2023 | ISSUE 15 | SJC Newsletter

Identity News

With joyful hearts on Monday evening, we welcomed our Year 12 families to celebrate our 2023 Year 12 Graduation Mass. We were pleased to have Fr Jim Clarke, Parish Priest of St Mary of the Angels, Geelong celebrated the Mass. He emphasised that the doors to the Church are always open and that the Lord is ever present with these students as they leave St Joseph’s College. This is the one occasion where all of the families, caregivers and staff who have nurtured and guided these students through their six year journey at St Joseph’s unite in faith and the spirit of Blessed Edmund Rice to give thanks and bless them on their future pathways.

Our intent for these students is to continue to walk in the compassionate presence of their faith each day. The students reflected on their time together: “Our time together over these six years has taught us to develop and use our talents. To be young people of integrity, to show respect and compassion towards others and to embrace innovation to create a more just world. Inspired by the Gospel values of love and justice, we have come to understand that we can open our hearts and minds to build a better world for all. Let us give thanks for those who have been the touchstones in our lives and for all we have achieved. Tonight, we come to give thanks for all those who journeyed with us and ask God to strengthen our faith to be with us on that journey in the years to come.”

Our 2023 College Captain, Jaeger Fawcett, shared in his College Captains’ address:

“It’s hard not to be at our final mass as a cohort and not talk about something related to Catholicism. And so, I’ll speak tonight about a figure that has been with us right throughout our journey at SJC. Edmund Rice to me is more than just the face on the posters around the school. What he stood for is so intrinsically linked to the work we have done as year level and I believe that he would be proud of the boys that sit here tonight. Edmund stood for compassion for those less fortunate and challenged those around him to serve those in need. As a year level this year, we have seen the highest participation rate in service learning for a Year 12 cohort since Covid. I congratulate all of you on your dedication and selflessness serving your community this year.”

Jaeger Fawcett, along with Matteo Bove and Jesse Conroy, our deputy College Captains have led with our College values of integrity, compassion and shown innovation in the many ways they have individually and collectively contributed to supporting their fellow leaders and student body to find ways to live out the Edmund Rice Touchstones of Gospel Spirituality, Justice and Solidarity, Inclusive Community and Liberating Education. We look forward to seeing how all of our 2023 Graduates flourish in their chosen pathways and hope to see them back to inspire the next generation of St Joseph’s students.

Mystery and Mission Conference – The Art of Liturgical Celebration

During the school holidays, I attended a three day conference with fellow staff members Belinda Milverton - Faith Development Coordinator and Amy Young – Director of Music. The national conference titled, ‘Mystery and Mission Conference – The Art of Liturgical Celebration’, was hosted by The Australian Pastoral Musicians Network and the National Liturgical Council in Brisbane. It gathered liturgists, musicians and educators from across Australia, New Zealand and Fiji for engaging opportunities for inter disciplinary networking and collaboration between those involved in various aspects of liturgy in parishes, schools and other Church agencies.

We listened to various inspiring renowned key note speakers, liturgists, theologians, musicians and composers such as Professor Timothy O’Malley, Sarah Heart, Rev Dr Tom Elich and Associate Professor Maeve Heaney. We were engaged in a variety of valuable workshops, daily experiences of prayer and ritual, focussed discussion groups and a conference dinner which all provided opportunities to encounter other delegates, share insights and engage in rich conversation about our common goal to be invitational and create opportunities for our communities to engage in finding times and spaces that allow for sacred and enriching faith-based interactions to take place. We look forward to sharing our new insights, visions and resources with our staff and students to create further innovative ways to celebrate our St Joseph’s College liturgical celebrations. One key take away from me, was to be people who listen well, see well, feel well within our hearts and continue to say ‘yes’ to the body of Christ, to be the body of Christ. A timely reminder as we all have the opportunity to change a moment in history as we take time to vote for a Voice in the Referendum this weekend to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in our Constitution and pay respect to 65,000 years of culture and tradition.

Mary Malone
Director of Identity