“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” – John 14:27

“Christ dwells in every creature.” – St Brigid of Kildare

A very warm welcome back to our entire community for the beginning of Term 2. We pray that the Easter break offered every family a precious moment of rest, joy and renewal, and that the light of the Risen Christ continues to illuminate our days as we step into this new term together. Easter is not a single day but a season, fifty days of resurrection joy, and we are invited, as a Brigidine community, to carry that spirit of hope into all that lies ahead.

With our 2026 College focus on the value of Justice, the closing weeks of Term 1 and these opening days of Term 2 have offered our community so many beautiful opportunities to live out our Brigidine charism in tangible and courageous ways. In generosity to those most in need, in the kneeling humility of foot-washing, in remembrance of those who have given their lives for peace, and in the slow, prayerful work of reconciliation. There is much to celebrate and give thanks for.

Project Compassion – A Term of Generosity

Our Project Compassion campaign drew to a wonderful close in the final week of Term 1, and I write with a deeply grateful heart to thank our entire community for the extraordinary generosity shown throughout the season of Lent. Through Homeroom Project Compassion boxes, online donations via our Kilbreda QR codes, and the wonderful initiatives of our Living Justice Leaders, our community responded so generously to the work of Caritas Australia and to the call to see the face of Christ in those most in need. Overall we raised just over $4,000 which is a wonderful effort.

A particular and heartfelt thank you to our Living Justice Leaders whose energy, vision and tireless effort drove this campaign forward from beginning to end. Their leadership has been an inspiration to the whole College and a beautiful witness to what young people can achieve when they place their gifts at the service of others.

Bake Sale

In the final week of term, our Living Justice Leaders hosted a wonderful Bake Sale in support of Project Compassion. The morning was a wonderful celebration of community spirit, generosity and the considerable culinary talents of our Kilbreda families. The response from students and staff was overwhelming, and the funds raised contributed meaningfully to our Project Compassion total. My sincere thanks to every student who baked, every family who supported and especially to our Living Justice Leaders for their wonderful organisation and leadership of the day.

Easter Raffle

Our Easter Raffle, also coordinated by our Living Justice Leaders, was a wonderful expression of generosity. Tickets sold in great numbers across the community, and every dollar raised contributed directly to our Project Compassion total for Caritas Australia. Congratulations to all of our wonderful prize winners, and a very special thank you to the families who donated such generous prizes, and to every student and family who purchased tickets.

Holy Week Liturgy

On the final day of Term 1, our community gathered for our Holy Week Liturgy, and what a profound and sacred moment it was. Themed around the words of John 13:14 – “You also ought to wash one another’s feet” – the liturgy took us on a powerful journey through Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday and toward the joy of Easter Sunday, inviting our students to enter deeply into the great mystery of Christ’s love and service.

The foot washing at the heart of our Holy Thursday reflection was a particularly moving moment, as our student leaders gathered on stage and our community was reminded that true leadership, in the Brigidine tradition, always begins with the willingness to kneel. This, too, is justice in its most intimate form: not a program or a pronouncement, but a stooping down to the feet of another. I wish to express a very special and deeply felt thank you to Carole Downie for her extraordinary work in bringing this liturgy to life. Thank you also to the many student leaders, readers, musicians and staff who supported the liturgy so beautifully.

Palm Sunday Walk for Justice, Respect and Kindness

On Sunday 29 March, our College was proudly represented at the annual Palm Sunday Walk for Justice, Respect and Kindness in the city. Our Principal Stephanie Smyth, together with staff members, students and their families, joined hundreds of people across Melbourne in a public act of solidarity with refugees and those seeking asylum. This year’s theme, Stronger Together, was a powerful call to stand with those who have fled war, persecution and displacement in search of safety and dignity.

Thank you to all those that attended. Your presence at the Walk is a wonderful and visible expression of our 2026 focus on Justice, and a witness to the very heart of our Brigidine charism.

ANZAC Day Liturgy

On Friday 24 April, our community gathered for our annual ANZAC Day Liturgy, a sacred and reflective moment in our College year. As we paused to remember the courage, sacrifice and service of the men and women who have given so much in times of war and peacekeeping, we were drawn once again to the Brigidine values of courage and compassion, values which call us, in our own time, to be peacemakers in a world still aching for peace. As Pope Paul VI reminded us, if you want peace, work for justice. The Ode of Remembrance, the Last Post, and the moment of silence held our community in a profound stillness, inviting each of us to reflect on the cost of peace and our own responsibility to take up its making.

My sincere thanks to our student leaders who guided the liturgy with such reverence and care, to Carole Downie for her preparation and organisation, and to all of our students whose attentiveness and respect throughout the gathering was a true credit to themselves and our College.

Upcoming: Kildare Ministries First Nations Wathaurong Immersion

Looking further ahead, we are delighted that from Monday 13 May – Wednesday 15 May, several of our students, accompanied by a member of staff, will take part in the Kildare Ministries First Nations Wathaurong Immersion. Hosted at Araluen near Geelong, with a day at Clonard College and time on Wathaurong Country, this three-day program brings together students from Kildare Ministries schools across Australia under the theme Justice: Listening to the Land, Learning from Each Other.

In the Brigidine tradition of hospitality, of making room at the table, this immersion invites our young people into the slow, prayerful work of listening, of walking alongside, and of learning what reconciliation asks of each of us. It is a truly transformative experience and one that aligns powerfully with our 2026 focus on Justice. We hold our students and staff in prayer as they prepare for this journey and we look forward to hearing their reflections upon their return. We give thanks to the Aunties, Elders, facilitators and Kildare Ministries team whose careful and prayerful work makes this immersion possible.

As we move further into this Easter season and into the rhythm of Term 2, may we be a community that listens deeply, to one another, to those on the margins, to the voices of First Nations peoples, and to the cry of our common home.

Through it all, may the spirit of St Brigid, woman of justice, hospitality, and unwavering hope,  continue to inspire us.

Prayer

Loving God,

In this season of Easter joy,

we give you thanks for the gift of new beginnings

and for the community we share at Kilbreda.

We thank you for the generosity of Lent

for every donation, every act of service,

and every quiet kindness offered for the sake of others.

We remember those who have given their lives in service of peace,

and we ask for the courage to be peacemakers ourselves.

We give thanks for the beauty and gift of creation,

and for the wisdom to walk gently upon this sacred land.

Through the example of St Brigid,

may we live with justice, walk in solidarity,

and tend the flame of hope wherever we go.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

In Strength and Kindness,

John Riddle

Director of Catholic Identity and Mission