The Magazine of St Aloysius' College • 'Men for Others' • Issue XLVII ...

human trafficking in Australia. Both films have brought
leading actors to discuss these issues with Fr Richard
Leonard SJ and others from our community.
There are over twenty-five workshops and forums
scheduled at our Youth Festival. There are workshops for
young men and women who may question their faith. There
will be workshops for people passionate about social justice
and women’s issues. There will be discernment workshops
and workshops meant to embrace the Holy Spirit. We also
have physical workshops like Tai Chi and meditative Yoga.
Our forums will include presentations from Sister Ephigenia
Gachichi IBVM, the first Kenyan Loreto nun and Sam Clear,
a young man who has recently completed a pilgrimage of
29,000km around the world. Jesuit Social Services will host
a discussion about pressures for youth and Fr Mark Raper
SJ (SAC 1960), Fr Frank Brennan SJ and Meg Taylor will
discuss development and social justice.
Mr Joe El-Khoury
WYD Co-ordinator
World Youth Day
On Easter
Monday, 24
April 2008,
members of the St
Aloysius’ College
Cadet Unit engaged
with the Journey of the
World Youth Day Cross
and Icon at a special
ceremony conducted
by the Military Diocese
of Australia at the
Garden Island Naval
Base in Sydney.
Coinciding with
the Easter message
of peace by Pope
Benedict XVI, the
Aloysius’ Cadets joined about one hudred Australian
Defence Force personnel, family and friends to pray, through
these religious symbols of “Christ’s love for Humanity”, for
those who have died in service of our nation, for those who
are currently serving overseas on dangerous operations
and for Christ’s promise of peace to reign throughout the
troubled parts of the world.
The Aloysius’ Cadets were involved in carrying the
Cross and Icon across the Navy Base during a Rosary
Procession led by Bishop Max Davis, Catholic Bishop of
the Australian Defence Force. The procession of the Cross
and Icon also stopped in front of HMAS Darwin (one of
the Royal Australian Navy’s Anzac Class Frigates) and the
HMAS Kuttabul Memorial for prayers.
At the conclusion of the procession, the Aloysius’ Cadets
joined Navy and Air Force cadets to form a guard of
honour outside the Navy Chapel as the Cross and Icon
were carried inside for veneration and the celebration of
Mass by Bishop Davis. The cadets were invited by the
Bishop to make a special engagement with Christ as they
venerated the Cross.
Bishop Davis thanked the cadets for their active
involvement: “We welcome the contribution that the St
Aloysius’ College Cadets have made to the success of
our ceremony. The cadet program and the World Youth
Day movement share a common bond in the promotion of
positive youth development throughout Australia. Therefore,
it is extremely pleasing to see that young Catholics in
the cadet corps are so enthusiastic about their faith and
wanting to come out and engage with Christ through the
Cross and Icon. They have represented their school with
great distinction.”
The World Youth Day Cross and Icon of Mary have
been travelling throughout the world since 1984, and
they are journeying through Australia in the lead-up to
World Youth Day in July 2008. The Australian Defence
Force’s involvement in World Youth Day is codenamed
Operation Testament which includes the provision of
security support to NSW Police for the event, as well as,
the hosting of hundreds of Australian and Foreign Military
Personnel as “Catholic pilgrims” to participate in the Papal
celebrations.
Captain Ivan Yau (SAC 1998)
Australian Army
Editor’s Note:
Ivan is an Officer in the Regular Army and is currently on
secondment as Liaison Officer to the Military Ordinariate of
Australia Joint Task Force Operation Testament, for World
Youth Day 2008.
A Lesson on Sydney’s Streets -
Nugacity
For the past fifteen years the Nugacity Group has
assisted the homeless people of Sydney city with a bed
every Thursday night. Based at St Canices’ Church,
the Jesuit Parish in King’s Cross, on Thursday evenings the
doors are opened for anyone who needs a bed, a cup of
coffee and someone to talk with. The Nugacity Group is
made up primarily of St Aloysius’ and St Ignatius’ Old Boys,
although over recent years the group has grown to include
TV personalities and sport stars among many other dedicated
individuals. However, the Jesuit Old Boys have always been
at the fundamental core of the organisation and without their
ongoing efforts, the group would never have survived.
Whilst the voluntary work is at times difficult, exhausting
and scary, the experiences that all our volunteers receive are
what make the job an amazingly rewarding experience.
The chance to make a real difference in a person’s life and
to share just some of what they have been through is truly
awe-inspiring. Most of the guests who visit us are past or
St Aloysius’ College
A Jesuit School for Boys _ Founded 1879 aloysiad / page 19