From the Rector
Greetings & Welcome back!
I hope you all enjoyed your term break, especially from dealing with remote learning. Finally, this week, we were able to welcome back the Year 11 & 12 students as they undertook their various assessments. We are hoping that a return for the rest of our year levels won’t be too far away. These days we remain uncertain as to what lies ahead so let us keep supporting and praying for one another. A number of events have taken place since we last communicated so I thought I would share some of them with you on our first week back.
Fr Christian Fini OMI
Fr Christian Fini OMI
On September 24th we were informed, by our Superior General Fr Louis Lougen OMI and his Council in Rome, that Fr Christian Fini OMI had been reappointed as Provincial of the Australian Oblate Province and China Delegation for another three-year term. We congratulate
Fr Christian and offer him our prayers and support as he leads the Oblates and our De Mazenod Family on our Missionary journey.
Congratulations (some things are hard to say!!) to all the Melbourne supporters at Mazenod College on winning the 2021 AFL Grand Final. They only had to wait 57 years (2975 weeks) to hold up the cup. Fr Kevin was very pleased with ‘my boys!” In 2022 we will start all over again with supporters of each team hoping to secure and enjoy this same success.
David Reagan
David Reagan
David Reagan is a former Mazenod student who graduated in 2003. He returned as a teacher, was a former player with the Old Collegians and coach of the Mazenod Panthers. In November 2019 David was appointed the High-Performance coach of Melbourne F.C. and is seen enjoying the success of the Premiership. Congratulations!
On 29th September, 2021 we prayed in thanksgiving with
Fr Giancarlo Iollo OMI, as he celebrated his 20th Anniversary of ordination to the priesthood.
On the 29th September 1841, four Oblate Priests and two Oblate brothers set sail from the Port of Marseille to Montreal, marking the first foreign missionary journey of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Bishop Bourget of Montreal heard in Rome that if he needed missionaries for his vast, new diocese, then he should approach the Bishop of Marseille who had “a heart like St Paul’s’, a heart as big as the world”. So, in 1841 Bishop Eugene responded to this request with his normal zeal and daring. This first foreign mission was the beginning of a new chapter that saw thousands of missionaries sent to all parts of the world to evangelize the poor and most abandoned. As the missionaries sailed from the Port of
Marseille, abandoned. As the missionaries sailed from the Port of Marseille, they could see the spectacular shrine of Notre Dame de la Garde, began by Bishop de Mazenod and consecrated in 1864. The missionaries would sing the hymn, Salve Regina as the last thing they would see through the sea mist was the golden Madonna atop the great shrine. Mary, Mother of the Missions, was constantly their protector and guide. The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate now have 3,630 missionaries working in 60 countries around the world, bringing the Good News to the poor.
Wednesday, September 29, was Police Remembrance Day, which commemorates all members who have died on duty, including officers who died before the establishment of Victoria Police in 1853. It is a reminder of the brave men and women who have had their lives brought to a tragic and abrupt end, not returning to their loved ones after going to work. Since 1853, 176 Victoria Police members have been killed with 30 having been murdered, which underlines the dangers police members face daily.
Steven Tynan
Steven Tynan
On this day we especially remember one of our own, Steven Tynan. Steven graduated from Mazenod in January 1986 and was eventually stationed in Prahran in 1988. On October 12, 1988 Steven and colleague Damian Eyre were called to an incident, were subsequently ambushed and killed in the line of duty. Both officers made the ultimate sacrifice. We can do nothing to bring all these Police Officers back but as a grateful community we can pray for them and acknowledge their sacrifice.
Due to the School Holidays, on Friday October 8, our College community took an opportunity to pause, thank, remember, and pray for our former students who have chosen the Victoria Police or the Emergency Services as their vocation to serve our community.
September 29 is also the Feast Day of St Michael the Archangel and is invoked for protection against evil. For this reason, Michael is the patron saint of Police Forces throughout the world. A ‘Challenge Coin’ is available to Victoria Police Officers with the image of St Michael which can be placed in their uniforms for protection whilst on duty so that they will return home safely to their loved ones.
Just before the term break, Mr Tony Rolfe installed new flags at the front entrance of our College.
Over time the previous flags had become rather tatty especially due the recent strong winds we have experienced. The Australian, Victorian, Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander flags were donated by the offices of our State and Federal Members of Parliament.
Next week I will recommence the final three instalments of the series of ‘The Spirit and Vision of Bishop Eugene de Mazenod are planted in Australia’.
Links for Mazenod Daily Mass for Parents and friends (outside the Mazenod College community) are below.
For staff and students at Mazenod College, the Daily Mass Links are available via the MazCom homepage.
Monday 11 October
Tuesday 12 October
Wednesday 13 October
Thursday 14 October
Friday 15 October
Have a smile!
Have you heard of Murphy’s Law?
Yes. “If something can go wrong, it will.”
That’s right. Now have you heard of Cole’s Law?
No. What is it?
Thinly sliced cabbage!
What do you produce when you boil a funny bone?
You get a ‘laughing stock’!!
Stay safe, stay healthy, and keep connected with God and one another!
Yours in Jesus Christ and Mary Immaculate,
Fr Harry Dyer OMI
Rector