From the Principal

On Thursday, 26th May, we celebrated the Feast of the Ascension, and this Sunday (June 5th) we will celebrate Pentecost - each of these great feasts in the Church remind us of God’s abiding presence with us, in us; in our world, in each other, in our hearts. Jesus’ parting words to his friends were ones of commissioning, blessing and reassurance. His vision and mission was clear…”Go out to all the world….baptise and teach…..live the Word….and know that I am with you, always”. At Pentecost we celebrate that presence, God’s Spirit given to us and shared so abundantly in the good gifts of our community.

Pentecost Sunday is often referred to as the birthday of the Church as it’s 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'. You can almost imagine those early Christians, who had a Galilean dialect, suddenly each were able to speak every language of the known world. Everyone was now able to hear the good news. By the end of that first Pentecost Sunday three-thousand people had been baptized and our Church had been founded. What a birthday!

Along with millions of fellow Australians, the community at St Aloysius has last week acknowleged National Reconciliation Week. This week has been a time for all Australians to reflect upon our shared histories, and on the contributions and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in all walks of life. The National Reconciliation Week 2022 theme, “Be Brave. Make Change." is a challenge to all Australians- individuals, families, communities and government - to Be Brave and tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation so we can Make Change for the benefits of all Australians.

The 1967 Referendum saw over 90 per cent of Australians vote to give the Commonwealth the power to make laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and recognise them in the national census. June 3 is Mabo Day – on this day in 1992, the High Court of Australia delivered its landmark Mabo decision which overturned the notion of ‘terra nullius’ and legally recognised Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ connection to their country. In so many ways, reconciliation is at the very heart of what it means to be an organization of Mercy. As Principal, I have been proud of the efforts of the school community in ensuring that education plays a pivotal role in the healing and progress of the nation.

D-Day

Monday, 6 June 2022 marks the 78th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy. This day commenced the Allied invasion of World War II Nazi Europe, and in the subsequent weeks and months led to the freeing of millions of people from Nazi occupation. D-Day as a term has now seeped into our vernacular as a day, a moment even, where extraordinary change or decisions occur– but that change in 1944 only occurred due to the courage of an extraordinary generation, ultimate sacrifices were made in the name of justice and humanity, in the name of freedom and a better world.

Those values and the lessons of D-Day are as relevant in our daily lives today, as they were then. We may not be facing the barbed wire, the land mines and the ferocious enemy that were faced on the beaches of Normandy, but the lessons of 78 years ago still echo soundly today. We see in the Mercy values courage and justice the need to extend and sacrifice what we can, We stand in silence, awe and tribute to those who displayed those attributes in Normandy – and, as importantly, we thank them.

Mary Farah, College Principal