As our first term draws to a close we are grateful for the many blessings that have been bestowed upon our community so far this year. Our term has been filled with many and varied opportunities to learn and grow, extend our connections with others and to make positive contributions to our local and wider community. Students have embraced the learning and co-curricular opportunities given to them and staff have been very generous in their time to support our students.

Last week we gathered as a whole school community for our College Athletics’ Carnival.  While I wasn’t able to be there on the day, it was wonderful to hear that once again students embraced the day, with great house and community spirit! Congratulations to Brigid House who were the overall winners on the day.

In recent weeks our Year 12 VCE-VM students have been planning, marketing and running various fundraising initiatives for Caritas to support their annual Lenten appeal Project Compassion. They were very committed to ensuring the success of their fundraising initiatives and are to be congratulated on raising $720.85 – an outstanding result!  Thank you to students and staff who supported the VCE-VM fundraising initiatives and also those who donated Easter eggs for our Caritas raffle and purchased raffle tickets. 

Holy Week, which is the week before Easter Sunday, began with Palm Sunday last weekend. It was great to see some staff, students and parents give their time in support of refugees in Australia and participate in the Palm Sunday Walk for Justice for Refugees.  We gathered at the State Library on Sunday afternoon alongside other Kildare Ministries schools and various other Catholic school, religious and community groups.  After listening to various speakers, we marched in solidarity with refugees past Parliament House, calling upon our Federal Government to issue permanent visas for all, establish fair processes and provide income support for people seeking asylum.

Yesterday we gathered as a school community for our Easter Liturgy which focussed on Holy Thursday and Good Friday. Students and staff processed in to the hymn ‘Our Supper Invitation’ sung beautifully by our College choir. This was followed by student led readings and prayers of intercession interspersed with the hymn ‘Behold The Wood’ , by Dan Schutte, while senior drama students enacted a very moving and reverent dramatization. To conclude what was a beautiful liturgy, students and staff processed in silence from the Mary Dalton Hall to Brigid’s Place for the placing of our new cross and final prayer.  I share with you here the words of the hymn ‘Behold The Wood’ as sung by our choir which is a song of adoration based on the familiar Good Friday antiphon with verses that are derived from the Gospel of John:

Behold, behold the wood of the cross,
On which is hung our salvation
O come, let us adore  
(Refrain)

And when my hour of glory comes as all was meant to be,
You shall see me lifted up upon a tree.
(Refrain)

For there can be no greater love shown upon this land,
than in the one who came to die that we might live.
(Refrain)

My Father, if it be your plan, this cup might pass me by,
Yet let it happen as you will if I might die.
(Refrain)

My body now is torn with pain, my friends have left and gone.
O loving Father, take my life into your hands.

Nicole Mangelsdorf
Principal