To honour one of our patron saints, St Catherine, we held a meaningful liturgy to reflect on the character, life and influence of St Catherine, followed by the running of the inaugural St Mary's di Palio.

The ‘Palio di Siena’ (locally known as Il Palio) is a horse race that is held in Siena, Tuscany twice each year, on July 2 and August 16 and consists of horses and riders, bareback and dressed in the appropriate colours, representing 10 of the 17 contrade or city wards. The ‘Palio di Siena’ is a globally recognised event and is a significant part in the life of the city as much as it was centuries ago, and the town where St Catherine was born.

Teams of four students competed in a relay race on horses (toy horses of course), which encouraged great teamwork and laughter. This was a highly contested race and the students participated and supported teams with great enthusiasm.

Afterwards, our community shared a delicious picnic lunch of lasagna and ice cream.

It was an exciting event and we look forward to continuing the tradition next year.

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