Iftar, the fast-breaking meal eaten after sunset at the completion of the period of Ramadan, is an Islamic tradition. Fasting is one of the main pillars of Ramadan, which in turn is one of the core aspects of Islam, as it is the most sacred month of the year. Those religiously observing the holiday do not consume any food or drink between sunrise and sunset, making it a celebration of faith and devotion. Breaking the fast is often accomplished as a community, with Muslim people gathering to break their fast together. Ramadan is a time of spiritual discipline, deep contemplation of one's relationship with God (Allah), prayer, increased charity and generosity.

The guest speaker was a scholar who majored in Islamic culture and religion. She discussed that one of the main core values in Islamic culture was charity, being able to give instead of receive and that the little things can go a long way. Being generous and compassionate are key principles that Islam educates us on; the acts of selflessness and remaining humble are key traits of ideal character in Islam, crucial to raising awareness and creating a more loving community.

The night also involved reflective and collaborative conversations about initiatives our school ran regarding social justice, fundraising and volunteer work. We got to discuss our successful Period Poverty drive and how this helped our community, which left many other students quite impressed and even inspired to introduce such an initiative at their school. Such feedback and the fact St Pats could inspire other schools to assist the many women suffering from Period Poverty in other areas was incredible and very rewarding.

Additionally, we delved into our past endeavours such as the coin line competition in support of the Philippines, Project Compassion, and the community service projects undertaken by students in Years 10 and 11. These discussions allowed us to learn from the initiatives of other schools, with one student commenting on how their school does immersions frequently, such as going to the Sydney CBD to help homeless people both on the street and lending a hand in soup kitchens. Such initiatives like this provided valuable insights and inspiration, and we aim to implement such endeavours at St. Pat's in the future.

Moreover, we were able to discuss some future initiatives we would love to establish at our school with the common theme being initiatives that deal more with direct assistance such as volunteer work such as in homeless shelters and visiting rural communities, as well as taking our social justice international and assisting countries currently suffering from poverty, war, natural disasters, and other challenges, such as Palestine. The Iftar dinner provided us with a valuable opportunity to establish connections with the other schools in attendance such as Amity College & Edmund Rice, with one teacher suggesting that in the future those in attendance come together as a collective to carry out an initiative for greater outreach.

We then moved on to floor reflections, where everyone in attendance, teachers and students alike, commented on how welcoming and enriching the experience was. All agreed it was an incredible opportunity to get to talk to other schools from a variety of religious backgrounds and hear of all the amazing causes and initiatives their school runs, as well as talk about issues around the world and learn more about our culture's similarities and differences. Amity College ran an amazing night and guided us through these spiritual discussions and reflections perfectly and helped to foster a supportive and educational environment.

During the dinner, there was a beautiful display of music, performed by Amity College students and staff members. This musical performance began with a range of instruments being played, such as piano, bass guitar, electric guitar, drums and an Arabic instrument called ‘Quanun’. Following this was a performance with the same ensemble accompanying a spectacular vocalist, a Year 8 student from Amity College. These performances were absolutely astounding, leaving a room full of attendees amazed.

As Iftar is the fast breaking, the most important thing of the night was the food! The event displayed a buffet of traditional Iftar food including a variety of assorted meats, pastries, salads and rice dishes. As well as this was an array of entrees located on the individual tables, including the traditional date fruit which, in Islamic tradition, was to be eaten before any other dish, following the example of the Prophet Muhammad and the Abrahamic tradition.
The 2024 Iftar Dinner was an amazing and enlightening experience that provided an wonderful opportunity to network with students from across Sydney, with delicious food as an added bonus!

Holly B, Claire P, Maddison P, Grace Q, Isabelle S and Addison N - Year 11 Mission Council