Chanel House Mass
On Monday 27 February, Chanel House held the very first House Mass at the College. Fr Greg from the Saint Charles Borromeo Parish at Gladesville joined us to celebrate the Eucharist in a beautiful and intimate occasion.
Our Gospel spoke of self-sacrifice, service, compassion and Jesus’ Commandment of Love. Fr Greg’s homily expressed a genuine connection between the Gospel and the sacrificial nature of our Lenten season. During this reflection, Chanel House was able to consider the many opportunities this liturgical season will provide us to connect with our Patron, Saint Peter Chanel, who was undoubtedly a man of kindness, self-sacrifice and service.
At the end of our celebration, I spoke of how privileged and blessed I felt to be able to witness the essence of our Patron inspiring MSCW Chanelians as they go about their day, embracing their sisters and looking for opportunities to serve the wider community. I am never short of a story to tell about a time I have seen one of our students or staff members embody the Marian simplicity and quiet way of serving others. This is an integral part of the Charism that exists at MSCW and is alive in Chanel House.
I was simply overwhelmed by how creatively and passionately all our Chanel students went about assisting with the planning and execution of our very first Mass. We were blessed with students who volunteered to assist with technology on the night, reading, altar serving, singing and Maria Chakkour even learned all the hymns and songs for the night to be played on the piano. I also had Mrs Pratelli (Angelina Sesar-Pratelli’s mother) volunteer as a Eucharistic Minister, which I felt was a beautiful way to represent our Chanel parents present at our Mass.
Of course, the evening would not have been the success it was without the assistance from Ms Angela Bowland, Ms Jenny Dove and all our Chanel Tutors, who also beautifully represented the Chanel value of service in so many ways. We ended the evening with a lovely supper on Cerdon Plaza, generously made by our VET Hospitality students under the guidance of Ms Erin Healey (VET Coordinator). This was a fabulous way to celebrate our connection as a House and as a family. I am blessed to be the Coordinator of the wonderful Chanel House and am so grateful to have had this opportunity for us to grow in our faith and our love for one another.
