The first half of this term has certainly been busy!
It was wonderful to gather on Thursday, 16 February in St Dominic’s Church to celebrate this special eucharist – our College Chaplain, Fr Kevin Toomey OP reminded us that our 2023 College Theme invites us to be people of hope. 2023 Cantor, Ava Dickinson lead us in song, ably supported by our combined choirs and mass musicians. As part of their Commissioning Ceremony, our student leaders made the following commitment before all present:
In the spirit of St Catherine, we promise our ongoing commitment to our faith, learning and loyalty to this community. We will endeavour to foster an environment where individuals feel secure and are encouraged to take risks, explore ideas, raise questions and share their truth. Our promise is that we will lead in times of celebration and in times of challenge. In doing so, and with God’s good grace, we will uphold and model a commitment to our Dominican pillars of Prayer, Study, Service and Community.
We marked the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday, 22 February; on this day Christians around the world are signed with simple ash to remind us that we are created from the earth and will one day return to the earth. While the things of this earth are frail and fragile, God’s love for us is eternal and strong. The sign of the cross reminds us that responding to God’s love is not always easy… but, when we live in community, God’s love flows through us in good times and in bad.
On Thursday, 2 March all Year 7 students participated in this integral part of their introductory Religious Education Unit, Our Dominican Community. Students were engaged in the following workshop sessions facilitated by members of the Mission and Identity and Year 7 Religious Education teams:
It was wonderful to see our newest Dominicans viewing each experience through the lens of our 2023 College Theme: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.
Archbishop Peter A Comensoli is inviting young people aged between sixteen to thirty-five years old to journey with him to Lisbon, Portugal for World Youth Day from Tuesday, 1 August to Sunday, 6 August. This is an opportunity to experience our Catholic faith with more than a million young people from around the world.
Registrations close on Friday, 17 March. Any Siena students wishing to participate may do so by joining with their Parish WYD Pilgrimage group. For further details, click here.
