Parents and friends of the St Edmund’s College community,
Returning to the Eddies community after my extended absence has been an absolute delight. It has been quite a while since I was last here (almost 8 months). However, starting this week has felt like a heartwarming homecoming. The warm and gracious reception I have received from staff, students and parents has been truly exceptional. As we venture into Term 4, I eagerly anticipate a productive and successful time working alongside all our community members.
I want to express my deepest gratitude to Mr. Ian Garrity and Ms. Margie Maher, who assumed the roles of Acting Principal and Acting Deputy Principal in my absence. I am well aware of the tremendous time and energy they dedicated to ensuring the smooth operation of the College and the well-being of our community, and their contributions have been invaluable. Ian and Margie now return to their respective roles of Deputy Principal and Assistant Principal (Innovation and Technology).
I’d also like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all the members of our community who offered their sympathy, prayers, and thoughts at the start of the year when I experienced the loss of two close family members. The support from parents and students was deeply touching and is a testament to the extraordinary spirit that defines St. Edmund’s. Following this challenging period, my wife and I embarked on a journey overseas, exploring England and Scotland for three weeks and then spending another three or so weeks in Sicily, Italy.
One of the most cherished moments of our trip was when, on the last day in Sicily, I had the opportunity to visit my mother’s hometown, Spadafora, a beachside town just outside Messina. I located the very street my mother grew up on and spent a significant amount of time immersing myself in the surroundings, pondering what life might have been like there many years ago. This experience was profoundly special and emotional, leaving a lasting imprint.
While our overseas adventure brought immense joy, returning home was equally delightful. Since coming back to Canberra, I have discovered two new passions in my life – welcoming a new Groodle puppy, Stella, into our home and exploring the local area on my newly acquired e-bike. I’m thoroughly enjoying both of these new pursuits and relishing the simple pleasures they bring.
Student Leaders Presentation
Last Wednesday, we had the distinct honour of formally introducing our new junior and senior student leaders to the entire school community. Parents and families joined us as our special guests and gathered with us for morning tea. It was an immensely gratifying experience to extend our congratulations to the newly appointed leaders in front of the entire College community. I am eagerly looking forward to collaborating with them as we embark on our 70th anniversary year.
As a token of our appreciation and recognition of their significant roles, the new leaders were presented with a Celtic cross keyring and an Edmund Rice pin. These symbols underscore our deep-rooted heritage and affiliation with the Christian Brothers, as well as our commitment to the charism of Edmund Rice. Their formal induction into their positions will take place during our opening College Mass early next year, a moment we are all anticipating with great enthusiasm.
The list of our new student leaders has already been published in a previous edition of Vortex.
In the process of welcoming our new student leaders, I also had the opportunity to express our heartfelt gratitude to our current student leaders for their dedicated efforts throughout the year. Their contributions have enriched the College in countless ways, and we are immensely appreciative of their valuable contributions.
Old Boy Gift
We now proudly exhibit two framed original College blazers adorning the walls of our main corridor, generously donated by one of our foundation students, Rod McCauley. Rod embarked on his journey at St Edmund’s College in 1954, and in a gracious gesture, has contributed his two school blazers. These blazers now stand as a vivid and enduring testament to the rich history and tradition that have shaped our College. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Rod for his generous gift, which now graces our corridors for all students to view and reflect on.
Second Hand Uniform Collection
Now that we’ve transitioned out of the winter uniform season, I kindly request parents to consider contributing to our second-hand uniform collection. Your generous donations help support families in our community who are in need. To ensure the items are in good condition, we kindly request that you clean and iron them before dropping them off at the reception. Your contributions are greatly appreciated, and we thank you in advance for your generosity.
Liturgical Reflection
Second Reading of Sunday 15 October 2023
In the second reading at last week’s Mass, we read Paul’s reflection on contentment in Philippians 4:12-13, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want” (Philippians 4:12). The key word here is “learned”. Paul writes that he learned the secret of being content in all situations. He wasn’t just born with the ability to shrug off everything that came his way, always being satisfied. Imagine what it would feel like to go through life being content in “any and every situation”. What is this secret? Paul shares it in verse 13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”.
Paul learned that his satisfaction, or fulfillment, or sufficiency, could not be consistently found in the material things around him. But in Christ, he could enjoy peace and purpose at all times. Christ is constant. If our contentment is anchored to money, jobs, cars, health, relationships, and other material goods, anything except Christ – we are in for a rough time.
I am sure there are things around all of us that give us reasons to be discontent. We just have to learn this same challenging lesson that Paul learned: to get our eyes off of ourselves and our external circumstances, and instead look to Christ. In Christ, we can do all things and find contentment. Our College motto “Christus Lux Mea” (Christ is my light) points to this – we can use the values, words and actions of Christ as our compass and guide. This allows us to always recognise what is good and just, as without this we quickly start to fail in recognising what is wrong and unjust. I spoke about this concept at last week’s College assembly, if we forget what is right, we lose the ability to identify what is wrong. We use the light of Christ as our compass, striving to maintain a resilient community that remains content in any and every situation.
Prayer for Peace in the Middle East
God of mercy and compassion,
of grace and reconciliation,
pour your power upon all your children in the Middle East:
Jews, Muslims and Christians,
Palestinians and Israelis.
Let hatred be turned into love, fear to trust, despair to hope,
oppression to freedom, occupation to liberation,
that violent encounters may be replaced by loving embraces,
and peace and justice could be experienced by all.
Blessed Edmund Rice, pray for us.Live Jesus in our hearts, forever.
Joe Zavone
Principal
Christus Lux Mea