Director of Mission and Pastoral Care P-12

Looking Up We Find our Dreaming in the Sky

Friday 31 July was an exciting day for our whole College community. Each year, the celebration of St Dominic’s Day is met with feelings of anticipation and joy and none so much as 2022 after a hiatus of three years. 

This year we celebrated a full Eucharistic Mass led by Fr Gavin Foster. Our Mass was a celebration of the dreams that have driven the Dominican Story from before the time of Dominic’s birth and which continue to inspire Dominicans around the world. We know of the dream of Dominic’s mother Jane of Aza, before his birth, that predicted she would have a son who would be a visionary man of fire. It was Dominic’s own dream to spread the true word of the Gospel that inspired the founding of a new Order of Preachers. As the Dominican dream grew and spread around the world it was the Dominican, Antonio de Montesinos, in spreading the love and compassion of Jesus in the Americas who had a dream of dignity and equality for all. The Six Dominican Sisters who founded our College in 1894 certainly had big dreams. These were all dreams of aspiration and inspiration. All members of our community have dreams that will flourish as we embrace the mercy, solidarity, harmony and truth that have inspired the Dominican Dreams of those who have gone before us. 

Our Year 12 students were also able to fully embrace the tradition of crowning St Dominic this year. They were ably led by Sienna Ters and Clare Moses, our College Captains.

The crowning of St Dom has been a rite of passage for Year 12s at Santa for over 75 years. It symbolises the growth of the cohort, and the end of their time at Santa. It is a celebration of the education, opportunities and community we have gained here. It is a privilege, and reminds us of all the hard work each and every one of us have put in to get here. 

Sienna

As the third generation of Santa captains in my family to have the privilege of crowning Dom, it is a tradition I hold very close to my heart. My mum and nanna are the strongest and most compassionate women I have ever known. It is an honour to be standing where both of these incredible women did in their final year at Santa. Through this tradition all Santa Sabina students are connected, regardless of when they were here.

Clare

Last week also saw the return of Santa Fest, a week of fundraising and fun organised by our student leaders assisted by a band of keen and helpful Year 11 students. This week saw a mufti day, sausage sizzle, Montebello mile, hot chocolate and noodle stalls, a pizza day and a hugely successful bake sale organised by our Gioia House students. The funds from Santa Fest totalled $5846 and will be distributed between Dominican causes in South Africa and the Solomon Islands. The collection during our St Dominic’s Day Mass, our online appeal and the staff raffle also raised $6833 for the purchase of bore water pumps for a Dominican Community in the Solomon Islands. Thank you to all students,  families and staff who have contributed to these fundraising efforts. 

Melanie van der Meer
Director of Mission and Identity