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Dear Lord,
We pray for Pope Leo, our whole Church and school community.
May the Spirit guide us all to be faithful to the witness of the apostles and guide those among us who doubt the reality of the risen Christ. May they, like Thomas, come to believe, leading us to be a community of faith, worship and loving service to others.
For the religious and civil leaders of the world, especially in areas of war, great tension or struggle, may they be blessed and encouraged in their efforts to achieve reconciliation and peace.
For the sick and any of our community who are in great need, or have asked for your help in prayers, be their constant source of strength.
And like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, help us to recognise Jesus, present in both the Word and the breaking of bread.
Merciful God, as we lift these prayers to you, we thank you for your blessings in the past and ask you to continue to be a source of joy for us.
We pray through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Blessings of the Easter Season to all our students, families and staff.
In the last weeks of Term 1, students on both campuses participated in activities organised by the Religious Education Faculty, led by Ms Ruth Yousif. There was something on offer every lunchtime, from palm cross and rosary bead bracelet making, to the creation of icons; very artistic expressions of faith, and lovely opportunities to sit peacefully together reflecting on upcoming Holy Week.
Many thanks to staff member Mr Jimmy Lee who kindly made nearly 200 palm crosses for staff, guided students at lunchtime with this somewhat challenging craft activity and finally, designed and created a beautiful crown of thorns to be featured in our digital Easter Liturgy presentation.
During Catholic Education Week, our Year 11 student leaders attended the annual Catholic Education Week Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral on Friday 20 March. After this, they attended a young adult colloquium where they listened to Year 12 students reflect on their experiences attending the ACU Young Leaders Program – a three-week study program which takes ten Year 11 students to Rome and London to immerse themselves in a series of lectures and visit holy sites of historical and spiritual significance.
On Thursday 26 April, we brought Year 11 students to the Catholic Leadership Centre, to attend a reunion of secondary school participants from across Victoria, reliving and rekindling the spirit and momentum borne from the Australian Catholic Youth Festival, December 2025. It was a wonderful opportunity to hear from other students about how the ACYF had encouraged them or inspired them to tap into their faith life more. It was also a joy to listen to our students sharing their views confidently with the group.
Finally, to celebrate Easter, our students and staff watched a digital presentation, that focused on the Passion of Matthew’s Gospel, especially the actions of Peter, Judas and Pilate, to help us reflect not only the key events in a story that is central to our faith, but to distil very human lessons it offers us in our daily life.
Recently, Mrs Alison Stone, of Franciscan Schools Australia, published the eloquent words of Fr Stephen Bliss OFM, to inspire schools in their network, words that emphasise the quiet courage one needs to be Easter people.
He wrote:
‘The Easter Gospel (Gospel of John 20:1-9) tells us that Peter the Apostle and John the Apostle only came to belief when they entered the tomb.
It was not from a distance, not from safety – but by stepping into the place that symbolised loss, confusion, and even death.
There, unexpectedly, they discovered life.
This, I feel, speaks directly to us.
Like the disciples at the tomb, we are invited to move forward – even when we would prefer not to. Because it is precisely there, in what feels like loss or diminishment, that the risen Christ is already at work.
Francis of Assisi understood this deeply.
When he embraced uncertainty, poverty, and even what seemed like failure, he discovered not death – but new life, new brotherhood, and a renewed Church.
So, for us, this Easter is not simply something we celebrate – it is something we enter. We are called to step into the unknown places of our lives and school communities with trust.
To walk into what feels fragile, believing it is already filled with grace.
To recognise that renewal will not come from holding back – but from moving forward in faith.
Easter reminds us: the tomb is not the end.
It is the place where God begins again.
May this Easter fill our hearts with that quiet courage – to go where we would rather not, to trust what we cannot yet see, and to discover, together, the new life God is already bringing forth among us.’
In Francis and Clare. - Fr Stephen
Siobhan Loukomitis
Deputy Principal - Faith and Mission
