Dear St Michael’s College Community,

Rest in Peace:  Br Kevin Moloney

St Michael’s College Principal 1977 – 1982

Brother Kevin was a beloved confrere of the De La Salle Brothers for 68 years. With great dedication, Brother Kevin ministered in Lasallian schools and communities throughout Australia and served as Principal of St Michael’s College from 1977 – 1982.

Br Kevin Moloney’s driving ethos for St Michael’s was a vision where the school would be a place where peace and justice would reign and where none shall wrong another. He maintained that enrolment at St Michael’s involved undertaking a package which embraced the academic, the sporting, the care for others, involvement in social and community affairs and the taking up of leadership roles where possible, and, where not possible, the duty of positively supporting those who did take up those roles.

Br Kevin is also remembered for:

• Reintroducing the Cadet Unit in 1978;
• Instigating a whole year of 25^th Anniversary celebrations in 1979 which culminated in over 5,000 people attending a special Mass;
• Planning further building extensions that would enable the College to widen its curriculum offerings, including the now Tech Studies and Art area at the secondary campus;
• Introducing the ceremony known as Graduation Evening, giving the College an opportunity to farewell the Year 12 cohort, an event which is still revered today.

We thank Br Kevin for his leadership and lasting impact on this magnificent College.

May He Rest In Peace.

A Mass of Thanksgiving for the life of Brother Kevin Edmond Moloney FSC will be offered in Melbourne on March 21 at 11:00am.  The Mass will be livestreamed through the Tobin Brothers website.  Please search Br Kevin’s name in the Funeral Services/Webcast search bar.

Kindness Culture

Friday March 18 is National Day of Action Against Violence and Bullying. The theme for this day is ‘Kindness Culture’ which aligns perfectly with our values and beliefs at St Michael’s College. By building Kindness Culture together, we can promote inclusion, respect and community belonging for all staff, students and families within our community. Staff and students across the College will engage with the day by identifying the importance of being kind in words and actions, creating a kindness tree at both campus’ and recognising and celebrating students showing acts of kindness for one another. Friday is a reminder about the importance of Kindness Culture and we look forward to continuing to live this focus daily within our Community.

In the words of our Founder St John Baptist de La Salle “Show much Kindness…”.

Reflective Garden

The Secondary Campus’ Reflective Garden was completed this week with Board Members able to have their first glimpse of this beautiful space on Wednesday.  We thank Mr Robert Dempsey for his foresight in developing this inspirational area.

The Reflective Garden was inspired by my pilgrimage trip in 2019, the Tercentenary of St John Baptist de La Salle’s death. During my travels in Europe, I was intrigued by the use of water in gardens and of walled structures to create a tranquil space that felt removed from the noise and bustle of cities. Some of these places were built in Roman times, others when Catholic Monasteries were common across Europe, and still more were in public gardens.

Our Reflective Garden uses a running stream water feature to create a tranquil space with waterfalls, and a pond to foster individuals’ spiritual life and support their opportunity for prayer. The garden can be viewed from the Chapel adding to the beauty and prayerful space present in the Chapel. Hundreds of plants have been planted, with the Eco Squad assisting one morning with this task which involved learning about horticulture and developing team skills. A College Leader’s group was also involved during the planning stage in 2021.

The Reflective Garden will be used by classes in Religious Education to foster students’ spirituality and provide a space other classes can use for lessons that lend themselves to a collaborative small group pedagogy. Connection with nature and Pope Francis’ encyclical Ladato Si’ (Praise Be to You), on care for our common home, will be explored in this space. The garden is an inclusive space where all students can feel relaxed. The Eco Squad will help to maintain the space and develop new horticulture skills.

For their dedication to detail in creating a wonderful space for the SMC community, we extend a special thanks to the design team of Simon Gallucci and Renarta Gebara from daStudio design studios, Dave Hefford from Hakea and his team of workers, Corrie Mullin from SA Waterscapes, and Dominic LoBasso, St Michael’s College Business Manager.

The College looks forward to the many opportunities that will emerge from having this beautiful Reflective Garden.

Mr Robert Dempsey, Director of Mission

Kind regards,

Damian Patton
Acting Principal