Seeing Christmas as a time for giving has also given rise to the person of Santa Claus—the gift-giver. St Nicholas is the original Santa Claus. He lived in the time of the Roman Empire and became a bishop who developed a reputation as a gift-giver, especially to the children of the poor in his society. Following this long tradition of Christmas as a time of giving, the St Pat’s community each year in Term 4 contributes to the St Vincent de Paul Society’s Christmas hampers. The hampers are distributed to the families in our local community who would otherwise have nothing special to share on Christmas Day. This year, there has been one homeroom which has donated enough items to fill four baskets and another homeroom filled seven baskets! In total, the St Patrick’s community has contributed to the creation of 60 hampers. This kind of generosity from our girls and their families is a wonderful expression of the Benedictine values we seek to live out each day.

Angelo Gattone - Mission Coordinator