Dear parents, friends, staff and students,

In last week’s newsletter, I referred to a second reading quote that suggested we ‘love our neighbour as ourselves’. I suggested that one notion coming from this is that we need to care for ourselves. The Gospel Acclamation for this Sunday takes this quote a step further. It reads; “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34). God’s love is boundless and limitless. In asking us to love one another in this way, Jesus is telling us that we should aim to spread His love to those around us. As humans, we acknowledge that we are not perfect, and that unconditional love is difficult for us. In the readings on either side of this acclamation, we are told that the best way of spreading this love is through forgiveness. We are given a clear message that forgiveness is not an option but is a requirement. For humans, forgiveness is not about ignoring something that is wrong, but it is about not holding a grudge. In our dealings with others, we need to aim to love one another as God loves us.

As stated last week, Jasmyne Douangdara was awarded with the Bishop’s Excellence Award for Mount Carmel for 2023. This is a great honour and this week I am able to include a photo. Congratulations again to Jasmyne.

This week the College Captains accompanied by Mrs Pearce (the Year 12 Coordinator) met with the Bishop for one last time. Bishop Brian spoke with the captains from each of our diocesan schools about leadership and their roles as captains. He also asked them to consider the next phase in their lives and how they might carry the things they have learned into their future. Thank you to our captains for their leadership roles in 2023.

On Wednesday evening, I had the pleasure of being invited to the Mayoral farewell for the Campbelltown delegation of students who will be visiting Koshigaya in Japan. This is a sister city initiative and students needed to apply to be a part of this delegation. Mount Carmel had five students chosen to be in this group. This was the largest contingent from any school and I believe that these students will represent Campbelltown with distinction.

Congratulations on being chosen in this group and thank you for allowing me to share in the mayoral reception.

Next week we will host the farewell celebrations for our HSC class of 2023. Parents have already been invited to the Graduation events and these will also be livestreamed on the day. Thank you in advance to all the staff who will be involved in the farewells and will help to make the last few days memorable for the students. As this will be the last newsletter before the Year 12 students leave the College, I wish them all the best in their lead up to their final exams and congratulate them on their secondary school education.

Ite in Veritate

Mr Steve Lo Cascio