Had lockdown not occurred this year, the St Patrick’s community would have already commenced an exploration of the power, necessity, and effectiveness of prayer—an exploration we will refer to as the “Enthusiasm Campaign”. The word “prayer” can be intimidating for some people, and for others it may even be a nonsense. Hence we will use the title “Enthusiasm Campaign” because the English word “enthusiasm” comes from two Greek words: “en” meaning “in” and “theos” meaning “god”. Therefore the root meaning of enthusiasm is “to put God into” something. In this sense, at its very heart, the St Patrick’s community is enthusiastic—putting God into all that we do. We do so proudly and confidently. This is what makes us a prayerful community, our putting God into all that we do. As Scripture tells us, “If it is not the Lord who builds a house, the builders are wasting their time” (Psalm 127:1).

The general plan for the Enthusiasm Campaign is to begin by inviting students from across all the year groups to form a working committee to explore the value of prayer and to increase the enthusiasm that prayer facilitates. This committee will generate discussion and become a forum for sharing ideas and understanding. Many years ago, the Carmelite community of Mt Carmel at Varroville produced a pamphlet about prayer entitled “Discovering Prayer”. Although the pamphlet is brief, it is packed with much wisdom about prayer. For example, “You cannot teach anyone to pray, just as you cannot teach anyone to love. Both must be discovered within … For prayer is knowledge, not of a thing, but of a Person … Prayer is more a discovery than a task, more an adventure than a duty. It is a wish turned God-wards; an unveiling of ourselves before God … In prayer, the heart is more important than the lips, the attitude of mind speaks louder than the words we use.” These are just a few examples of the wisdom offered by the Carmelites. This pamphlet’s contents will be the guiding document for the Enthusiasm Campaign.

Apart from the Enthusiasm Campaign initiative, our regrouping after the lockdown enables us to pursue our usual social justice activities. St Patrick’s has committed to donating items to be able to create 60 Christmas Hampers on behalf of the St Vincent de Paul Society. These will be distributed to families in our local area. This means that each Homeroom will need to supply two hampers so that we have the required 60 for delivery in early December. We anticipate that by the start of Week 5 to the end of Week 9 of this term, students will be able to bring in the required donations. So, please, let us get into the giving spirit so as to bring joy to the 60 families who will receive our St Patrick’s Christmas Hampers.

Angelo Gattone - Mission Coordinator