St Patrick’s Day celebrations for Catholic schools

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17 March 2017St Patrick's Day festivities

Today’s St Patrick’s Day festivities have been a joyful celebration of faith, music, mission and art for Catholic schools students from across the Archdiocese of Melbourne. As Executive Director of Catholic Education, Stephen Elder, said ‘Catholic Education Week gives us an opportunity to celebrate our proud history of a making a difference in the community’.

This morning the Mass for the feast of St Patrick, the patron saint of the Archdiocese of Melbourne, was celebrated at St Patrick’s Cathedral by Archbishop Hart. The official welcome was followed by the school banner procession featuring schools celebrating significant milestones in 2017, including:

  • St Mary’s School, Geelong 175 Years 
  • St Mary’s School, Williamstown 175 Years 
  • St Anthony’s School, Alphington 100 Years 
  • Mazenod College, Mulgrave 50 Years 
  • St John’s School, Frankston East 50 Years 
  • St Timothy’s School, Vermont 50 Years 
  • St Peter Julian Eymard School, Mooroolbark 25 Years 

The Cathedral was filled with thousands of students, teachers and dignitaries including the Hon. Daniel Andrews MP, Premier of Victoria, and the Ambassador of Ireland, Mr Breandán Ó Caollaí. The uplifting music was provided by choirs and musicians from De La Salle College, Malvern; St Mary’s School, Williamstown; Xavier College, Kew; and Our Lady of Sion College, Box Hill.

After the Mass around 2,000 primary school students gathered in Treasury Gardens for the Concert in the Park to enjoy the best school bands, including performers from Padua College, Mornington; and Mercy College, Coburg.

While the primary school kids were busy dancing to some great rock and pop music, nearly 200 Year 10 students attended the Young Speakers Colloquium at the Catholic Leadership Centre. This year’s speakers were Fr Rob Galea, an accomplished singer and song writer, and Manu Lavemai who attended Aquinas College, Ringwood, where she did youth ministry.

Fr Galea and Manu both spoke to the theme for Catholic Education Week 2017, Moved by the love of Christ. This theme was drawn from a phrase in St Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians where he speaks of the love of Christ that urges, compels and moves us to share in Christ’s ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor 5: 14).

Also held at the Catholic Leadership Centre, the Visual Arts Exhibition has been open for visits by school groups and the general public since Tuesday. ‘This year’s exhibition featured more than 270 works created all in kinds of media from the traditional through to cutting-edge digital technology,’ said Mr Elder.

‘The Visual Arts Exhibition is one of the biggest and most popular major events, showcasing works by students from Foundation right through to Year 12 from schools across the Melbourne–Geelong area.’

The Exhibition will be open to the general public tomorrow (18 March) from 12 pm to 4 pm.