Today the Merici College community gathered together to celebrate the 2021 Opening School Mass. . We welcomed special guests from Catholic Education, our fellow Colleges and Primary Schools, Principals and Executive Staff, School Leaders and Sisters of the Orders Sr Angela Jordan and Sr Frances Fitzpatrick of the Mercy Sisters and Sr Genny Ryan of the Ursuline Order who were instrumental as the founding Orders of the College. We were honoured to welcome our Celebrating parish priest: Fr Emil Milat, from the Central Canberra parish. Parents and friends were also in attendance via live-stream.
As we gathered as a community, we are confident that St Angela Merici would have been delighted with this year’s school theme “Dare to Dream” with its over-arching symbol of the STAR. Historically we know that stars were like a map, a road in the sky assisting different cultures to move from place to place.
St Angela Merici, herself, was
· a dreamer,
· a star-gazer,
· a seeker and
· a Pilgrim Traveller.
However, Angela Merici never travelled alone. Her close and constant “star in her heart” was Jesus Christ whom she met in the Gospels.
Today we listened, as Angela Merici would have listened, to the Gospel reading of The Beatitudes which spelt out for St Angela, and now for us here at Merici, God’s dream for a better world.
The community also celebrated the Commissioning of Merici’s new College Principal, Anna Master and welcomed Mr Ross Fox, Director of Catholic Education and Mrs Jacqui Keighery, Merici College Board Chair, welcoming Mrs Masters to the Merici family and wider community.
We would like to thank all our students for their reverence throughout the Mass and contributing so beautifully all the responses. We would also like to thank our readers, our amazing Vocal Group, Maintenance and IT teams, and Canteen staff for preparing and serving refreshments to our guests.
Full image gallery here.
