“Let us consider how to stir one another to love and good works.” Hebrews 10:24-25
Dear families and friends of St Edmund’s College,
It is so sad to watch the tragic events unfolding in Ukraine, with so many unsuspecting and innocent people being caught in the middle of another power’s assertion of authority and status. We pray for all Ukrainians that they remain safe during this time and that a sense of logic, understanding and compassion finally overcomes the violent and power hungry “bullies” who would rather have a world of aggression and destruction over peace and understanding.
Late last week I attended the first of the EREA Eastern Region Principals’ gatherings for the year, held at St Pius X College Chatswood in Sydney. It was with a pang of jealousy that I heard my colleagues from schools in NSW celebrate the fact that from last Monday, face masks are no longer to be worn in school and visitors are allowed back on school sites. As you are aware, the ACT Government has lifted many of the mask restrictions but masks remain in place in ACT schools for the time being along with restrictions on visitors.
I must be very honest and admit that I absolutely detest the wearing of masks in the classroom. The engagement with students is stifled and limited. As a teacher, I have trouble gauging the level of interest and engagement in the lesson, and I have trouble hearing questions and answers when offered by students. I find that my own energy levels are quite quickly sapped in having to talk through a mask and I cannot really express my passion and interest for what I am teaching (there is only so much eye wrinkling one can do to express emotion when wearing a mask). So as I said above, it was with much jealousy that I heard my colleagues express their delight in NSW schools going back to “normal” as of this week. Hopefully, it will be our turn very soon.
I would like to sincerely thank our parents in supporting the College through the latest covid restrictions and expectations. Your focus on testing using the RATs supplied by the ACT Government and adhering closely to the expectations for the follow up procedures when a student has tested positive has been of great assistance in allowing us to communicate clearly with our community and to monitor our numbers.
There is a phrase we sometimes use to indicate how quickly a situation can change. The phrase is “and just like that”. I have used that phrase often in the last few weeks. Unfortunately my sister was given a very concerning health diagnosis a few weeks ago, resulting in many hospital visits in the coming months as well as a regime of medication and treatments. My sister is also my mother’s main carer. As soon as I heard of my sister’s condition, I made sure that she only had herself to worry about and drove to Sydney to collect mother and bring her back to Canberra. And just like that, things change. I now have my 91 year old mother living with me and my wife. The transition of being the cared for to doing the caring is an odd one indeed, but I know it is one that many of you have also experienced. Caring for an elderly parent comes with much joy, but it is also accompanied by much concern. Whilst I am not sure what the long term situation looks like, it is lovely having my mother with us. One of my funniest experiences though is buying her first mobile phone (as we do not have a landline at home) and trying to teach her how to use her first mobile phone at 91. That was a great test of my teaching skills and patience, and I’m still not sure whether it was a successful experience!
Open Day and 2023 Enrolments
Our enrolments for Year 7 have been growing steadily for the past few years and we look forward to continuing this growth in coming years.
Due to the covid restrictions placed on schools, we have had to reorganise our 2023 enrolment program. If you know of any families who have an interest in having their son at St Edmund’s next year, please pass on the following dates:
- Information Night for prospective enrolments: Tuesday 3 May
- Open Day: Saturday 7 May
- Further enquiries regarding enrolments for next year can be made via enrolments@stedmunds.act.edu.au
College Advisory Council News
On behalf of all of our community, I congratulate our Advisory Council Chair, Nichole Overall, on her successful candidacy in the recent Monaro by-election. Nichole now joins the NSW Parliament and we wish her well in her new and significant position. Council member John Owens has accepted the position of Acting Advisory Council Chair with Lara Kirk as Acting Deputy Chair. We will formalise the appointment of a substantive Advisory Council Chair once all member positions on the Council have been filled.
Next week we will advertise for two new members of the College Advisory Council. One of these new members must have a strong financial background or understanding of budgets and must be willing to sit on the College Finance Committee (a subcommittee of the Advisory Council). The other new member must have either a financial or legal or project management (building) background. These positions will be advertised very shortly by email amongst our College community, but the positions do not need to come from the College community. If you are aware of anyone who meets the criteria and would like to be serve the College by being on the Advisory Council, please feel free to forward the email to them. A formal selection process will then take place.
Ash Wednesday and Lent
Today is Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of Lent. Ashes were distributed today during various student gatherings. Ashes are a symbol of penance made sacramental by the blessing of the Church, and they help us develop a spirit of humility and sacrifice, a spirit that allows us to enter the Lenten season with an appropriate state of mind and state of heart. Often we talk about giving something up for Lent, but this can be quite a superficial thing to do, as it often does not accompany a change in our behaviour and thinking. Many of us use Lent as a kick-starter for a diet or new exercise regimen – almost like a new year’s resolution. Using Lent in this way is not appropriate and quite empty. Lent is much more than this. Lent is a preparation for Easter leading to the Passion of Christ, so a simple focus on giving up coffee or chocolate or whatever it may be does not prepare us appropriately for this.
Lent is a time to make real sacrifices. We need perhaps to look at giving up our biases and prejudices, or giving up our obsessions and addictions. Or perhaps we should look at giving up our quick roads to anger or resentment, or giving up our quick judgements. Whatever we are giving up for Lent, we do it with the aim of becoming more neighbourly, more inclusive and more embracing of those around us, and in doing this, we strengthen our relationship with God and attempt to walk the path of Jesus, in stirring one another to love and good works, as highlighted in our 2022 scriptural theme.
Gospel Reflection – Luke 6:39-45
“Jesus told his disciples a parable, “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher. Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,’ when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye. “A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not pick figs from thorn bushes, nor do they gather grapes from brambles. A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.”
It occurred to me how last Sunday’s Gospel passage relates to the many problems we have today with social media. It is as if Luke had a window to our contemporary life and saw how we are struggling with the many pitfalls and hurtful consequences of social media. Many people today are so quick to jump on their social media sites and judge others, very often without knowing or understanding the full picture of the situation, very rarely thinking about what they would do if they were in a similar situation and how they would feel to have hurtful and damaging things said about them. Social media seems to attract adults who place themselves on the high moral ground, and try to suggest that they know best, but as Luke asks, have they removed the wooden beam in their own eye before they attempt to remove the splinter from their neighbour’s eye? The hurtful judgement given on social media is often disguised as advice or guidance, but we cannot advise or guide, and we can certainly not judge, until we have looked clearly in the mirror and judged ourselves. If that judgement comes back perfect, then there is definitely something wrong with the mirror! I would ask our parents to continue to have serious and considered conversations with your sons about the harm that can be done with social media and to work with your sons in dealing with social media in a responsible and mature manner.
Prayer for Peace and Justice in Ukraine
God of peace and justice,
who change the hardened heart
and break the power of violence,
we entrust the people of Ukraine to You.
Protect them in this time of peril;
let them know not death but life,
not slavery but freedom.
You are Father of all,
We are sisters and brothers.
Give us the strength
to live that truth in love,
Choosing peace not war.
Through Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
Blessed Edmund Rice, pray for us
Live Jesus in our hearts, forever
Joe Zavone
Principal
Christus Lux Mea