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Father in heaven, may the faith you have given us in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother, and the flame of charity enkindled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, reawaken in us the blessed hope for the coming of your Kingdom.
May your grace transform us into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel.
May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos in the sure expectation of a new heaven and a new earth, when, with the powers of Evil vanquished, your glory will shine eternally.
May the grace of the Jubilee reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope, a yearning for the treasures of heaven.
May that same grace spread the joy and peace of our Redeemer throughout the earth.
To you our God, eternally blessed, be glory and praise for ever.
Amen.
Welcome to 2025, a Jubilee Year! Pope Francis has invited us to celebrate this Jubilee, with the motto ‘Pilgrims of Hope’. The prayer for this newsletter is the Jubilee Prayer, as written by Pope Francis. It has been translated into many languages and will be prayed throughout the year, all over the world.
Jubilee years symbolise renewal and have been celebrated throughout Church history, with origins in the Old Testament. These occasions served as a spiritual and societal "reset," involving the forgiveness of debts, the return of misappropriated land, the freeing of slaves, and rest for the land.
A Jubilee Year offers many opportunities to engage more deeply with our faith, through the sacrament of reconciliation, prayer and pilgrimage. One significant element of a Jubilee Year is to pass over through a Jubilee Door in one of the four Basilicas in Rome. The Melbourne Archdiocese has also established pilgrimage locations around Melbourne, with St. Patrick’s Cathedral an essential destination.
Whilst it is a Jubilee Year, Kolbe Catholic College has begun the year with many faith-filled events and we look forward to all those we will celebrate in the future. By the end of this term, members of Dunlop and Romero will have gathered for their Feast Masses, whilst Teresa has already celebrated their Feast.
Another key even this term was our year seven reflection days. Across two days, in partnership with wellbeing sessions, all year sevens participated a Reflection Day, facilitated by YMT. The days were an absolute success, giving students an opportunity to form relationships with each other outside the normal classroom setting. As a Reflection Day, a focus on prayer and relationship with God was also an element of the program. I commend all year seven students for the way in which they participated in the program. I also thank all the staff for their support across the two days, ensuring success and enjoyment for our students.
We also look forward to our Opening College Mass on Ash Wednesday, a significant date in the Catholic Church calendar. We are grateful to Fr. Dishan Candappa who will celebrate this mass for us. The distribution of ashes on this day will make our Opening College Mass an even more auspicious occasion.
Other events that will occur this term will be Catholic Education Week, culminating in Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral with representations from every Catholic primary adn secondary school in the Melbourne Archdiocese.
Finally, we will conclude the term with an Easter Liturgy. Not only will we acknowledge Jesus’ sacrifice for us, it will also be an opportunity to further explore the significance of the Jubilee Year.
Peace and Blessings!
Rob Dellar
Director Faith and Community
