SJC, PoS class of 77 reunite

On Saturday there was a beach lime with families down the islands and a lunch at Melange in Woodbrook on Sunday. However, it was the reunion mass in the convent chapel on Sunday morning that generated the most buzz.

As past students arrived at the school, they were given name tags and replicas of the school badge, commemorating the event.

This made it easier for us to recognise each other, since for many of us, we had not seen our schoolmates since the last reunion 15 years ago, and for some, since leaving the school.

Main reunion organiser, Halcyon Yorke, instructed all to walk with funds to either purchase the school hoodies, school rings or pendants if they so wished, and ensured that a portable card machine was available to facilitate transactions.

For the mass, Michele Clark (former head girl), Paula Lucie-Smith (scholarship winner) and Margo Malcolm (rep for Five Special), were assigned as first and second readers of prayers of the faithful, while 11 others volunteered to hold candles for the 11 students who passed away since graduating in ‘77.

A collection taken up during the mass went directly to the school’s emergency fund for enrolled students.

During his homily Fr Gregory told graduates: “All of you will be reflecting on those 40 years since leaving school. Forty is a significant number.” He then related it to the gospel read from Matthew 4: 1-11, where Jesus was in the desert for 40 days and 40 nights and was tempted by the devil. He said: “So, too, some of you would have had days in the wilderness during those 40 years since graduating.

So there are challenges but I’m also sure how you have survived and made it through.

The answer is in the first line of the reading...Jesus was led by the Spirit, and that guidance made him face trials in that desert.

“I’m sure you were guided by that same spirit in your trials.” He also reflected on Sr Paul, one of the principals back in those years (the other Sr Regina), and told of her own wilderness experience at having to battle many changes including removing herself and other religious people from the education system, but he said, being led by the Spirit, Sr Paul persevered.

“God and God alone is the source of life and glory, and the spirit of guidance continues to be there for us all,” he ended After the mass the Class of ‘77 took toured the compound and took group photos before heading off to lunch.