Prayer & Liturgy

and LiturgyPrayer

This year, who could have ever imagined that our experiences of Prayer and Liturgy at Mazenod College would have changed so profoundly because of the global pandemic of the coronavirus?

At least for a while this year, things began as normal. At the start of Lent, we celebrated Ash Wednesday with our Liturgy Prefects who were commissioned to go to their respective classrooms, conduct an Ash Wednesday liturgy, and distribute the blessed ashes to each student.

Several days later, we celebrated our Inaugural Mass, which heralds the commencement of our academic year. During this year’s pilgrimage to St Patrick’s Cathedral, the entire Mazenod community: staff, students and parents, were united, as we were joined together in our Mother Church in the Archdiocese of Melbourne. During this Mass, we invoked Almighty God’s blessings upon our school year and our entire College community. Fast forward to March, when we received the news that we would be unable to attend the daily celebration of the Eucharist in our Chapel, or in any other Catholic Church in Melbourne. Mercifully, the Oblates of Mary Immaculate came to our rescue. Under the dynamic leadership of our Rector and Provincial, Fr Christian Fini, and all of our wonderful Oblates, we were all able to participate in both the weekday celebrations of our Eucharist online from our College Chapel, as well as the Sunday Eucharist from St Mary’s Seminary, Camberwell. Therefore, our major liturgical celebrations this year of our Founder, St Eugene de Mazenod’s Feast Day, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and even our Masses in honour of Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, were all conducted online. The numbers of people who viewed these Masses were astounding. It was overwhelming to receive so many messages affirming the importance of these Masses in the lives of our students and their families. We would like to thank our students for their generosity in agreeing to record the readings, Prayers of the Faithful and music for these Masses. Their kindness meant that our entire College community was able to be involved in our Masses.

As we yearn for our ability to receive the Eucharist “Sacramentally” and not just as a “Spiritual Communion”, we remind ourselves that whether we are physically together, or whether we are an online community, we all

form the body of Christ on Earth. We wish to thank our Oblate Fathers for the gift of their Priestly Ministry to us all. We thank our Oblates, staff, students and the entire College community for sharing with us in our desire to worship, and give praise and thanks to our loving God.

Praised be Jesus Christ and Mary Immaculate. May St Eugene de Mazenod intercede for us all.

Josh Rajasingam and Tina Giacco