Catholic College Wodonga (CCW) Year 12 students celebrated their final Mass as a school cohort at Sacred Heart Church last week. It was an emotional experience for many, surrounded by those who have prayed for them and witnessing faith come to life.
Wodonga has a longstanding tradition of caring for their Year 12 students through prayer. For decades CCW has created a prayer card for each Year 12 student which is given to a prayer-giver, a parishioner, or a local primary school student, as a constant visual reminder to pray for them.
Students would write letters of thanks to their prayer-givers and invite them to a special end-of-year Mass and breakfast at the College. However, attendance declined over the years due to the distance between the Church and College and a lack of clarity around the school-parish relationship.
Fr Adi Indra and Damien Keady, Director of Catholic Identity at CCW, sought to revitalise this tradition and build a healthier relationship between the parish and school.
In the past, students had much more interaction with the parish. They would attend Mass with their family and often knew many parishioners. “These days, it's unlikely that a student will know the person praying for them, since they aren’t going to Mass with their parents, or their parents aren’t going to Mass. Priests go to the school to celebrate school Masses, so for most students the Church environment is foreign,” said Fr Adi.
They decided to ‘bookend’ CCW’s students’ journey with Mass in the Parish. CCW Year 7 students start their school year with Mass at the Church, so it made sense for the end of their school journey Mass to be at the Church. So, this year, Year 12 students were bussed to Sacred Heart Church for a student-led Mass. “We aimed to involve as many students as possible,” said Damien Keady. “There was a very prayerful, relaxed, peaceful and respectful atmosphere,” added Fr Adi.
Experiencing Mass in the Church was overwhelming and reassuring for many students. “As a Catholic school we pray every day, but participating in Mass at the Church with parishioners who the students knew were praying for them, gave a sense of authenticity – ‘so, this is the faith we’ve been talking about’. Coming face-to-face with those who have been praying for you, is an incredibly powerful experience; it gives the student a sense of value, and enriches their faith,” said Damien.
Year 12 Student, Lilly shared how meeting her ‘prayer person’ Gloria, changed her perception of prayer and gave her an incredible feeling of reassurance. “It was amazing to learn someone was there the whole time. Times when I thought it was just good luck – no it wasn’t, someone has been praying for me.”
The Mass was followed by morning tea prepared by the school, providing an opportunity for students to experience the warmth of a parish community. Lilly received a gift from her prayer person – “It blew me away! Praying was enough!” she said. Another student expressed an intention to rejoin family at weekly Mass.
Fr Adi noted, “Students appreciate the healthy leadership and guidance provided by parishioners and are comforted by the fact that people care about them and pray for them. I hope this experience with our Parish inspires the students to pray and connect with the parish.”
Fr Adi and Damien hope the Mass has sown seeds of faith which will grow in time. "We hope this experience gives students a taste of the beauty of our faith, which will one day ignite," said Damien. "Hopefully, they will take their own prayer life more seriously and one day even take up a Year 12 prayer card themselves," added Fr Adi.
As these young people, step into their adult lives and venture into the wider world, we hope they will feel assured knowing someone prayed for them (and maybe still is); that their prayers have power; and that they will always find a home in the Church.
