Principal
One of the features of 2021 for the Nudgee College community has been the various ways in which we have recognised and celebrated our 130th year anniversary. From large community celebrations such as the event in April to small lapel pins on boy’s jackets we have sought to give meaning to this significant year in the College’s history.
As part of the renovation project of the Treacy Heritage Precinct, which was completed earlier this year, the Old Boy’s mall outside of the Chapel was refurbished. Unfortunately, due to COVID related complications the final piece of the design was not completed in time for the blessing and re-dedication that took place in April.
This final piece was the installation of a Celtic Cross, which we now refer to as the Great Cross. It stands 5m in height, weighs 5 tonnes and is made of magnificent dark granite. It was quietly erected several weeks ago. The Great Cross was created for us by Mr Peter Wrafter, who is a Nudgee College old boy and skilled stonemason. We are grateful for his labour, care and craftsmanship.
On Sunday evening, prior to the Boarder’s Mass, Fr John Gillen blessed and dedicated our Great Cross in the presence of our boarding students, as well as members of the Christian Brothers, the CLT and the Advisory Council. It was an atmospheric occasion with the combination of the dark of night, an intimate crowd, swirling wind and the incense smoke creating a special feeling. Thanks to Mr Stephen Meara for creating the engaging liturgy that incorporated the blessing and dedication.
We have erected the Great Cross as an enduring public monument to mark our 130th anniversary. In doing so we are recognising the Irish Catholic heritage of the College as well as the successive generations of the community who have built the school since 1891. On the plaque at the foot of the Great Cross it states that:
‘We acknowledge all those who have built this community of faith and learning over those 130 years: Members of the congregation of Christian Brothers, the Catholic community of Queensland and Australia and beyond, families and friends of the College, members of the College staff, and the young men of Nudgee. Signum Fidei.’
In addition to the words, the Great Cross itself carries meaning. It is true that a great deal of conjecture is connected to the origins, symbolism and meaning of the shape and elements of a Celtic Cross. A simple explanation is that the ring symbolises the unity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit bound together in the mystery of the cross from which God, in the person of his Son, Jesus Christ, redeems the world and unites us with him in the Spirit. In the Irish Christian tradition Great Crosses, many metres high with ornate patterning, punctuate the landscape and mark holy places of pilgrimage. For our community, the Nudgee College Great Cross has at its centre the College crest with our motto A Sign of Faith. We pray that it will mark this holy place and be a place of pilgrimage for the generations of the College community who are to come in the future.
In the refurbishment work of Old Boys Mall, we have had to make a significant alteration to accommodate the Great Cross. This alteration has meant that we have repositioned the Lourdes grotto which has been part of the Mall for many decades. The Lourdes grotto that previously stood in the corner of Old Boy’s Mall has been transplanted and re-created adjacent to the Rose Garden, behind the Mary Help of Christians Chapel and alongside Sandgate Road. The Lourdes statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Bernadette Soubirous now feature in the beautiful garden setting that compliments the other religious statues in the Rose garden precinct.
While the photos associated with this article may give you some sense of these important icons, I would encourage you to pay a visit and to see them for yourself. In doing so, I hope that you might take a few minutes to pause and reflect on the 130-year legacy of Nudgee College.
It is a legacy that we are called to steward in 2021. It is also a legacy that you are invited to contribute to and to strengthen using your God-given talents. It is a legacy that we, in due course, pass on to those who will follow us as parents, as students and as staff. It is a legacy that is both Nudgee Spirit and Signum Fidei (A Sign of Faith).
Mr Peter Fullagar
Principal
