Blessing and Opening of the St Teresa Library

The Avila College community came together for the formal Blessing and Opening of the St Teresa Library on Friday 24 July. Thank you to Very Rev Andrzej Madry CR PP, Father Justel Callos, Sr Helen Carboon pbvm and Sr Maria Lazzaro pbvm who led the Blessing and Dr Mary Oski Director Education Excellence MACS and Jacqui Giuliano, Chair, Avila College School Advisory Committee who formally opened the building.

The celebration included the reading of two poems penned by Year 7 students and a commemorative bookmark for all.

Named after our patron saint, St Teresa of Avila, the first female doctor of the church, the library reflects our rich heritage, our Presentation Charism, our Catholic academic tradition and realises a vision for a contemporary learning environment that meets the needs of students in the 21st Century and future generations to come.

Our Library of Love
Audrey Dawson (Year 7)

A place so full of love and life,
A home to precious stories.
A space of laughter, friendship, joy,
A haven basked in glory.

This building is not just bricks and stone,
But a living, breathing soul.
It wraps us up in warmth and chatter,
From people new and old.

The rustle and the flick, of paper turning,
The summons from the pages.
You follow in, begin to read,
These stories last us endless ages.

In a corner, in a crowd,
It doesn’t matter where.
In your head or proud, aloud,
You can read anywhere.

But why not here, in a special place,
Saint Teresa’s library’s for you.
Where people laugh, and Let Love Lead,
Where joy is always true.

A place so full of love and life,
A home to precious stories.
A space of laughter, friendship, joy,
A haven basked in glory.

St Teresa- Library
Nikki Nejati (Year 7)

A magical place of learning.
Where quiet corners hold the courage as we begin to grow.
A haven where curiosity keeps burning.
A sanctuary of wisdom we gain and continue to sow.

A gentle home for dreaming.
Where stories open doors to worlds we’ve yet to see.
A refuge where the heart finds meaning.
A space where every girl can simply breathe and be.

The warm, bright heart of Avila.
Where footsteps soften and the busy noise of life fades low.
A place where knowledge feels familiar.
Where seeds of hope are planted, row by row.

A cradle for quiet wonder.
Where soft-lit shelves invite the mind to wander slow.
A paradise where imagination pulls us under.
Where every whispered story sets a gentle glow.

A keeper of shared discovery.
Where questions bloom like flowers in the calm, warm air.
A haven shaped by curiosity.
Where every girl finds space to think, to dream, to dare.

A sanctuary of steady stillness.
Where the world outside grows softer, lighter, far away.
A place that gathers hope from silence.
Where thoughts can settle safely at the close of day.

A lantern for growing wisdom.
Where pages turn like footsteps on a path we choose to take.
A home where learning finds its rhythm.
Where courage rises quietly with every choice we make.

This is the start of the chapter that keeps expanding.
Where every voice and vision finds a place to gently grow.
A beautiful haven filled with jubilance, hope and understanding.
Where the light we foster together follows us everywhere we go.

Inspired by the spirit that shone in the dark.
Built on the hope restored by ST. Teresa’s dedication
WIndows carved with her spirit, foundation paved from her love.
As she carved a truer Carmelite Order, leading us to a brighter destination.

From quiet rooms she summoned courage,
Lifting the burdens on the powerless ensnared.
For every life she touched still bears the mark of one who chose to speak.
She helped create the light we now share.