From the Dean of Identity and Community
St Patrick’s Day
To celebrate St Patrick’s Day on Tuesday, students will have the opportunity to purchase green slushies for $2, with cash or card accepted. All proceeds will support Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion, which this year focuses on helping vulnerable communities around the world overcome poverty through improved access to education, healthcare, food security and sustainable livelihoods. By enjoying a festive St Patrick’s Day treat, students will also be helping make a meaningful difference for those most in need.
I wish to share a message from St Patricks’s Day Parade Association Inc. The Annual St Patrick’s Day Mass, organised by the St Patrick’s Day Parade Association, will be celebrated again this year in the Cathedral of St Stephen, Elizabeth Street at 10am on Tuesday 17 March 2025. Fr Gerard McMorrow will be the celebrant. All are invited to attend. And, for those who may be unable to do so, the Mass will be live-streamed on this link - Mass live stream - Archdiocese of Brisbane You may wish to pass the link on to someone overseas. Attendees are invited for morning tea afterwards in the Hanly Room.
Annual Easter Egg Drive
As we approach Easter, we invite families to support our annual Easter Egg Drive, with donations going to St Francis Table and Murri Ministries, helping bring joy to those in our community who may otherwise go without. Donations of Easter eggs can be brought to Primary Homeclass teachers for Primary students, or in Secondary to the Nagle House Office or the Faith in Action Office. Thank you for your generosity in helping us share the spirit of Easter with others.
Pope Leo XIV’s Call for Peace and Disarmament
In a time marked by ongoing conflict and uncertainty around the world, Pope Leo XIV has called on the global community to renew its commitment to peace, dialogue and disarmament. Through his prayer for peace, he invites people of all nations to turn away from violence and instead work together to build a future grounded in compassion, justice and reconciliation. His message reminds us that peace begins in our hearts and is strengthened through our collective prayers and actions. My we each pray together:
Lord of Life,
you shaped every human being in your image and likeness.
We believe you created us for communion, not for war,
for fraternity, not for destruction.
You who greeted your disciples saying, “Peace be with you,”
grant us the gift of your peace
and the strength to make it a reality in history.
Today we lift up our prayer for peace in the world,
asking that nations renounce weapons
and choose the path of dialogue and diplomacy.
Disarm our hearts of hatred, resentment, and indifference,
so we may become instruments of reconciliation.
Help us understand that true security
does not come from control fueled by fear,
but from trust, justice, and solidarity among peoples.
Lord, enlighten the leaders of the nations,
so they may have the courage to abandon projects of death,
halt the arms race,
and place the lives of the most vulnerable at the center.
May the nuclear threat never again dictate the future of humanity.
Holy Spirit,
make us faithful and creative builders of daily peace:
in our hearts, our families,
our communities, and our cities.
May every kind word, every gesture of reconciliation,
and every choice for dialogue be seeds of a new world.
Amen.
Live Jesus in our Hearts. . . Forever!
Live Jesus in our Hearts; Forever!
MR LACHLAN HESHUSIUS
Dean of Identity and Community