On the morning of the Feast of St Thomas Aquinas, Wednesday, January 28, Hawthorn School for Girls had the great honour and pleasure of welcoming His Eminence Frank Cardinal Leo to the atrium – ‘the cathedral!’ – of our school, where he celebrated, in his words, ‘the greatest gift on earth,’ that is, Holy Mass, and then stayed to enjoy student performances and a luncheon with families and guests.
Beginning with the words of our entrance hymn ‘Come Down, O Love Divine,’ we gathered as a school family to lift hearts, minds, and incense to God’s presence, asking Him to draw near, to light our path, and to make His dwelling within us. Our school chaplain, Fr Eric Nicolai, formally greeted our honoured celebrant on our behalf. Upper School student Ebun served as a reader. as well as Lucia, Juliet, Emma, Catherine, and Fatima for the general intercessions.
In his homily, Cardinal Leo first addressed our students, reminding them that St Thomas Aquinas, one of his favourite patron saints, is praying for all students, is always available for help, and is a wonderful model of living a life of faith in harmony with reason.
Next, he spoke to our faculty and staff, thanking them for following their teaching vocation, and encouraging them to continue sowing the seeds of Christ’s compassion, kindness, and hope in our students. Finally, he included parents and grandparents who selflessly, sacrificially, give life and love – ‘the greatest gifts of all!’ – to their children and grandchildren. He celebrated the Liturgy of the Eucharist with perfect reverence, sharing it with us all, his brothers and sisters in Christ, from our youngest kindergarteners to our great-grandparents.
Following Mass, His Eminence was delighted to hear a poem written and recited for him by our Junior School classes, a touching song sung especially for him by these same young students, and a classical piece, ‘Bergamasca,’ performed for him by our Lower School string ensemble.
Then, he led us in grace before we all sat down to enjoy a delicious Italian luncheon featuring lasagna and Cæsar salad, and concluding with coffee and dessert, many photo opportunities, and good conversation.
Thank you to our wonderful Upper School student schola cantorum and music faculty who prepared so carefully for this exceptional visit and whose melodies, harmonies, and descants beautifully elevated our praise and thanksgiving. Thank you to the Northmount School students and alumni, many of whom are our students’ brothers, who served at the altar with perfect dignity, respect, and attentiveness to the needs of the liturgy.
Thank you to our administration for helping to bring the many parts of this happy event to fruition. And thank you to Upper School art student, Lucia, for gifting His Eminence with her beautifully delicate replica of the Madonna and Child painting.
Cardinal Leo graciously expressed great appreciation and congratulations for the blossoming of Hawthorn’s educational mission to instill a love of truth and charity in our students, who were so excited to meet him. After lunch, he took the time to speak to so many of us individually, generously and joyfully sharing his friendship and encouragement.
His visit was truly meaningful and uplifting to us. We were magnificently blessed to welcome him to our campus, and, similar to the words of our closing hymn ‘O God Beyond All Praising,’ to worship and wonder at every gift God sends. Thank you, Your Eminence Frank Cardinal Leo!
