NATALIE M (Year 12/College Captain) and SARAH W (Year 7 Student)

Natalie:           Hi, Sarah, I’m Natalie, the College Captain. How are you today?

Sarah:              I’m well, thanks.

Natalie:           And you’re in Year 7?

Sarah:              Yes, I belong to Pastoral Class 7D.

Natalie:           So, you’re a St Pat’s girl. How do you feel about that?

Sarah:              I love it. There are so many opportunities across multiple areas. The community is really welcoming too.

Natalie:           Actually, I can remember when I was in Year 7. I recall I had a Year 11 Big Sister who made me feel welcomed straight away. I was welcomed into the St Pat’s community straight away simply for being me and it kickstarted my high school journey as a really positive experience.

Sarah:              One thing that sometimes confuses me is why we are called St Patrick’s College but then we hear lots about St Benedict! How come?

Natalie:           Well, the original name of our College is St Patrick’s which is a reminder to us of our history and the origins of our school which was started by the Irish community of Campbelltown. Later in our College’s history, the Sisters of the Good Samaritan of the Order of St Benedict took over the running of our school, and they also follow St Benedict and live out the Benedictine values.

Sarah:              I have to admit, that’s another thing that is confusing—where does the parable of the Good Samaritan fit in with our St Patrick’s community?

Natalie:           That is because the Sisters of the Good Samaritan not only follow St Benedict, they also try and live out the lessons of the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

Sarah:              OK, I see! That’s making things a lot clearer for me now!

Natalie:           So, what have you learnt about St Benedict since coming to St Pat’s?

Sarah:              I know a bit about his life. I remember learning in class that he went to live in a cave for a while. But I don’t know why he did that.

Natalie:           Great recall, Sarah! Well, St Benedict felt that he needed to be away from Rome at that time because it was a place where lots of bad things were happening. So he wanted to be alone to think and reflect. Did you know that St Benedict wrote a book? 

Sarah:              Yes, I do know about St Benedict’s book. He called his book “The Rule”. Isn’t it all about how to live peacefully within a Christian community?

Natalie:           Sure is! Can you quote anything from St Benedict’s book?

Sarah:              I’m pretty sure that some of the words we have in our College Prayer are typical St Benedict sayings. The one I remember most is “Listen with the ear of your heart.”

Natalie:           Well done, Sarah! Have you noticed that we have some quotes from St Benedict’s book scattered around the school; for example, in the College Chapel, there is the quote “May Christ bring all together to everlasting life.”

Sarah:              I have also heard one that is something like “the community should be set up so that the strong have something to strive for and the weak have nothing to fear.” I like this saying because it makes me feel safe and respected.

Natalie:           Do you know what some of the Benedictine values are?

Sarah:              I remember learning about this too. Things like peace, stability, humility, discipline … I know that the value we are focussed on this year is Communio. But I’m not too sure what that is!

Natalie:           Communio is St Benedict’s way of talking about living together as a harmonious community. This involves knowing your place within the community and sharing your God-given giftedness with others.

Sarah:              I guess St Benedict has a lot to teach us about being good followers of Jesus.

Natalie:           St Benedict would be pleased that we will be making our donations today as a way of saying “Yes” to Jesus!

Sarah:              I get it. “Communio” is like community—being united and caring for each other.

Natalie:           Yes! We are all in this together, so let’s support each other today and every day.

Sarah:              “Amen” to that!

Angelo Gattone - Mission Coordinator