Twenty five guests (with the majority being children) attended the dinner, and the willingness of these people to interact and converse with us was amazing. The children were all full of excitement, and enjoyed telling us about their time in Australia and their home country of Iraq. They taught us words in Arabic and we all enjoyed a soccer game after the meal. It was an amazing experience to listen to these families’ stories, and understand the situations that they had come from and how they have adapted to their new life in Australia. Entertainment was provided by Kate W  (Year 11 Student), who serenaded us with two beautifully sung songs as she strummed her guitar. The night aimed to welcome the families into our community and to break down common stereotypes that are held in society, and I think the dinner and interactions that came with it really helped to do this. The following words of welcome were spoken by Portia F on our behalf:

 Good evening ladies, gentlemen, children,

 It gives me great pleasure to extend to you all a very warm welcome on behalf of the St Patrick’s College Community and the St Patrick’s College Students Social Justice Team.

 We are very grateful to you for giving up your time to be with us tonight and we hope that you enjoy our time together, as much as we enjoy having you here today.

Our College prides itself on the Benedictine values of Love of Christ and Neighbour, Hospitality, Justice and Peace and today we extend to you all, who are valuable members of the community, a hand of welcome, acceptance and friendship.

We all know that today there are many misconceptions and misunderstandings that are portrayed by the media on a range of issues. We here at St Patrick’s also know that your individual lives present to us stories of courage, sacrifice and bravery. This gathering, in which we share a meal, is for us a symbol of harmony and shared values. We are all members of the human family and what better way to celebrate that than with a meal in the company of friends.

So we hope you enjoy tonight and we look forward to our shared future with a sense of great hope and joy.

Our welcome was repeated in Arabic. I feel that everyone who attended saw the value of the evening, and that meaningful connections were made with the guests. A large amount of time and preparation went into the planning of the evening and much of that can be attributed to Portia Ferdinand’s drive, enthusiasm and initiative. I would like to thank everyone involved who helped. 

Angelo Gattone - Mission Coordinator and Emily W (Student)

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