Celebrating Our Year 12 Graduates and Living in the Brigidine Tradition

It is with joy and gratitude that we celebrated our Year 12 students at their Graduation Mass and Dinner. These events were a beautiful culmination of their journey through Kilbreda College, and a fitting farewell to the young women who have enriched our community with their talents, friendship and commitment to learning.

I would like to sincerely thank Jane Delahunty for her outstanding organisation of the Graduation Dinner, ensuring it was an elegant and memorable celebration for our students and their families. We are also deeply grateful to Carole Downie for leading the Graduation Mass with reverence, care and reflection, offering our students a sacred space to pause, give thanks and acknowledge the significance of this milestone in their lives.

Over their time at Kilbreda College, these young women have contributed so much to the life of our community through their leadership, friendship, creativity and dedication in classrooms, on sporting fields and in co-curricular activities.

In these final days, their commitment has shone brightly, guiding younger students, supporting their peers and leaving a lasting impression on the spirit of our College. We are grateful for the courage, generosity and heart each graduate has shared. Your leadership has been a gift to us all, and your example will continue to inspire our community long after you leave these halls.

As you step forward into the next chapter of your lives, carry with you the values that have defined your journey here – faith, kindness, strength and courage – and continue to make a difference wherever life leads you.

Graduating “in the Brigidine tradition” is more than an ending, it is a sending forth. Our students leave us as young women of faith and hope, ready to carry Brigid’s flame into the world. They take with them a deep sense of hospitality, justice and compassion, the same values that shape every aspect of life in our community. In the spirit of St Brigid, they are called to be light-bearers and bridge-builders: to discover the sacred in the ordinary, to find God in the everyday, and to make room at the table for others.

This Sunday’s Gospel reminds us of Jesus’ call to humility, service and generosity of spirit. The reading invites us to reflect on how we live out our faith through small acts of kindness, care for the marginalised and the choices we make in our everyday lives. In the Brigidine tradition, this message resonates strongly. St Brigid herself modelled a life of service, courage and hospitality. These values continue to guide us as a College community.

As we farewell our Year 12 students, we encourage them and all members of our community, to carry forward the lessons of faith, hope and justice exemplified by St Brigid. May the Gospel this Sunday inspire us to recognise the dignity of every person and to live with generosity, compassion and courage in our own lives.

We wish our graduates every blessing as they take the next steps on their journey, confident that they will continue to shine as women of integrity and faith, making a positive difference in the world. Remember that you are always in our prayers particularly during this exam period.

Prayer for our Graduates and Community

Loving God,
We thank You for the gift of our Year 12 students,
for their courage, perseverance, and the joy they bring to our community.
Bless them as they take the next steps on their journey,
guiding their hearts with hope, their minds with wisdom,
and their actions with compassion.

May we all be inspired by the example of St Brigid,
to serve others with generosity, to act with courage,
and to walk in faith, justice, and kindness each day.

Strengthen our College community,
that we may continue to support one another,
live out the Gospel in our actions,
and honour the dignity of every person we meet.

Amen.

John Riddle

Director of Catholic Identity and Mission

Head of Counselling Services