22 April 2021

Principals of Catholic schools all over Melbourne gathered last night for the 2020 Celebration of Principalship.

Originally planned for December 2020 and available at the time as a digital experience, the rescheduled event was the first physical gathering of Catholic principals in almost 18 months. Beginning with Mass celebrated by Archbishop Peter A Comensoli, the evening was an opportunity for school leaders to be recognised for the wonderful job they do leading Catholic learning communities of faith in schools across the Archdiocese of Melbourne. The evening continued at the Park Hyatt with presentations to long-serving and retiring principals, as well as student performances.

Jim Miles, Executive Director of Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS), praised our school leaders for the ways they supported their communities through the challenges presented in 2020. ‘You led your schools through multiple transitions to remote and flexible learning, school closures and assisting the Department with contact tracing’, he said.

‘I know of principals who were calling members of their school community to check in on them despite being unwell themselves. Others were involved in organising food and other essentials for community members in self-isolation. These efforts ensured that our schools continued to deliver a high-quality Catholic education and helped to keep our communities safe.’

Thanks to the following students for their assistance on the night:

• altar servers: Simonds Catholic College, West Melbourne
• choir (Mass): Academy of Mary Immaculate, Fitzroy
• choir (dinner): St Aloysius College, North Melbourne
• soloist: Celeste Murone, Loyola College, Watsonia.