St Pat's Shamrock: Week 7 Term 1 2019

Tragic Attack on Religious Community
While we were celebrating St Patrick's Day and enjoying the wonderful Colour Run, 49 people were killed whilst worshipping and practising their faith in the safety of two mosques in Christchurch. Our heartfelt sympathies and prayers go to the loved ones of those killed and those in hospital and to all people of Islamic faith during what is described by New Zealand's prime minister as one of New Zealand's darkest days.

Catholic Church in Melbourne
Archbishop Peter A Comensoli recently spoke of the sense of ‘desolation’ felt by so many Catholics over the past weeks with the news of Cardinal Pell..." But the Catholic Church is not a victim. It is the survivors of child abuse who need our support – and the rigour and relevance of our child safety regimes that require constant attention ".
Below is an extract from a St Patrick's Day speech by Archbishop Peter to the community. I urge you to read the full speech. You can read the full speech at this link.

......I stand before you tonight a new but already proud Melbournian Catholic, cherishing a history of Christian fidelity and social contribution that has manifested itself in parishes and schools, in hospitals and universities, in aged care centres and welfare agencies, at parliament, on sporting fields and in the professions.

This Melbourne Catholic presence has been an influencer in the city, a marshaller of the troops, a political force for good. Built on the foundations of St Patrick, it has nurtured, educated and healed – hatched, matched and dispatched – countless Melbournians for generations.

Yet I cannot deny that I also stand here tonight amid the darkest days of our proud history in this city. An earthquake has occurred, and the landscape has shifted permanently. What, until recently, offered a sure footing and a familiar vista, is now broken ground and crumbling edifices. What has been a source of pride and comfort, built by our forebears, no longer captures people’s minds and hearts, and leaves our children indifferent. At this time of deep crisis and humiliation, might it not be time to let go of the past and begin anew?

So, this is the proposal I want to put to you tonight, wounded but proud; shaken but determined: that the future of the Christian faith in our city lies in letting go of the old landscape of a Catholic Melbourne, and instead re-beginning the work of Patrick, re-planting our city with the seeds of the Gospel, re-discovering a knowledge, language and pedagogy that can transform lives. It is a proposal to make the move away from the institutional centre and relocate ourselves among our local neighbourhoods of grace.

Where might we find these places? Well, we might take a look at Christ the Light Parish, up north in Mernda, the newest parish of Melbourne. They began with a handful of Christians in 2012, and are now averaging 500 at Mass each Sunday, without a church in which to gather. Or we might go and discover Resurrection Parish, out West in St Albans South. They’re averaging 3,000 weekly attendees, with Masses in five different languages. Or we could head East to St Joseph’s Springvale. There’s 2,500 of them gathering there each week.

These are just a few of the many local communities spread throughout Melbourne – within the tram tracks and beyond – where we will discover saints among us. They gather to worship God on Sundays, while still enjoying their footy. They participate in small faith groups during the week as they juggle work and family. They belong to evangelical movements and organisations of charity, reaching out to the broken and struggling. They teach the Catholic faith and morals to their children because it matters. They strive to live lives according to the way of Jesus Christ.......

........Patrick was not an institution builder in society, but a Gospel planter among the locals. He did not establish structures and entities; he proclaimed a message of hope to a people. He equipped a band of disciples to be the leaven for their society. Might not these be the markers for our way into the future? For surely our task is not to reinforce crumbling structures on fractured ground, but to find new ground to build new communities of grace. This is our task ahead: not to foster a nostalgia for the past, but to stake out a new territory.

I want to invite you to join with me in becoming the new Patricks for today, carrying with us across broken terrain that precious flame of deep magic, to ignite new beacons of light throughout our city. May we go there with Patrick, who went there before us.

Child Safety at St Patrick's School
Please be assured that the safety of every child at St Patricks is our highest priority. We have strong Child Safety guidelines in place at our school. We have a Child Safety Team of parents and staff who meet together to review our practices. Every meeting at our school has Child Safety on the agenda to ensure it is at the forefront of our minds. If you would like to join the Child Safety Team, please contact our principal Jenny Hawkins in person or via email. You can access our policies and further information about child safety at this link. The next Child Safety meeting is this Tuesday at 8:15am.

St Patrick's Day Celebrations
Thank you to our hardworking staff who planned and coordinated a wonderful day full of special activities. The Harmony Week activities culminated in the Parents and Friend's annual Colour Run. This was another wonderful success. Thank you to all of the children and families who raised funds and to the parent helpers and our PE Teacher Mrs Barclay for helping to ensure the afternoon ran smoothly. Photos from Harmony Week, St Patrick's Day and the Colour Run will be uploaded to our school Facebook Page in the coming days.

Some of our Year 6 leaders helping with St Patrick's Day activities

Sunday Family Mass and Capsule Reveal
Tomorrow the 17th March at 9am is a Family Mass. Everyone is asked to wear green for St Patrick's Day. Following the mass we will go over to the school hall to open the time capsule hidden away in the school since 1994. Past staff and students will join us for the special celebration which will be followed by refreshments.

Children celebrating St Patrick's Day at the school mass

Open Morning Thursday 21st March
This Thursday the school will be open for parents to visit their children's classrooms. Parents are welcome to join the class for morning prayers at 9am or drop in between 9-10am. To support us with Child Safety arrangements for the open morning, we ask that you write your name on this online sign in sheet or on the hard copy sign in sheet in the front office before Thursday. We will prepare a visitor lanyard for you to wear. This will be available for you to collect from the office. Further details around specialist classes and the location of classrooms will be shared with you before Thursday.

POPE Meeting for new families 2:30pm Monday 25th March
POPE (Parents as Open Partners in Education) - this is a chance to come along to meet our principal Jenny Hawkins and talk about our education at St Patrick's. New parents can ask questions and learn more about how our school works during an informal chat in the staff room.