The School Mass took place on Wednesday, 10th October 2012, in Mother of Divine Grace Church, Ballygall. It was concelebrated by Fr Brendan Quinlan and Fr Jim Caffrey, the Parish Priest from St. Columba’s Iona Road. He came to meet his former students. The theme of the Mass this year was, “Olympic Values in the Year of Faith”. It acknowledged the great achievements of the athletes at the London 2012 Games and the qualities they personified such as strength, courage, determination, achieving one’s goals and using one’s gifts and talents. This theme was combined with the Year of Faith which began on 11th October, which was also the anniversary of the death of Margaret Aylward.
The Mass began with an address from Sr. Antoinette about Margaret Aylward and the ethos of the Holy Faith Order. She explained how they link in with the values of the Olympic Athletes and our own students as they strive to reach their goals and use their talents to their advantage during this academic year. The theme of the Mass encouraged them to be the best that they could be academically, socially and spiritually as we journey through this year together.
Ms. Sullivan and Head Girl, Claire Concannon, read a reflection on Olympic valuesand how we can incorporate them into our lives. This was accompanied by a procession of Olympic Flags, representing each year group. All of the class names were drawn onto the Olympic rings. These flags were placed on the Altar for the duration of the Mass.
Our readers, Patricia O’Beirne and Kate Lawlor, did an excellent job, as did all of our readers for Prayers of the Faithful. They were assisted by the beautiful singing of Emma Humber who sang the Responsorial Psalm. The Offertory Procession involved a very spiritual dressing of the Altar, beautifully done by all of the girls involved. After Communion the Commissioning of the Prefects took place around the Altar. The girls were ledin their prayer by Head Girl, Claire Concannon and Deputy Head Girls Patricia O’Beirne and Ranazennaille Caranay. They received a well deserved round of applause for the commitment they made to do their best during the year ahead. This was followed by a reflection, read by Eve Kavanagh, on Katie Taylor and how her faith in God helped her to reach her goals and overcome all obstacles. It showed the importance of faith and God in her life.
The singing of the choir, under the direction of Ms O’Rourke and Mr Coll, really enhanced the Mass. We, in the Religion Department, would like to thank all those who participated in the Mass and made it such a memorable and spiritual occasion. We would particularly like to thank Sr. Irene who was such a great help to us in setting up the Church.
