From the Principal
Pentecost
Pentecost Sunday reminds us that there is only One Spirit who breathed over the world in blessing its creation, who spoke through the prophets of Israel, who came down on the Apostles at Pentecost, who makes Christ present to the Church today, and who is the source of all good initiatives to make a just and sustainable world today. Pentecost emphasises the need to look to the good of all people and of all the beings that compose our environment. We are all one in the Spirit.
Fr Andrew Hamilton in:
Last Sunday, we celebrated the birth of the Church: Pentecost. Having lost the direct voice of resurrected Jesus in the Ascension, the Holy Spirit descends on the apostles who take on the mission to embody and spread Christs message through the world. We continue this mission in 2024: to paraphrase Schrieter (2013), it is not the Church who has a mission, but the mission that has a church. In promoting the image of the church as People of God in Lumen Gentium (1964), Vatican II returned to the origins of the word Ecclesia meaning the called-out ones: the people, not the building or institution. In my parishs Pentecost mass, there was great symbolism of this when the Paschal candle was extinguished, as the light of Christ - of hope - now resides not externally, but within us and our responsibility to shine for others, just as our College motto urges.
National Sorry Day (26 May) & Reconciliation Week (27 May - 3 June)
At this weeks College Assembly, I spoke about the importance of all Australians needing to learn more about the history, culture and achievements of our First Nations. The next fortnight encompasses both National Sorry Day and Reconciliation Week, with all Aquinas students participating in the Long Walk this coming Monday. This provides the perfect time to undertake this self-education, perhaps starting with two great resources: the SBS documentary series and . These shows enable us to learn from indigenous academics and elders about the incredible achievements of the worlds longest continuous cultures, as well as the encounters that show the importance of why we commemorate Reconciliation Week each year.
Belonging
The past fortnight has truly showcased the many great aspects of community building and co-curricular opportunities at Aquinas, including many events at which Aquinas families supported our students and our faith:
- The Mothers Day Mass on 14 May saw almost twice as many families attend as the Term 1 Family Mass. It was a blessing to have our Year 11 EDGE class lead all parts of the mass open to laity and a joy to join the Year 10 RE Music class who led the liturgical music.
- Last Monday I attended the Lets Dance showcase, a wonderful showcase of the variety of our VCE Dance students skills across a range of genres in individual and group settings.
- Building on the strength of the recent Generations in Jazz success, the Not Just Jazz evening on 21 May was a 2 翻 hour extravaganza of musical delights. The huge range of bands and vocal ensembles wowed the audience, supplemented by the great Aquinas alumni tradition with a combined alumni band and closing with the exquisite talent of our music staff band. Thanks also to the VET Hospitality students who supplied the food, drink and service for the evening.
- Our School Advisory Council and a selection of students and staff contributed input to the CIS Preparatory statement for our re-accreditation. The SAC also reviewed the staff & student input into the Master Plan with Kosloff architecture.
- Fr Vnuk celebrated our Term 2 Patrons Mass, providing an educative homily on Thomas Aquinas. The once-per-term eucharistic liturgy is a critical part of our identity as a Catholic school, the only time we gather as one to worship.
- A range of students from across Years 7 - 12 led every section of our Term 2 College Assembly, which highlighted the huge range of student activities and student led events experienced since late in Term 1
We look forward to more reports about the coming fortnights further performing arts evenings and community building events, such as the Long Walk.