News &
Events

The final four weeks of the Assumption Term have been filled with excitement and excellent learning opportunities for our students from camping at our country campus to visiting our buzzing city and many of its landmarks; from enjoying the a musical at the Regent Theatre to performing our own musical; from attending Catholic landmarks and singing at the opening of the National Catholic Education Conference to participating in our own retreat days on site; from preparing for final assessment and the GAT to attending motivational sessions offered by our teachers and past students; from attending Mass at the Cathedral to participating in Father’s Day Mass in our beautiful College Chapel.

Our students and staff have been taking advantage of every opportunity possible across all dimensions of school life both in the indoors and the outdoors, onsite and in various parts of Melbourne and at our Country Campus. We now look forward to a well-deserved break and time for VCE students to study consistently over the two weeks ahead in preparation for their final examinations.

Victorian Catholic Deputy Principal’s Conference – Bookmarks
The students in our Year 9 Art Forms class were invited to submit designs for bookmarks that were distributed at the 2022 Victorian Catholic Secondary Schools Deputy Principal’s Association (VCSSDPA) Conference which was held in Melbourne 1-2 September. The students were asked to reflect on a quote from Pope Francis. The designs of four students were selected and printed for the delegates who attended the conference from all over Victoria.

Congratulations to Vaani Jassi, Carmelice Sajul, Lurhhwai Peluaungpo, Thalia Smith and Mrs Mary Udovicic.

National Catholic Education Conference – Melbourne 4 September to 7 September
This year the NCEC Conference was hosted in Melbourne. Our choir was invited to sing at the Opening of the conference on Sunday evening with the choir of Loyola College Watsonia. We were very proud of their performance and special that to the five students and their families who interrupted their Father’s Day celebrations to participate in this very special occasion. The students we personally thanked by Archbishop Peter Comensoli and their primary school principals were very excited to see them.

On the Tuesday a special Mass was celebrated at St. Patrick’s Cathedral for the delegates that came from all over Australia, Fiji and the Philippines. Ten of our students were invited to attend and Faith was one of the Readers at the Mass. Thank you to Eliam Bairu for his reflection on the Mass.

Mary MacKillop Heritage Centre 120th Anniversary and Unveiling Mary’s Mural

We felt very privileged to have been invited to this service, by the Sisters of St Joseph which was held at the Mary MacKillop Heritage Centre. Thank you to Sister Rita Malavisi and Mr Ted Javernik for inviting us to participate in this very special experience for all of us.

Enjoy the reflection written by Rhys and the students who attended the service.

On Wednesday 7 September 2022, the Mary Mackillop Heritage Centre celebrated the 120th anniversary of the opening and blessing of the building by Archbishop Thomas Carr, this also marked the unveiling of a mural celebrating Mary’s life, aptly named ‘Mary’s Melbourne’. Along with the Sisters of Saint Joseph, those running the Heritage Centre and Archbishop Commensoli, ten students from Thomas Carr College were able to attend with Mr Holmes and Ms Angelico accompanying us.

It was a great honour to be able to attend the events of the day, as it provided much information and insight on the lives of Thomas Carr and Mary MacKillop during those times. Part of the event was held in the chapel within the Heritage Centre, which many could agree was a “holy space where we felt extremely connected to God and ourselves.” Inside the chapel I was invited to read my reflections on Thomas Carr and then readings of letters exchanged between Mary Mackillop and Thomas Carr done by Samuel, Mr. Holmes and his Grade 6 teacher and Principal, Sister Patricia Williams.

The Prayers of the faithful were read by Eliam and Tamiah, and Archbishop Commensoli gave an insightful and interesting reflection on the importance of the day and of work of Archbishop Thomas Carr over a 30-year period in Melbourne.

Afterwards, we had the privilege of witnessing the unveiling of the new mural by Sister Geraldine Larkins. Not only was the mural gorgeous and filled with colour and life, but each part of the mural was also narrated to provide further depth and draw the viewer’s attention. The day was finished off with refreshments and snacks, where we were able to meet Archbishop Peter and the talented artist who created the mural, Christine Sage from Hullaballoo Studios. Overall, it was a fun, educational excursion that gave us lots of opportunities to participate, leaving many of us hoping to do something like that again.

Good Samaritan Campus – Family Fun Open Day – Sunday 11 September 2022

Congratulations to our manager of the Good Samaritan Campus, Ms Vanessa Tait and the team for a lovely Sunday at Coragulac. Fr. Michael O’Toole celebrated Mass and we were warmly welcomed by the St. Brendan’s Parish community.

Thank you to Vanessa Tait, Emily Bourke, Cate McCullagh, Phillipa La Franchi and Chris Wilson for all their efforts in organising a wonderful day and thank you to the staff, students and families who attended.
Special thanks to our wonderful choir who filled the beautiful church with joy.

– Ms Lucy Angelico: Deputy Principal Strategic Development and Curriculum