On Monday 4th February,  the College community celebrated the Commissioning Mass.

Father John Adams, Diocesan Vicar for Education, celebrated the Mass. In his homily he talked about the importance of faith and cited Monday’s Superbowl stars as men of Catholic faith.

After the Eucharistic celebration he blessed the 2019 Leaders’ badges and Mr Hart called the Leaders to unite in a pledge before their whanau badged them.

Guests at the Mass included the Christian Brothers, the leaders of the Catholic Education Office for the Christchurch Diocese, the Mission Team who will help run our retreats this year. Most importantly, families of the Year 13 Leaders were there to carry on the College traditions.

The College Leaders for 2019 are:

Rice House Leader: Zachariah Amituanai

McClintock House Leader: Caius Faatili

Marlow House Leader: Joshua Dent

Joyce House Leader: Cormack Tarrant

Edmund Rice Community Leader: Will Andrews

Edmund Rice Environment: Johvaan Renata

Edmund Rice Social Justice Leader: Omar Ali

Edmund Rice Cultural Leader: William Topham

Edmund Rice Academic Leader: Caleb Stewart

Edmund Rice Academic Leader: Fraser Buckley

Edmund Rice Sports Leader: Thomas Stewart

College Council: Risias Mutonhori

Edmund Rice Pasifika Leader: Elisara Vaifale

Edmund Rice Whanau Leader: Tahuora Himona-Burcher

Edmund Rice Filipino Leader: Mark Frayna

College Captain: Cameron Brewitt

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the 18 staff involved in the Mass, the students who helped during the Mass and indeed all the students who were respectful and reverent during the Mass. Special thanks to Mrs Ngaire Lester for her tireless work in making sure the hall looks great. Thanks also to Father John for his continued support of the College.

For more information about the College’s Catholic Special Character, pop into my office for a chat or email me on skennedy@stc.school.nz

Yours in Christ

Stephen Kennedy

Director of Religious Studies

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

· Homily: a speech, also known as a ‘sermon’ that encourages the people to see faith in action in the modern world.

· Eucharist: in the Catholic Tradition, the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Christ instituted by Jesus in the First Mass (also known as “the Last Supper”). Eucharist comes from the Greek word meaning “Thanksgiving”.

· Christian Brothers: these men started the College in the spirit of their leader (Edmund Rice) Now retired, they still volunteer as servant leaders in the community. Many live here in Christchurch and are part of a monthly prayer group. All are welcome to join!