To the family and friends of St Edmund’s College,
Opening College Mass
This morning we celebrated the new school year with our Opening Mass at St Christopher’s Cathedral. It is very important that we mark the new school year through liturgy and a celebration of the Eucharist. We are first and foremost a Catholic school, having been established by a Catholic community of the Christian Brothers in 1954, so it is appropriate that we formally acknowledge the new school year through a Eucharistic liturgy – a thanksgiving celebration where we share and celebrate our faith in Jesus, we are nourished by God’s gifts and we are called to go out and live as Jesus would.
Our Gospel reading this morning was John 6:5-15, Jesus feeding the five thousand. This Gospel story connects so well with our liturgical theme for the year, “I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Gives Me Strength”. The story has as its focus the all-sufficiency of Jesus Christ to meet the vast needs of the world through his inadequate disciples. Although the disciples were completely inadequate to meet the needs of the hungry crowd, they gave the little that they had to the Lord, who blessed it and multiplied it so that they could distribute it to the people. The disciples had little, but their belief in Jesus was great. This belief in Jesus gave them strength to trust Him, and as a result they were able to meet the needs of the thousands around them. Now of course we will never be called upon to feed five thousand people with a few fish and loaves of bread, but we will be called upon to meet the needs of various individuals and groups around us in one way or another. We might at times think that we have little, i.e. that we cannot possibly meet the needs of those people. But a firm belief in the love, hope and joy that is offered by Jesus and modelled by him can strengthen us to at least try to meet those needs. The disciples discovered time after time that they were capable of all things through Christ who strengthened them. We need to be open to the same strength and not block this strength with doubt or pessimism or uncertainty. We need to be open to this potential within all of us, and encourage the same potential in others.
I thank our Assistant Principal – Mission and Identity, Mr Michael Monagle and his team for organising the Opening Mass and Father David Lemewu for celebrating Mass for us.
I congratulate our Student Leadership Team who were formally commissioned and inducted at today’s Opening Mass. We have a group of fine young men who will work hard for their brothers throughout the College. I would like to share with you some of today’s commissioning, as an example of how we remain authentic to our vision and mission as a Catholic school. The Student Leaders pledged to work with and for the community, as men of faith and reflection, committing themselves to others when in need. The entire College community joined in the blessing of our new Student Leaders and our new Deputy Principal, Mr Ian Garrity, in a strong sign of solidarity, support and companionship.
It is hoped that each young man who moves through St Edmund’s College develops a heart and mind that has been shaped by the light of Christ, allowing them to move into a world where they are true to their character and make a tangible difference in their own unique way.
Pink Stumps Day
I hope to see as many members of our community as possible on Sunday at our Pink Stumps Day, beginning at 11.30 a.m. Pink Stumps Day raises funds for the McGrath Foundation and we invite the whole College community and the wider Canberra community to join us in supporting this worthy cause. The Junior School match will commence at 11am and the President’s XI vs First XI match will commence at 1pm. The day will be fun filled, with a whole range of other activities for families including community soccer and footy. There is no need to book a place – just turn up and join in, even if just for a short time. There will also be raffles, a barbeque as well as and Pink Stumps merchandise for sale.
Expectations and Requirements
I wish to congratulate our students for commencing the year in such a fine manner. There is such a positive energy around the College and I look forward to a great year ahead. I would ask all of our students and parents to always be conscious of the pride students have in how the uniform is worn (even when stepping out of the car in the morning or getting onto the bus of an afternoon), being aware of the expectations around hair and grooming (which is detailed on our website) and always thinking about how we are treating those around us, whether they be other students, staff members or members of the public who you walk by before or after school.
New College Prayer
Dear Lord,
Grant that we may live each day to the full, inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Let us cast away all worries and concerns into your divine care.
Christus Lux Mea
Give us strength to confront all challenges that we face with hope and faith.
Let our community seek truth in all that we search for.
Christus Lux Mea
Let us stand for others always giving generously without counting the cost.
Amen
Blessed Edmund Rice, pray for us
Live Jesus in our hearts, forever
Joe Zavone (College Principal)