Throughout ‘Laudato si’, Pope Francis talks of how everything is interconnected and so we looked at how the parts of God’s natural creation are family to us and therefore need to be cared for. While walking through St Francis of Assisi’s Canticle of Creation, we connected it to each part of the events of Holy Week.

While sitting in the glorious sunlight, looking out over the green field and beautiful trees as the wind blew slightly and the birds spoke to us, how could we not be in awe of all that God created?! The challenge is to look after all that God created.

“In this context, every effort to care for the environment and human life is a reflection of faith in resurrection, in the triumph of life over death.” (Susana Réfega; ED of Laudato si’ Movement, 31 March 2024)

Our liturgy shone a light on the Gospel of the day which talked of Judas’ betrayal of Jesus, and tried to connect this to our own lives including how we betray God each time we disrespect nature and other human beings. We were a people in a state of waiting gathered together as one – no celebration to be had yet, but reflection and contemplation of what Christ went through was necessary.

We are reminded that a central theme in our faith is hope. Easter shows us hope at every turn. There is the hope of eternal life with God, the hope that others will walk the journey with us, the hope that Jesus will return to us and the hope that we will live our side of the bargain, doing what is asked of us – we must love God, love each other and love all of creation.

As we celebrate for the 50 days of the Easter Season, may we continue to remind ourselves of these simple instructions and take whatever steps we can to achieve them. All of this can also contribute to a world of peace and being light in the darkness.

A special mention must be made of Jack Taylor (Year 11) who broke 2 records in the 50m Butterfly and Freestyle events, the latter was the record he had set last year. Adding to this is newcomer Sebastian Natalegawa (Year 7), who broke the 100m Freestlye record which had been set in 2013 by champion swimmer See-Bom Lee (’18).

Against a backdrop of cheering and spirited war cries, Hickey House managed to swim away in top spot followed by Coghlan, Berg, Rice, Crichton and Hanrahan. Congratulations to all involved, especially our Year 12 students who went above and beyond to make this such a memorable occasion!

Lent serves as a time for reflection and renewal, where we contemplate what we can give up and strengthen our relationships with one another. Similar to a bushfire sparking regeneration in nature, Lent ignites the renewal of our faith.

After receiving ashes on their foreheads, each year group wrote their Lenten pledges on posters to be displayed around the College. Year 12 Social Justice Prefect, Thomas Coorey, launched this year’s Lenten Appeal. Our Lenten partners are Lucas Gardens School and Chalmers Rd School, both schools for students with disabilities who we have had a long association with. Part will also be distributed to St Joseph’s Alice Springs and the Edmund Rice Life Training Centre in PNG.

Lent requires us to pray, fast and give alms. Let us use this time of sacrifice and repentance to prepare our hearts for the reconciliation offered by Christ’s death and resurrection at Easter.

In particular, we congratulate James Bellamy who was named College Dux for 2023. He achieved an ATAR of 99.25, and Angus Reen as Proxime Accessit with an ATAR of 98.65 This year, we were proud to announce that fourteen students of the Class of 2023, had achieved an ATAR above 95. In addition, three students were placed on the State’s All-Round Achievers’ List, James Bellamy, Angus Reen and Matthew Younan. Two students, James Bellamy and Lachlan Macher were placed on the Top Achievers’ List having received a State Ranking for Modern History and Information and Digital Technology respectively.

Adding to the gravitas of the occasion was the announcement and presentation of the 2024 Br McGlade Scholarship recipients: Christopher Costa and Isaac Tannous recipients of the McGlade Organ Scholarships; and Andreas Blatsos, George Lahoud and Jules Renel are the recipients of the McGlade Academic Scholarships. The Br McGlade Scholarship was named in honour of Br James Athanasius McGlade and is awarded to prospective senior students who have achieved the highest scores in the McGlade Scholarship examinations supported by an excellent academic record and active contribution to, and involvement in, College life.

These young men have done themselves, their Class, their College, and their families proud by their outstanding achievements. We share in their pride and congratulate each and every one of them for their hard work and determination in their academic pursuits.

A comprehensive publication of the HSC Class of 2023 High Achievers is available here.

Our College Chaplain, Father Jack Evans, concelebrated the Mass with Old Boy, Father Ronald Maree (’10).

At the beginning of proceedings, our new Year 5 students were welcomed on to the stage by their Year 12 House Prefect, before passing through a guard of honour formed by their Year 12 brothers. They then gathered together in the stands and recited their respective House Prayers together.

College Captain, Michael Sakr, introduced this year’s scriptural theme chosen by the student leaders: “It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown, it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree.” [Matthew 13:32].

In his Homily, Father Maree offered insights into the significance of the mustard seed parable, highlighting that even though at times we may feel small and insignificant, when Jesus is in our hearts, we have the potential to grow and achieve many wonderful things. What a beautiful sentiment to guide us through 2024!

