Our value focus for this year is communio (through the lens of community and humility). In our honouring of St Patrick, we acknowledged him as one who had the gift of bringing people together and building amongst them a strong sense of community. St Patrick can rightly be described as the “supreme community builder.” St Benedict very naturally complements St Patrick because The Rule of St Benedict is an instruction book on how to live within a Christian community. St Patrick teaches us how to build community; St Benedict teaches us how to sustain the community.

The St Patrick’s Day Mass also marked the opening of the school year. We asked God’s blessing upon our community so that we may be guided in our efforts to create a vibrant learning environment in which “the strong have something to strive for and the weak have nothing to run from.” All Are Welcome was the title of the entrance hymn. It was an appropriate start to our gathering as we extended a warm welcome to those new to our College community: especially the Year 7 students and all students new to the College who are joining the other year groups, as well as staff new to our College: Ms Madeleine Lytton, Ms Sophie Lansley, Ms Elizabeth Fenton, and Mr Jared Baca. Welcoming others is an act of hospitality. As noted earlier, St Patrick was a tireless builder of communities. He knew how to draw people together and how to create a place where everyone felt they were comfortable and belonged. St Patrick was also a proclaimer of God’s Word. He spread the Good News of God’s love for all people. That is what we celebrated on St Patrick’s Day—St Patrick’s call to be a community of faith founded on Gospel values.

As a sign of the vibrant nature of this St Patrick’s community, our celebration also included the blessing and official opening of the refurbished areas of the school. The new student services facility, the new general learning areas, and the new staff facilities were blessed and officially opened by the Congregational Leader of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan, Sister Patty Fawkner, whom we were privileged to have join with us for that milestone in the long history of our College. We were also privileged to have other Sisters of the Good Samaritan with us, as well as members of Sister Helen Foley’s family, after whom H Block is named.

We also used the occasion to honour a member of our St Patrick’s community who has dedicated 25 years of service to education. We honoured Ms Deborah Renshaw who was read a citation and given a special presentation. Twenty five years of service is a significant milestone and a testimony to the commitment, vision and mission Ms Renshaw has offered to our St Patrick’s College community.

Following the example of St Patrick, we gathered on St Patrick’s Day as a community united in faith and bound by the values we share.

Angelo Gattone - Mission Coordinator