From the Rector
Greetings! Welcome back for the final term of 2022. I hope you all enjoyed some relaxing time away from the college routine. I must say it is great to have the buzz of community back around the college. This term will be particularly busy with the Year 12 Valedictory Mass and Dinner, Graduation and Final Assembly, Speech Night, Year Level Transitions and everyone’s favourite, Exams!
This newsletter will be a bit of a catch-up on events that have taken place since the end of the last term.
New Oblate Superior General
On Thursday 29th September 2022, during the 37th General Chapter of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate at the Centro Ad Gentes in Nemi, Italy, Fr Luis Ignacio Rois Alonso OMI was elected as the 14th Superior General of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate for a term of six years. Fr Luis was born on the 12th of April 1963 in Madrid, Spain. He made his final profession as a Missionary Oblate of Mary Immaculate on 19 September 1982 and was ordained a priest on
the 21st of May 1988. He has had various roles within the Congregation including Provincial of the Province of Spain (2000-2004), and General Councillor for Europe (2004-2016). From 2017-2022 he has been serving as a missionary in the Western Sahara Mission of the Mediterranean Province (pictured right).
The Superior General is the successor of the Oblate Founder, St Eugene de Mazenod as the Leader of the Congregation. As a sign of this succession, the Superior General wears the missionary crucifix which was worn by St Eugene during his life. Pictured below is the outgoing Superior General, Fr Louis Lougen OMI transferring St Eugene’s Cross to the incoming Superior General.
On behalf of our Mazenod College Community, which is part of the De Mazenod Family, I thank Fr Louis Lougen OMI for his 12 years of service as Superior General and we pray for Fr Luis Alonso OMI as he undertakes this important ministry of leadership for the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate.
The members of the General Chapter met with Pope Francis on Monday 3rd October. At the gathering, Pope Francis stated about the new Superior General "I thank the new Superior General - poor fellow, taken from the desert and brought here to Rome!"
AFL Grand Final
I know it was a couple of weeks ago now, but I suppose we should extend our congratulations to all the college Geelong supporters on an emphatic win in the 2022 Grand Final. The Pies got within a point in the preliminary final against Sydney of being on the big stage at the end of the season, but it wasn’t to be. I don’t believe the Pies would have played any worse than the Swans in the grand final, but we will never know. As the old saying goes: ‘There is always next year’!!
Performing Arts
On the evening of 14th September, we were treated to a very enjoyable evening which showcased some of the talented students we have in Mazenod College with our Annual Performing Arts Evening.
Year 7 Retreat
Our Year 7 students enjoyed an RE Day of Reflection on 8th September.
Staff Retreat
The final day of the term saw all staff participate in a retreat day. The day commenced with Mass in the college chapel with Fr Harry Dyer OMI, Rector, as the main celebrant and homilist Fr Kevin Davine OMI concelebrating. Following Mass, we gathered in the O’Rourke Building for the retreat sessions directed by Fr Rob Galea. The sessions were a mixture of talks, reflection and songs with positive messages on hope, faith and the awesomeness of God. The retreat finished with a catered lunch in the staff room and a few lucky door prizes. It was a relaxing way to finish the term.
Ignite Conference
During the school holidays 20 students and four staff from Mazenod joined other young people from around Australia for the Ignite National Catholic Conference which was held in Brisbane between 22-25 September. We thank our Oblate College of Iona for accommodating our students and staff during their time in Brisbane.
The month of October - Rosary
October is dedicated to the Holy Rosary as the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary was celebrated on the 7th of October. According to Catholic tradition, the rosary was instituted by the Blessed Virgin Mary herself. In the 13th century, she is said to have appeared to St Dominic (founder of the Dominicans), giving him a rosary. The main function of the rosary beads is to count prayers, the prayers that are counted on rosary beads are collectively known as the rosary. The feast was introduced by Pope St Pius V (1504-1572) in the year 1571 to commemorate the miraculous victory of the Christian forces in the Battle of Lepanto on 7th October 1571. The Pope attributed more to the "arms" of the Rosary than the power of cannons and the valour of the soldiers who fought there. In the Middle Ages it was prayed in various medieval monasteries as a substitute for the Divine Office for the lay monks and devout lay persons who did not know how to read. Instead of the 150 psalms, they would pray 150 "Our Fathers" counting them on a ring of beads known as the crown or "corona." The 150 "Hail Marys" were subsequently subdivided into fifteen decades by a young Dominican friar, Henry Kalkar (1328-1408), with each decade referring to an event in the life of Jesus and Mary. The Dominican, Alanus de Rupe (1428-1478) further divided the decades into a history of our salvation by naming them the joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries. In 2002 Pope St John Paul II said that it is fitting that a new set of five be added, termed the Luminous Mysteries.
The Rosary is primarily a scriptural prayer which draws its mysteries from the New Testament and is centred on the great events of the Incarnation and Redemption. The rosary is recited every morning at 7.50am in our college chapel. We encourage our students to come along and pray together as a community of faith reflecting on key moments in Jesus’ ministry on earth. In this month of October, let us pray, at least one decade of the Rosary each week and be drawn closer to Jesus and Mary.
Our Lady of China Chinese Catholic Community
On Sunday 2nd October, I was invited to join the Catholic Chinese Community of Melbourne as they joyously celebrated the solemn blessing and opening of their new community of faith church, Our Lady of China, in Box Hill. The Archbishop of Melbourne, Archbishop Peter Comensoli, was the main celebrant. We congratulate the Chinese community on this act of faith by continuing to sow the seeds of the Good News of Jesus within the Melbourne Archdiocese. I was pleased to meet current and former Mazenod students who are actively involved in this faith community.
Enjoy your weekend!
Fr Harry Dyer OMI
Rector