Welcome to our second edition of Lumina for 2026 as we near the end of a busy couple of weeks with Year 7 Camp in addition to the many school-based activities that continue. It has been a positive start to the year with comments coming from staff about how well our young people have settled into the new academic year.
Ash Wednesday and Lent
On Wednesday morning, ashes were distributed in pastoral care period as we reflected on the meaning of Ash Wednesday and the commencement of the Easter Season. The ashes on the forehead of the faithful has been a public expression of our Catholic identity for over 1000 years and marks the commencement of Lent. For the next 40 days, we are asked to prepare ourselves for Easter by “repenting” – changing our heart through sincere remorse for our shortcomings.
Catholics of my generation will possibly associate Lent with some version of sacrifice; you “gave up” something that you enjoy in Lent to replicate the fasting of Christ’s forty days in the desert. In my family home, we gave up meat on Fridays, which was quite a challenge given that my father was a butcher. Many still choose to see Lent as a time when they can free themselves, even if only temporarily, from habits that they feel may be a burden.
We are also called to be generous to those who do not enjoy our privilege by supporting Catholic charity, Caritas, through a donation to Project Compassion. During Lent, our students will learn about the projects that Caritas is working on throughout the developing world thanks to donations to Project Compassion.
Easter Egg Raffle
Our main fundraiser for Project Compassion is our Easter Egg Raffle. Find out more about this College tradition and how to contribute in this edition of Lumina.
Lockdown
You will be aware that we activated an emergency response lockdown on Wednesday afternoon in response to concerns that an unknown male was behaving erratically near the College. While one hopes that our regular practices mean that we are ready when the real thing comes along, it is reassuring to be able to advise that our key people, staff and our young people implemented our protocols exactly as we have practised.
The single disappointing aspect of our response was that a small number of parents / carers, upon receiving our text message (or a message from their young person) arrived to collect their young person. In so doing, they put themselves at risk amid the police response and it also complicated our responsibility to account for every young person in our community. It is essential that no student leaves the College during the day without the appropriate notifications in place.
If you feel that your young person has been distressed by the lockdown, please alert the relevant pastoral leader so that we can put support in place, or contact our College Counsellor, Trish Maguire tmaguire@stmaryscollege.vic.edu.au.
Prefect Parent Evening
One of the special events in our calendar is the Prefect Parent Evening which is held tonight. On this evening our Prefect team and their parents / carers have an opportunity to recognise the commitment that goes with these leadership roles and show our support for our young people.
Pope Francis encouraged those attending World Youth Day to “approach life as a pilgrim and not a sightseer.” A pilgrim immerses themselves in the places and people they encounter, whereas a sightseer is happy with a few fleeting moments to capture a selfie. I’ll be encouraging our Prefects to fully immerse themselves in the year ahead – they have certainly made a very fine start.
New Families Year 8 to 12
St Mary’s prides itself on our welcome of young people at levels other than Year 7. While our students seem to generally find their place quickly and start to establish a friendship network. It was a pleasure to catch up with many of the new students last week, share some morning tea and check to see how they had settled after the first few days.
Year 7 and Year 8 Camps
Year 7 students have returned from camp and report a very rewarding time together with opportunity to learn to surf amongst other adventure activities. Next week it is the opportunity for our Year 8 students to spend time together and learn new skills. Thanks to the staff who are generously putting their hand up for these commitments so that our young people can participate in this memorable experience.
Alma Park Redevelopment Update
The resurfacing of Alma Oval is well underway, and the resurfacing of the Basketball Courts is scheduled to commence on Monday. Recreation space will be at a premium for the remainder of Term 1, but it is short term pain for long term gain. We thank Port Philip Council for investing in the upgrade of these resources so that our students can be beneficiaries with other residents.
