Feast Day 2020

For each canonised saint, the Catholic Church assigns one day of the year, known as the saint’s feast day, to honour and remember their unwavering faith and extraordinary contribution to humanity and the Church. Our College name, Holy Cross, reminds us that Jesus Christ is central to all our endeavours.

Holy Cross College commemorates its’ feast day close to the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, which is celebrated every year on September 14, and which recalls three events: the finding of the True Cross by Saint Helena, the mother of the emperor Constantine; the dedication of churches built by Constantine on the site of the Holy Sepulchre and Mount Calvary; and the restoration of the True Cross to Jerusalem by the emperor Heraclius II after it had fallen into the hands of Chosroas, King of the Persians.

Feast Day is a celebration of our unique school identity, founded on the Cross. We come together to share in the Eucharist and remember the sacrifice Jesus made for us, so that through him we can ‘Live Life to the Full’.  The Cross is a symbol not only of Jesus’ death, but also of his resurrection. While the Cross was around long before Jesus the Easter story, that is, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, has made the Cross one of the most recognised icons in the world. The Cross symbolises sacrifice, suffering, repentance, solidarity, and exclusion. It is a sign of hope and new life in Jesus.

Feast Day 2020 began with Mass held in the undercroft, where students are to be commended for their respectful and reverent participation. Sadly, due to the coronavirus restrictions, parents were unable to join the students and staff for this joyous event. We are grateful to Mr Guy Jackson and the ICT team for live streaming the Mass so that families at home and work could be a part of the occasion. It was wonderful to have Father Kenneth celebrate Mass.

Following Mass students gathered on the College oval for the annual Inter-house dance-off. Congratulations to McCormack House for winning the combined Junior and Middle schools category and to Frayne House for taking the crown in the Senior School.

While not quite the same without parents, the fun fair was  still abuzz with excitement with large queues to some stalls, especially the fairy floss and haunted house. There was ample food with sausage sizzles, cheeseburgers, nachos, macaroni-cheese, fairy floss, freshly made strawberry sorbet and many more sumptuous options. Popular as always was the face painting and coloured hair spray. The Mega Meltdown was a favourite with the teachers and students showing off their coordination skills and stamina, ducking and diving over the rotating obstacles. The day concluded with a very green and icky ‘slime the teacher’, which for some reason was especially popular!

We were blessed with a sunny spring day. Despite the restriction on attendance, Fast Day 2020 was a wonderful success with all monies raised going toward the House charities.

Thank you to everyone for making Feast Day 2020 such an enjoyable celebration. Special thank you to Mrs Kylie Day, Mrs Christina Davini, Ms Aoife Hickey, House Coordinators, Teachers, Friends of Holy Cross, Parent Volunteers and Support Staff for making the day truly awesome.