Catholic Education Week Mass

Last Friday, seven students and two staff representing our Melton and Cobblebank campuses attended St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne for the Mass of St Patrick celebrated by Archbishop Peter Comensoli as part of Catholic Education Week.

Proudly carrying the St Francis Catholic College banner for the first time, the students joined hundreds of primary and secondary students from across Melbourne.

The Mass was a beautiful experience; students from Avila College provided wonderful orchestral music for the Mass and Simmons Catholic College served reverently at the altar.

The Archbishop reminded students of their importance in the Mission of the Church despite their young age drawing reference to the fact that St Patrick began his mission at the age of 16 and that the Prophet Jeremiah was also called at a young age.

It was a good opportunity for us all to witness that we are part of something larger, namely, the community of Catholic schools in Melbourne. All students expressed excitement at attending next year as well!

Below is a reflection on the event by Year 7 student Ater.

"When you first arrive the first thing you could hear were the sounds of the bells before mass. All around the Cathedral are statues of saints and other people in the Catholic community such as St Patrick, St Francis, Mary Mackillop, St Catherine, and Archbishop Mannix.

During the mass there was an opportunity for all the Catholic schools to display their banners and represent their school and that is exactly what we did. There were so many different Catholic schools there. The cathedral was amazing, and I hope just as many people volunteer next year and get to see the cathedral and learn about St Patrick.

During the mass (the Archbishop) said that St Patrick was taken prisoner by Irish Raiders, so he turned to God for help, and he made the decision to follow God at age 16. He said that you do not need to be 16 to be like St Patrick, you can start following God at any age."