Greetings of Peace and Love!

As we come to the end of the term, we pause with grateful hearts and recognise the many blessings we have shared as a Catholic school community.

• To our students — thank you for the joy, energy, and faith you bring each day. You remind us of God’s presence in our learning, our friendships, and our growth. Continue to use your gifts with courage, knowing you are deeply loved by God.
• To our teachers and staff — thank you for your faithful service and dedication. Your commitment to nurturing both the minds and hearts of our young people reflects Christ’s love in action, and it is a true blessing to our community.
• To our families — thank you for your trust, support, and partnership in this shared mission. Together, we continue to guide our young people not only toward excellence, but toward a deeper relationship with Christ.

As we enter this sacred season, we are invited into the heart of our faith through the Paschal Triduum — Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil. We warmly encourage all families to take part in the Triduum celebrations in your parish. It is a powerful and meaningful way to come together in prayer, to reflect, and to celebrate the hope and new life that Easter brings.

And as the term concludes, may you find rest and renewal in God’s presence. May His peace be with you, His love surround you, and His light guide you always.

Praise and Pizza
A good number of our CSYMI attended the Praise and Pizza at Carmela College.  Pizza and Praise is an opportunity for Leaders of Catholic Schools in Auckland to gather and share their Catholic best practices in school.

Our students found this to be meaningful as they were able to hear different stories on how other schools fulfil their mission of proclaiming the good news.  They also said that it gave them reassurance that Sancta Maria College is doing well in developing the faith of their staff and students.  It also made them realized that our college having a close link with the nearby parishes, especially St. Luke’s allows them to nurture their faith.

Wednesday Lunchtime Masses
It has been humbling to see a good number of students attending lunchtime Mass on Wednesdays.  It has been even more special to be able to share the following celebrations with each other and the congregation:

• DG8 Students leading the Lunch Time Mass
  With the help of Mr. Tamayo, Mrs. Price and the teacher aides of DG8, the goal of having a meaningful and close encounter with God came to a fruition.  The DG8 students are usually stationed in the crying room of the church to help them cope with the noise and settle down, were undertaking major roles in the Mass.  The students read, served and even sang the closing hymn.  Thank you to everyone who supported their connection with God, it really was a lovely Mass.

• Blessing of Peer Support Leader|
  On 25 March, Father Benedict gave a special blessing to the Peer Support Leaders whose mission is to make students feel safe and welcome.  The Peer Support Leaders introduce the school values and virtues to our Year 7 and 8 students – allowing them to easily transition into Sancta Maria College, feel welcome and cared for.
• Blessing of New Student Leader for Māori (Kaiwhakatere)
  

Retreat Week
Thank you to all staff and senior students who help manage and facilitate our retreats this year – this year, we tried having a retreat week where students from Year 7, 8, 9, 11 and 12 had their retreat in one week.  This happened on the first week of March.  Click the following link to read the news articles Latest News – Sancta Maria College

Rosary Group
The Rosary group is back with a new timetable – they now meet on Wednesdays from 8:20am in the prayer room.  Their goal is to pray for the school and personal intentions.  They also include in their intentions things that are happening around the world.  Everyone is welcome to join the group to pray.

Non-Uniform day for Catholic Caring Foundation
Thank you to everyone who helped fundraise on 19 March for the Catholic Caring Foundation, through our first non-uniform day. The Catholic Caring Foundation provides annual grants to non-profit organisations and social service providers supporting disadvantaged families, children, and communities within the Auckland Catholic Diocese.  We plan to have one more non-uniform day this year.

Young Vinnies cooked up a storm
Sancta Maria College was the first to initiate the cooking of meals for the less fortunate this year.  40 students volunteered their time to cook 120 servings of lasagna for people in need.  Volunteers from SVDP also helped along with Mr. Tamayo and Ms. Rehu.  It was a good experience for the students who knew that their hard work was for a good cause.  Thank you.

Yours in Christ though Mary,

Mr. Omar Leo Tamayo
Leader of Special Character Mission and Liturgy (DRS)