Dear families and friends of St Edmund’s College,
2024 Scriptural Theme: “I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full” (John 10:10)
At last Wednesday’s Assembly we formally presented our 2025 student leaders to the school community. The names of our new leaders were published in the previous edition of Vortex. You can find a photo of our new Senior leaders on our Facebook here. The photo of our Junior School leaders can be found here.
I would like to share with you my address to the student body at that special assembly:
“Being called to leadership is a privileged and honourable position, whether it be leadership of a sporting team, leadership within a work setting, leadership of a family or leadership in the community. It is privileged and honourable not because of any power or authority or title that comes with it, but because it means working with people – not for people, not over people, but working with people. As such leadership is all about relationships and community.
When we think of the Christian nature of leadership, we of course turn our attention to Jesus Christ. Jesus provides us with a strong model of servant leadership. When you think of that phrase, “servant leadership,” it initially sounds like something weak. Servant leadership is anything but weak. Servant leadership is tough and difficult, but when it is carried out successfully it is leadership that is effective and transformative. Servant leaders are not preoccupied with personal visibility and recognition. Servant leaders seek to invest themselves in the lives of their people so that their community is challenged to grow and thrive. Servant leaders aim to serve others – they do not seek service for themselves; they do not aim to do their own will.
Servant leaders work amongst their people – they are walking alongside their people just as Jesus walked alongside all he came across; refusing nobody’s company and giving the time to those in need. Just as Blessed Edmund Rice walked amongst his people, very aware of what they needed and worked hard his entire life to ensure that the young marginalised people in Waterford, Ireland were given an education they deserved.
The religious tradition known as Christianity eventually emerged from the servant leadership of Jesus and his followers. The movement of Christian Brothers’ schools across the world emerged from the servant leadership of Blessed Edmund Rice and his fellow Christian Brothers. That is why we are all here today.
Servant leadership isn’t about shrinking into the background. You need to have the strength and determination to shine a light on those around you. Marianne Williamson is an American author who has written very strongly on the idea that leadership is not about power or authority – powerful leadership is very much working with the people around you and having the courage and capacity to allow them to shine. I love the fact that Marianne Williamson uses imagery that is important to us – the imagery of light (Christ is my light) and the imagery of liberation (from our Touchstone of Liberating). This is what she says:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” (from A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles”).
I thank our outgoing College leaders for their work this year. They have added much to the atmosphere and environment of St Edmund’s and I thank them for their hard work, their co-operation and their ability to create a vision and make that vision a reality.
The new College leaders who have been announced today were chosen because they have already demonstrated that they are good at working alongside others – they are aware of the needs, wants and wellbeing of their fellow students, and have articulated how they can work to improve and strengthen these even further. I wholeheartedly congratulate our new College leaders and wish them well in their journey of leadership. I thank the families of our new College leaders for their positive role in forming our College leaders into the fine young men they are today.
So to our new College leaders – what will emerge from your servant leadership? How can you best serve your fellow students and the wider Eddies community?
Today’s new leaders will receive their leadership badges at the opening school Mass at the beginning of next year, but today our senior leaders were presented with an Edmund Rice pin. I personally ask you to wear this every day – to be reminded that you are leaders in the footsteps of Blessed Edmund Rice and, like Edmund Rice, you should be working to let the light of Christ shine on those around you, to listen to and look at what is needed in your College community and to act on that in a practical, active and dynamic manner, to be leaders with vibrant spirit and strong character. Similarly, all our leaders, both Senior and Junior, received a Celtic cross keyring. This is a reminder to them of the strong Irish origins of the Christian Brothers and the legacy left by Blessed Edmund Rice and the Christian Brothers, without whom we wouldn’t exist as a school.
Best wishes, good luck and congratulations to our new leaders on your very significant achievement of being able to serve those around you.”
Year 12 final week
I cannot believe that by the time I write my next article for the Vortex in a fortnight, our Year 12 students would have had their last lessons and will be preparing for the examinations followed by their Graduation events. On behalf of the Eddies community, I wish Year 12 students the very best for the last couple of weeks at school, and hope that they finish with good memories, happy experiences and long-lasting relationships.
Congratulations
Charlie Skerry-Wallace (Year 10, O’Brien) who was recently selected to participate in work experience with the Royal Military College Band. Charlie is an accomplished brass musician and experienced a full week of performances, rehearsals and duties with the RMC Band.
The Pelican
The Semester 2 2024 edition of the St Edmund’s College Pelican Alumni magazine is now available. This edition includes stories from many respected members of our College community including staff and alumni. It has always been a great pleasure for me to personally put each edition of The Pelican together, and it has become an important bi-annual publication which demonstrates the broad positive impact that Eddies has throughout our valued community.
You can read the new edition of The Pelican by clicking on this link. If you are an old boy and would like to share your memories of school and journey after school with the Eddies community, please contact our Development Officer at development@sec.act.edu.au
Prayer
God, our loving Creator,
may we love You in all things and above all things.
May we reach the joy which You have prepared for us in
Heaven.
Nothing is good that is against Your Will,
and all that is good comes from Your Hand.
Place in our hearts a desire to please You
and fill our minds with thoughts of Your Love,
so that we may grow in Your Wisdom and enjoy Your Peace.
Blessed Edmund Rice, pray for us.
Live Jesus in our hearts, forever.
Joe Zavone
Principal
Christus Lux Mea