February has seen a remarkable celebration of our Catholic faith as the whole staff and student community gathered to celebrate our Opening Mass in Week 3, and again this week to contemplate the season of Lent a prayerful liturgy took place on the Avenue.
It is important to mark the beginning of a new academic year with a full school Opening Mass to mark that Christ journeys through the ups and downs of life with us. This year, a constant theme has been Jesus’ call on his famous ‘Sermon on the Mount’ to be ‘salt and light’ to the world. Fr Pier, in his truly unique and wonderful way emphasised the importance of being a light for others and letting our true gifts be on display in all that we do. He also taught of salt, we are to give flavour to the lives of others and also to preserve the message of the Gospel, something that our patron, St. Maximillian Kolbe did so courageously.
The season of Lent for Catholics is a season of prayer, fasting and almsgiving as we mirror the 40 days spent by Jesus in the desert resisting temptation. On Shrove Tuesday, as well as eating pancakes, a group of Year 9s participated in the launch of Project Compassion by Caritas. These students will now lead the campaign across the College to help raise awareness and much needed funds for those who are most vulnerable in the world. Fittingly, the Year 9 leaders led our Ash Wednesday liturgy which also saw the Year 12 leaders embrace the responsibility of placing ashes on all staff and students in a call to ‘repent and believe in the Gospel’. The ashes were a demonstration of the sacrifice and love displayed by Jesus, and also of our efforts as a College in our capacity to be the best version of ourselves this Lent.