This year’s EREA Touchstone focus is ‘Liberating Education’, and we were reminded of how this aligns with the qualities of our ‘Ideal Graduate.’

The readings, prayers and hymns all looked at how we can grow and in turn be Christ’s light in the world. They spoke of us being part of God’s creation and how we aim to be the best we can be. The College Orchestral Ensemble and Choir lead the music for the Mass beautifully.

Following Mass, the whole community celebrated the academic achievements of the Class of 2023; the whole day bringing together our two great missions – faith and education.

In particular, we congratulate James Bellamy our Dux for 2023 having achieved an ATAR of 99.25, Angus Reen our Proxime Accessit with an ATAR of 98.65 and Rob Cadisal who placed third with an ATAR of 97.70. Additionally, we congratulate Lachlan Macher and James Bellamy who placed in the State’s Top Achievers’ List with Lachlan coming 3rd for Information Digital Technology and James coming 13th in Modern History.

We also pay tribute to James Bellamy, Matthew Younan and Angus Reen who made the Distinguished All-Round Achievers’ List (having achieved the top band in at least 10 course units).

To date, we are proud to announce that fourteen students achieved an ATAR of 95 and above and thirty-four students achieved an ATAR of 90 and above. Of all eligible candidates, the median ATAR was 83.10, with the average ATAR being 80.

Seventy-seven students made the Distinguished Achievers’ List 151 times, having attained marks of 90% or more in various courses. Overall, the College ranked 105th in the State, an improvement from last year’s ranking of 109th.

There are many students in the HSC cohort who will not rate a mention for a band 6 result, or a high ATAR, yet they have achieved marvellous results and demonstrated tangible gains with their learning. These are the unsung heroes in the HSC and they deserve our equal recognition and applause.

The theme for this year’s Speech Night, ‘Shine,’ beautifully encapsulated the spirit of our College motto, ‘Let your Light Shine.’ This theme infused the evening as we enjoyed entertainment, highlighting the talents of students and staff through on-stage performances and media presentations.

During her address, Dr Lavorato shared insights from her journey to Ireland earlier in the year. This pilgrimage allowed her to deepen her connection with the inspiring story of Blessed Edmund Rice and the challenges he surmounted in his quest to empower children through education. She proceeded to articulate her aspirations for our boys, emphasising the benefits of an education rooted in the principles of Edmund Rice. Dr Lavorato expressed pride in our diverse group of boys, highlighting their achievements, whether in academics or through various co-curricular pursuits.

Following this, Dr Lavorato proposed this year’s posthumous recipient of the Luceat Award, Old Boy Brian Walsh (’73), for his outstanding contribution to the media, arts and entertainment industry in Australian and internationally. She declared the following: “He exemplified our theme of this year’s Speech Night, ‘Shine,’ perfectly, not just by letting his own light shine brightly, but by illuminating the path of so many others.” Dr Lavorato presented the award to Brian’s youngest sister Bernadette and Brian’s nephew Harrison. In accepting the award, Harrison spoke about the type of person his uncle was, and how he was inspired to live the College motto and follow his passions with integrity and humility.

It was wonderful to also have in attendance three of Brian’s closest school friends also from the Class of 1973; Rick Russo, Paul Sheehan and Greg Stewart, along with his Year 12 Master, Br Brian Berg. Another of our special guests was former colleague and good friend, Old Boy Damian Cleary (’93).

The grand finale of ‘Shine’ was a perfect conclusion, featuring unexpected singers alongside the choir and performers. The night concluded with everyone joining together, singing the College anthem with gusto and pride.

Once again, Speech Night was a celebration of all who make up our vibrant St Patrick’s College community!

We congratulate Harry Robinson, Nicholas Migliorino, Max van der Meer and William Symons for this remarkable achievement. We also recognise their teacher Mr Porra, for his exceptional support and mentorship in shaping the boys’ BoW journey.

Teaching staff across the College gathered to participate in an ADHD training workshop, presented by Clinical Psychologist and Old Boy, Alex Latouche (’04). Alex is the CEO and founder of Thinkfree Psychology Services, who provide teacher training and both clinic-based and at-home psychology services in the wider-Sydney region. His workshop was dynamic and purposeful in its intent to inform, update and amplify the significance of real-time teacher inventions. As custodians and stewards of syllabus delivery, classroom teachers are privileged to observe student learning routines and provide impactful accommodations, metaphorically building ramps to engagement and learning success.

Following the ADHD workshop, staff met in department and faculty groups. Within these collaborative groups, staff were charged with identifying and actioning programming and assessment needs. Departments took the opportunity to engage in activities such as reviewing, editing, and updating scopes and sequences, designing diagnostic and benchmark formative assessments, and identifying opportunities of challenge, explanation, modelling, practice, feedback, and questioning, and backward mapping assessments tasks. New English, Mathematics, Language and Computing syllabi have required these departments to develop teaching and learning programs and assessments ready for implementation in 2024.