Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord;
let it be with me according to your word.’
Luke 1:38

On 15 August our Church celebrated the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We celebrated Mass at the College in our chapel led by Fr Peter Matheson, who presented a reflection on the connection between the date of the feast and the announcement of the surrender by Japan at the end of WWII.

Growing up, I remember on the Assumption my grandmother (who lived with us) always brought out her rosary beads and ‘invited’ me to join her before we ate dinner. Of course, I had already been to Mass at school, as it was (and still is) a holy day of obligation, but this didn’t stop my grandmother, who never missed a chance to honour Mary.

Coincidentally, 15 August is also the anniversary of the birth of St Oscar Romero, the martyred Archbishop of San Salvador, who was undoubtedly inspired by the Gospel reading of the Feast of the Assumption, Mary’s Magnificat (Lk 1:46-55).

Mary’s Assumption is a celebration of the fullness of life, and the hope of a life beyond the physical world that we inhabit. It is a reminder that as people of faith, we hope for the fulfilment of Mary’s promises and the hope that our bodies will be transformed in the presence of God after we die.

The global pandemic, of course, made death an urgent and sad reality for many people in our country and our world today. The Coronavirus reminded us of the fragility of life and changed the way we live our daily lives. Ironically, it emphasised how important the seemingly little things are: sitting with friends and giving them a hug, having visitors in our home and being available to friends and family who might need us at short notice. The mystery of life became a daily, lived reality, and the fullness of life that is the essence of the Feast of the Assumption was brought into even sharper relief.

The Year 8 students have always been full of life since I met them at the beginning of 2021, and many found it challenging to learn and live in isolation. They can continue to look after themselves as we recover from COVID-19 in a variety of ways:

• Ask for help
• Reach out to their friends
• Stay connected
• Get plenty of exercise
• Eat well
• Sleep well
• Stay in a regular routine as much as possible

Congratulations to Olivia Gilligan (8-47) who last week competed in the 2022 Mogul Ski World Victorian Interschools Snowsports Championships in the ‘Giant Slalom’. In her first major competition Olivia ranked 12th out of 21 competitors, which is a fabulous achievement. The temperature of one degree Celsius meant that it was even colder than the Year 8 Camp!

As we look forward to Brigidine Day and the Term 3 holidays, hopefully we can reflect joyfully upon the words that Mary sang in her beautiful canticle: ‘‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour”.

Bill Fitzsimons
Level Leader: Year 8