpture, furniture pieces and textiles. The Exhibition runs from 7 – 25 August and this year will feature a host of wonderful pieces created by over 25 of our talented Arts students under the tutelage and guidance of Ms Jazmin McKechnie and Mrs Cathy Giannopoulos.

At the Mass on Wednesday, we also celebrated the Feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of our Lord Jesus, wonderful models of love and care as we celebrate our own and those around us on the 3rd World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly.

“Let is not forget our Grandparents and Elderly, for so often we have been lifted up, felt loved and been healed within, all thanks to their care. Let us grow together, let us strive together” (Pope Francis, 24 July 2023).

God bless

Simon Harvey

Principal