A MOSAIC

Creating a mosaic - let's give it a title.
Let's call it: St Mary of the Angels' College.
Let's accept the challenge. 

If you have lived in this area for 50 years, 
please smile at least 50 times before Christmas.

If you used to live here and have moved elsewhere,
Perhaps 55 words of explanation would suffice.

If a member of your family was a past pupil here,
We would be happy to forward a 60 word character reference.

To those Priests and Religious Sisters who
lived and worked at St Mary of the Angels' College,
your gift of 65 prayers for staff, students and parents
hopefully will not upset your retirement plans.

If you, a student for whatever reason, have never contributed
to Our College Art Exhibition or participated in a Musical,
it is not too late; a donation of 70 roses
will ease your conscience and help decorate the auditorium.

Parents, if your children or grand-children attend this College,
we will expect you, up until the age of 75, to come up with
new ideas or suggestions
for our farm project which is a shared responsibility.

New students, we welcome you with open arms;
your attendance, turning up on time and in uniform,
will entitle you, after 80 days, to full membership.

If anyone in the wider community wishes to remember
St Mary of the Angels' in your Will,
— and we hope you will— a deposit of $85 will convince all of us
of your loyalty and generosity.

If you are a long serving teacher at the College,
90 days of long service leave is now perhaps overdue.

If your family had a good season on the farm or orchard,
a box of 95 apples will delight our kitchen crew.

Last, but not least, a short poem, from anyone
who does not fall into any of these categories above,
would certainly maintain our friendship for another 100 days.

Happy Christmas.

I dedicate this poem to the late Fr Chris Reay, dearly loved by the St Mary's of the Angels' school community.   

Fr Michael Grace, Parish Priest, Numurkah and Parish Priest, Nathalia