There wasn’t a spare seat in the house at St Mary’s Cathedral as 1,200 members of the St Patrick’s College community gathered to celebrate the Campbelltown school’s 185th anniversary.
The Mass was presided over by the Bishop of Wollongong Brian Mascord, and uplifted by the singing of St Patrick’s College students whose voices rang with joy throughout the cathedral.
Special guests in attendance included Margaret Beazley, the Governor of NSW, and Senator Deborah O’Neill, a past student of St Patrick’s.
Following an Acknowledgement of Country, delivered by students Charlize Van Deinsen and Kaitlin Kumar, college principal Mary Leask welcomed attendees to the Mass.
“What a wonderful day to commemorate the past, to celebrate the present and to run with hearts overflowing with joy into the future of St Patrick’s College, and what better way to celebrate together than within the heart of our Catholic tradition at Eucharist, which is the source and summit of our call to be communion and community together,” she said.
Mrs Leask honoured all those who contributed to the foundation and success of St Patrick’s College, including the first Irish Catholic families who, in 1840, established a Catholic school for their children, along with the Sisters of the Good Samaritan, who took responsibility for the College in 1888.
She thanked the many staff who have long delivered the highest standard of Catholic education to students and she acknowledged the contributions of students and their families to the fabric of the school community.
“We pay tribute today to the many thousands of young women who have experienced an education at St Patrick’s College for Girls, and their daughters and granddaughters who continue that legacy today,” Mrs Leask said.
“These young women have been empowered to be brave and to be bold. They have been challenged to go beyond their own expectations so that they can make a lasting difference in the communities in which they live.
“We say thank you to the generations of families who have often made financial sacrifices to enable their daughters to attend our school.
“We are humbled by your trust in us and grateful for your belief that a girls’ school is the best kind of education through which your daughter can thrive.
“From very humble beginnings, the College has had a number of iterations, but with one sole purpose: to give glory to God by providing a holistic, Catholic education to the young people in the Campbelltown area,” Mrs Leask said.
The celebration Mass took place on the Feast of Saint Joseph, and in his Homily, reflecting on a reading from the Gospel according to Matthew (1:16), Bishop Mascord urged the congregation to hold fast to their faith through challenges.
“The enduring legacy of St Patrick’s is not merely in the buildings or the programs, but the lasting impact on our students and their families,” Bishop Brian said.
“As we celebrate 185 years, we reflect on the many generations of young women who have passed through the doors of the College, who have been shaped by the wisdom, the faith, and the love of the community.
“We see this covenant in our ongoing mission to educate and to form young people who will go out into the world and continue the work of God’s kingdom,’’ he said.
