From the Rector
Greetings! This is the last newsletter as we enter the final weeks of our winter months. Hopefully, by the next newsletter, the weather will have started to improve with a little more warmth in the sun. I suppose we will soon be complaining that it is too hot. At times we are never satisfied! This weekend we will witness the final round of the home and away season of the AFL. There are some interesting matches which will determine final positions on the ladder and how that will affect a team’s chances of progressing to the Grand Final.
Assumption & Final 'Moment of Grace'
On August 15, the Feast of the Assumption, the college community gathered in the Provence Centre for the celebration of the Eucharist. We were thrilled to welcome Fr Joshua Nash OMI, recently ordained Oblate priest (22 July), as the celebrant and homilist for this special occasion. We also welcomed our Provincial, Fr Christian Fini OMI, and several Oblate priests who concelebrated. A special thanks to all who were involved in preparing the liturgy, music, and facilities for this prayerful event on our college calendar.
The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. We proclaim and define it to be a dogma revealed by God that the Immaculate Mother of God when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into the glory of heaven.
This year’s feast is also an important celebration for the Oblates as it is the 200th anniversary of St Eugene’s ‘Moment of Grace’ in front of the Oblate Madonna. Before the Oblate final approval by Rome, Fr Eugene de Mazenod expressed concerns about the survival and future of his small group of Missionaries. On the Feast of the Assumption August 15, 1822, Fr Eugene de Mazenod solemnly blessed a statue of the Immaculate Conception (left) in the Church of the Mission in Aix. Fr Eugene de Mazenod later reflected that this day of August 15, 1822, marked an important moment in the life of the Congregation because having blessed the new statue he gained a powerful life-giving insight, a God-given assurance that he was on the right track and that he needed to persevere despite all the external storms raging around him that seemed to threaten the existence of the missionaries. Over two hundred years later, the Oblates continue to reap the harvest of this boost of confidence when our Oblate Madonna “smiled” on our young congregation. In our College chapel we have a small version of the Oblate Madonna, or as it is also called the Virgin of the Smile. A description of the Oblate Madonna Statue by St Eugene: “Her head, crowned with twelve stars, is lifted toward heaven in an attitude of prayer. She wears a golden veil, the same colour as her long robe and her mantle. She is portrayed as the Immaculate Conception with one foot standing on the crescent moon and the other upon a serpent she is crushing. Her right hand is resting on her heart while her other hand is open, spreading graces on her children who are praying to her.”
My sisters and brothers, let us remember that in times of trouble, we can always turn to the Oblate Madonna, just like St. Eugene did. May we look to Mary as an example of faith and trust.
2022 Oblate Staff Conference
From August 6-8, Mazenod College, Victoria hosted the 2022 De Mazenod Family Education Network Oblate Staff Education Conference in Melbourne. This is the first conference to be held in over two years due to the impact of COVID. Representatives from our four colleges: Mazenod, Western Australia; Iona, Brisbane; St Eugene De Mazenod, Burpengary and Mazenod, Victoria gathered at the Catholic Leadership Centre, Melbourne to share current education trends, vision, and the Oblate spirit.
I thank the following staff members who generously accepted my invitation to represent our College: Dr Paul Shannon (Principal), Eleshia Hill, Athena Beshir, Tim Ford, Tina Giacco and John Tighe.
A special thanks to Brandon Paul (Yr11), Aston Pham (Yr12), Luca D’Angelo (Yr11), Ms Linda Lin (pictured above) and Doug Leutchford for providing some classical music at the conference and the celebration of the Eucharist on Sunday afternoon at the Oblate Provincial House, Camberwell.
I have asked the following two participants to share their thoughts on attending the Oblate Education Conference:
Athena Beshir (VCAL-Learning Diversity Teacher): When Father Harry invited me to be a delegate of the host college at the 2022 Oblate Staff Conference, admittedly, I was nervous, as I am relatively new to the college (this is my fourth year), and I come from an Orthodox Christian background. But once I reminded myself of my personal precept, ‘nothing to lose, everything to gain’, my nerves were quickly assuaged.
The four-day conference at the Catholic Leadership Centre in East Melbourne was a special opportunity for me to create meaningful connections with delegates from Iona College in Queensland, Mazenod College in Western Australia, and St Eugene’s College in Queensland.
Not only did we reflect upon and celebrate our shared Oblate Charism, we also interchanged many teaching and learning initiatives shaped by the Oblate vision of education, which is centred on the holistic and well-rounded formation of students within our care.
Amongst the many highlights of the conference was our tour of St Mary’s Seminary in Camberwell, where we met and interacted with Oblate priests and seminarians.
The conference not only gave me an opportunity to deepen my knowledge and understanding of the Oblate Charism but left me with a distinct sense of purpose in my role at Mazenod College and within the Oblate mission. It was an honour to be invited, and I highly recommend staff to consider attending the 2023 Oblate Staff Conference.
Eleshia Hill (Receptionist-Front Desk): I felt privileged when Fr Harry invited me to attend the Oblate Education Conference. I've worked at the College for almost 2 year and in that time have felt that there is something very special about Mazenod. Having now attended the conference and learning more about the life of St Eugene, I feel I now understand what makes our College special, it's because at the heart of the College is the charisms of St Eugene.
I learnt that St Eugene’s mission was to create a community where people felt they belonged, and I can honestly say you certainly feel welcomed and a sense of community in our College. Another charism of St Eugene’s was to serve people on the fringes of society, treating them with respect and dignity and I see that clearly in our teachers who work so hard to care for our students and support them in their needs.
At the conference we also learnt about the inspiring missionary work the Oblates are doing around the world, especially in difficult circumstances serving their communities and creating hope.
There was also an opportunity to hear from other Oblate Colleges in Australia and learn about the programs they have implemented for their students and staff. There was so much enthusiasm, passion and positive energy. I feel very grateful for the experience.
New Staff Room
The renovations at the college are moving along nicely with the new staff room being ‘christened’ on Monday August 8 when the participants on the Oblate Education Conference were guests of our staff for morning tea. The next stage of redeveloping the Learning and Health Centres can now proceed.
Oblate Retreat
From Sunday evening August 21 until Thursday 25 Fr Kevin and I will be joining our brother Oblates of the Australian Province for our annual retreat. Friday August 26 has been set aside to deal with the administration matters of our Province. Please keep us in your prayers. This year Bishop Daniel Eugene Hurley will be our retreat presenter. Bishop Hurley was the sixth bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Darwin from 2007 until he retired in June 2018. In the 2019 Australia Day Honours he was made a Member of the Order of Australia for his service to the Catholic Church in Australia, and to the broader community in the Northern Territory. Bishop Hurley still works hard every day and counts being invited into Aboriginal communities and experiencing their spirituality as his life’s greatest privilege.
Final Winter smiles??
Have an enjoyable weekend!
Fr Harry Dyer OMI
Rector