Our College Chaplain, Fr David Lemewu celebrated his last Thursday morning Mass and Junior School Mass last week. Fr David has been called away to mission in Indonesia. We have been truly blessed to have Fr David gift us with song and wisdom in all realms of school like. He began his journey here at opening school mass where he sung a beautiful song to the school community encouraging the boys to aim high and trust in God. We were further spoiled as he led out Easter liturgies and events. On year 12 retreat, Fr David ran a small group and was able to open up the Gospel in such a way which allowed our boys to really understand what it meant for them in this moment, during their journey.
I attended the Junior school mass last week which was beautifully facilitated by Ms Bridget Cusack. What a special celebration for the Junior school classes! Fr David made it special in his own way by having the boys up out of their seats during the homily to sing and dance with him. Accompanied by Mrs Margaret Thomas on piano, he communicated the simple message of having love for Jesus as you would a friend. Something so simple yet profound.
Fr David also involved himself in other areas of the College- youth ministry, Mother’s Day mass, on the field at the athletics carnival, celebrating the community at the Blue and White Ball and celebrating the Junior school masses. Every student who met him has been affected by his generosity of spirit and authentic faith in Christ.
Fr David will be celebrating with the staff community during the staff week at the conclusion of this term, he has expressed sincere gratitude for being a part of our St Edmund’s Community. In such a short time, he has made a wonderful impact.
As we wish Fr David all the best in his new endeavours, we are also welcoming two new Chaplains to our community from St Benedict’s in Narrabundah- Fr Dan Benedetti and Fr Rembert Fernando. We look forward to working with them and welcoming them into our community. Thursday morning masses for the remainder of term will be celebrated by Fr Dan so please feel free to come along! Thursday morning at 8.20am in the College chapel.
We are very fortunate here at St Edmund’s to have a connection to the Missionaries of God’s Love (MGLs) and who have had a presence for some time. The MGLs are an order of brothers and priests established here in Canberra in 1986. The official website for the MGLS explains how their identity is different to others:
“The Missionaries of God’s Love exist to share Jesus’ mission to bring this fire to the earth. It is the fire of God’s love, burning in the heart of Jesus, which took Him to the Cross. It is also the fire of the Holy Spirit poured out at Pentecost, and now experienced in a new way in the Church. The Missionaries immerse themselves in this fire through the grace of “baptism in the Spirit,” through daily meditation on the Cross of Jesus, and through Eucharistic adoration. With this fire burning within their hearts, they give all for the sake of the Kingdom and, commit themselves to the spreading of the Good News of God’s love to the ends of the earth.” http://mglpriestsandbrothers.org/identity-and-mission/
With a strong emphasis on the fire of God’s love, our experiences with MGL brothers and priests has always brought faith in Christ to the forefront of the hearts and minds of our young men. May we as a College community continue to be open to the fire of God’s love and embody our scriptural theme, knowing that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13)
Carmela Wilson (Assistant Principal – Faith & Mission (Acting))