When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them
2025 Reconciliation Week
From the Principal
This year’s theme, “Bridging Now to Next,” invites all Australians to reflect on the ongoing journey of reconciliation. It reminds us that reconciliation is not a moment in time, but a continuous effort — one that requires learning from the past and working together to create a more just and equitable future for First Nations peoples.
At St Aloysius College, we joined schools and communities across Australia in marking National Reconciliation Week 2025, coming together as a whole school on Monday for a powerful assembly that recognised the significance of this important time in our national calendar.
During our assembly, students and staff reflected on the histories, cultures, and contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We acknowledged the pain and injustices of the past, whilst also celebrating the strength and resilience of Indigenous communities.
As a Mercy school, our commitment to justice, dignity, and compassion compels us to walk alongside one another — listening deeply, learning humbly, and standing in solidarity. The assembly served as both a moment of reflection and a call to action, urging us to live out our values through daily acts of respect, inclusion and reconciliation.
Reconciliation Week is more than an annual event; it is part of our identity as a school that strives for equity and community. As we look from now to next, we recommit to creating a future where all voices are heard, honoured, and empowered.
Pentecost Sunday, 8 June
On Sunday 8 June we Celebrate Pentecost Sunday. Pentecost is often referred to as the birthday of the Church as its the day, seven weeks exactly, after Jesus rose again, that the Holy Spirit filled the disciples with breath and they spoke with 'tongues of fire'. Everyone was now able to hear the good news of their sins forgiven in his or her own language and dialect - be they Parthians, Medes, Elamites, Mesopotamians, Judeans, Cappadocians, or people from Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphilia, Egypt, Libya, Rome, it no longer mattered, the Holy Spirit spoke to all. By the end of that first Pentecost Sunday three-thousand people had been baptized and our Church had been founded.
Pentecost Sunday reminds me of just how blessed we are at St Aloysius College to share our 'good news' with students, staff and families from every conceivable part of the planet. We are probably more likely to speak English, Italian or Vietnamese rather than Aramaic or Median, but we are nevertheless linked to that very first event across Pentecost birthday celebrations now nearing 2000 - and that in itself is a humbling thought. We are, at St Aloysius College, not only a shining contemporary example of unity in diversity but, in some small Mercy way, a vibrant replication of that very first Pentecost.
Mary Farah
College Principal