In the Catholic Church over the next two weeks, we celebrate the feast of the Holy Trinity and that of Corpus Christi (the Body and Blood of Christ). Both of these are foundational beliefs of our faith and help us to understand that we have a loving God that looks after us and shares completely with us. The Holy Trinity is simply the expression of God as three persons in one being. In traditional Irish culture, this was represented by the three-leaf clover. It has three individual leaves whilst at the same time, being one leaf. In the same way, God is one being but has three distinct parts – that of Creator, Redeemer and Supporter (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). The following week’s celebration, that of Corpus Christi, reinforces that God is always physically present with us. As Catholics, we refer to that as the Real Presence. The bread and wine are not just a symbol of God with us but are actually transformed through the miracle of the consecration at Mass, into Jesus, just as He did at the last supper. Both of these feasts help us to understand and remember that God remains with us always and all we need to do to find Him is to allow Him in to our lives.

Over the past few weeks, we have celebrated a number of events at the College which highlight the varied nature of our activities but also pinpoint the focus of what our community strives for. The Champagnat Day celebrations involved a college Mass, stalls that were aimed at fundraising for the less fortunate and a concert at the end of the day where students showed their talents. Each of these helped us to consider how we aim to be a Christ-centred community that provides opportunities for excellence. At the conclusion of the Mass, students were presented with Champagnat Awards which recognise those who espouse the values and characteristics that we aim for as graduates of Mount Carmel. It was wonderful to see so many students had been nominated to receive these awards. The awards range from bronze for those in the first nomination, through to platinum for those who have won the award every year for five consecutive years. The concert was a fantastic celebration of the talents of our students, but more pleasing was the positive and encouraging way that the audience participated. It was a pleasure to watch these young women and men supporting each other so enthusiastically.

On Wednesday evening we hosted the Parent Library which was run by Mrs Murphy and many of the English teachers. We also had a number of other teachers who attended in support. This is part of our parent engagement program and encourages parents to immerse themselves in reading. This is partially to role model this to their own children but also, in some cases, to re-engage with texts in our busy lives. This time, three past high achieving Extension 2 English students also attended and mingled with the crowd. It was lovely to see the gratitude form these students for the work that has been given by Mrs Murphy and the College. Thank you to the parents who attended and to the staff for providing this valuable event.

A final reminder that from next Thursday, June 19 until the start of week 2 next term (Monday July 28) I will be on a short leave break. During these periods, Ms Giles will be Acting Principal and Mr Huntly Acting Assistant Principal. Please feel free to contact them with any concerns or congratulations that you feel worth noting. Again, I thank them for accepting these roles during my absence.