Dear Iona Community,

At the very outset, a warm and heartfelt welcome to our Old Boys joining us this Saturday.

As we recently observed National Reconciliation Week (May 27 – June 3), we are invited to reflect not only on where we have come from, but also on the journey ahead. This year’s theme, “Bridging Now to Next,” calls us to face the truth with courage and to walk together toward a future grounded in justice, healing, and lasting unity.

From a Christian perspective and in the light of our faith in Jesus, reconciliation is both a spiritual and practical act. It is rooted in the eternal truth that every person is created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:27). From this sacred truth flows our responsibility to restore relationships, honour each person’s dignity, and build communities where all are respected and included.

As St. Paul proclaims: “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18). This ministry is a clear call to action. Bridging Now to Next means healing the pain of the past, while embracing the promise of the future - by embodying Christ’s love in our families, our communities, and the wider world.

As we approach the Feast of Pentecost this Sunday, we remember the moment when the Holy Spirit breathed new life into the Church, uniting people of every nation in one Spirit and one mission (Acts 2:1–4). Pentecost is not only a celebration of what was, but a call to what is yet to come.

Today, that same Spirit speaks to us in the language of reconciliation. It invites us through the charism of St. Eugene de Mazenod to be a Church and a community that lives out the Iona values: hospitality, compassion, justice, peace, and inclusivity.

In the words of St. Matthew, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9). So let us be peacemakers. Let us be bridge-builders. And let us, filled with the Holy Spirit, continue the ministry of reconciliation in our hearts, in our communities, and across this land we all call home. 

God bless,

Fr Joe Antony OMI
Rector