Our K-12 Feast Day is one of the most celebrated days on our College calendar as we celebrate Mary Help of Christians as the Patroness of Australia and our College on this solemnity, 24th May. The feast focuses on Mary’s help to those in need and remembers the special place Mary plays in bringing the values of Jesus to all Australians. We celebrate because Mary can protect and help us in our journey through life so that “under her protection Australia may be granted harmony, justice and peace”. Therefore, on this occasion of Our Lady’s feast day, we gave thanks to our heavenly Father for Mary, our protector, who gives us the perfect model of love, understanding and compassion.
We commenced this important and celebratory day with a K-12 College Community Mass. Father Patricio and Father Liam celebrated this Mass on our Secondary Campus in a joyful and meaningful way with our St Mary’s College and wider community. Our College student and staff Choirs led by Ms Tania combined to lead incredible singing throughout the mass and ensured our mass was joy-filled. Our student leaders led us in altar serving, reading and offertory and our students were exceptionally responsible, respectful and reverent throughout this important celebration of the Eucharist.
We then returned to our Classrooms and Homerooms to prepare for the Festival Feast Day Fun, where secondary and primary students joined together on our primary campus to participate in games, challenges and opportunities for celebration and FUN! Our College values of Courage, Love, Empathy, Acceptance and Resilience could be seen and felt throughout the day, just as Mary our model encourages us to achieve each and every day. We were treated to a delicious morning tea and lunch thanks to our brilliant Canteen staff. We spent the afternoon completing our Icons of Mary and being together with our peers and teachers. An incredible day made possible by the conduct of our fabulous students and the exceptionally hard work of all of our staff who in the vision of Mary are committed each and every day to our student’s success, growth and sense of belonging as a College.
