WelCom March 2022
Mariana Sola, Head Girl and Jasmine Chung, Media Captain
Mā te Atua e manaaki.
At St Catherine’s College, Kilbirnie we began our new year with a mihi whakatau and felt the breath of the spirit in the intimate outdoor gathering between our senior students and our new enrolments. They were welcomed along with new staff and this year’s Student Leadership Team as we met together to start the new school year.
We were all filled with excitement and eagerness to begin 2022. Masks could not hide the smiles and warmth we felt being together again. The day continued with our peer-support programme in which each new student has a Tuakana – supporting senior student – and we enjoyed getting to know one another in the informal setting.
The year has already provided us with several special events. We enjoyed our Year 13 leadership overnight retreat at Magnificat Retreat Centre in Featherston. We held our whole-school athletics day with great participation and more glorious sunshine. And we have celebrated our Academic Liturgy led by our senior students.
The loss of not celebrating Mass together has saddened us, although this has provided us an opportunity to lead prayer and adapt to student-led liturgies. It has also enabled new leadership opportunities and strengthened our school spirit. Our Mercy Crew met last month and a school-wide focus is how to be compassionate people of Mercy, living our lives as Catherine McAuley did.
Students and staff have adapted quickly to mask-wearing – we do not like it, but we remain grateful it has kept us safe until now. We feel communication has improved as we are trying to get the most out of every day while we are not isolating. We are learning to expect the unexpected and learning to be more efficient with our time – not putting off what can be done today until tomorrow.
Meanwhile we are keeping in our prayers the people of Tonga who have lost so much, as well as peers in other colleges who are also navigating these uncertain times. May God’s presence give them comfort.
Kia kaha Aotearoa!