To the community of St Edmund’s College,
Of my Vortex messages so far, none has had as much positive reaction as my message regarding the model and culture of masculinity we would like to instill in our students here at St Edmund’s. This is how the original message finished a few weeks ago: “Blessed Edmund Rice once wrote that we are all ‘… an open letter from Christ – a message written not with ink but in the Spirit of the living God, with a faithful human heart to carry it.’ I would hope that the model of masculinity we present here at St Edmund’s College, in partnership with the mothers and fathers of our community, is one which is based on the model of Jesus himself – a masculinity that embraces compassion, empathy and mercy; a masculinity that embraces respect, dignity and right relationships, and a masculinity that embraces humility, service and strength in gentleness”.
I am raising this issue again as models of masculinity have been quite prominent in our news sources and social media over the past week, given some tragic circumstances surrounding a young girl in Sydney and a young woman in Melbourne. This is the time where parents should be sitting down with their sons to have a quiet chat about these issues – issues surrounding the sacredness and dignity of life, issues about the idea of right relationships and interactions and issues around the fact that all of us, regardless of gender and age, have a right to be safe wherever we are. This might seem like a daunting task and some might see this as too big a cause to fight, but a simple chat and a few words here and there can make all the difference. We need to commence somewhere to make that difference. I am sure most of us have heard of Loren Eiseley’s Starfish Story:
One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking up and gently throwing things into the ocean. Approaching the boy he asked: “Young man, what are you doing?” The boy replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die”. The man laughed to himself and said, “Do you realize there are miles of miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make any difference.” After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the surf, then smiling at the man, he said; “I made a difference to that one.”
Last Sunday’s Gospel passage also reminds us that a small start can lead to a something much bigger:
“He also said, ‘What can we say that the kingdom of God is like? What parable can we find for it? It is like a mustard seed which, at the time of its sowing, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth. Yet once it is sown it grows into the biggest shrub of them all and puts out big branches so that the birds of the air can shelter in its shade’.” (Mark 4:26-34)
All of us are essential and valued members of the kingdom of God. All of us are in relationship and in community with each other. All of us have a responsibility to ensure that those around us have a right to be respected and safe. We are members of a community that has its foundations well and truly planted in Catholic tradition and practice, and as such it is incumbent upon each and every one of us to ensure that our young people are growing up with the right messages about how we treat each other and how to maintain respect, dignity and sacredness in our relationships and dealings with one another. This can start with a simple word to the young men of our community and can lead to a powerful model in terms of who and what our young men can be.
At the very core of this change lies Jesus’ commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbour as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-40)
Congratulations
My congratulations to the following students for their significant achievements:
Nicholas Taylor (Year 12, O’Brien) has been selected to be a part of Born 2000 and under squad to represent Australia for the upcoming tour of Europe followed by the FINA World Men’s Youth Water Polo Championships 2018 to be held in Szombathely, Hungary from August 11-19. Representing your country is a special achievement and we congratulate Nick on this great feat.
Jonah Anderson (Year 6, Treacy) has been selected to represent the ACT in Rugby League for ACT School Sport U12 Championships. Jonah will be competing in Adelaide from 11 – 18 August.
Lewis Marshall (Year 6, Mulrooney) will be competing in the Muay Thai World Championships in Bangkok from 31 July – 13 August next term.
Marymead Appeal
St Edmund’s College is very proud of our close relationship with Marymead and the numerous programs they offer. Marymead has recently launched a major fundraising appeal which will provide funds to build new ‘Care Cottages’ that will provide short-term accommodation for children and families from regional NSW and the ACT in need and at times of crisis.
Marymead is a Catholic agency of the Canberra and Goulburn Archdiocese and has been providing a range of high quality, innovative support services to children, young people and their families since 1967 and is delivering a range of programs throughout the ACT and regional NSW. Marymead’s array of programs and services now include an Autism Centre, Child and Family Counselling, the family referral service in the region, Disability Support, Early Intervention and Family Support Programs, Respite Care, a Grandparent’s Support Network, Mental Health Family Support, Parent Education Groups, Post Separation Support, Residential Care and Supervised Contact and Changeover. Marymead also delivers its Permanency Program within the southern and western NSW regional areas which includes foster care, restoration support, adoption and guardianship.
Marymead’s ‘Buy-A-Brick Appeal’ hopes to raise $1.3 million to build the Care Cottages, much needed short-term accommodation for vulnerable children, young people with disabilities, those who have recently left hospital, as well as families who have travelled from regional areas of NSW to access services in the ACT. I would ask all members of the St Edmund’s community to consider this worthwhile cause. Information and details are available at the following link: http://www.marymead.org.au/buy-a-brick-appeal
End of Term
Please note that the College will be closed on Friday 6 July – there will be no staff on the College site to answer telephone calls or respond to emails. College Reception will be open as normal from Monday 9 July (vacation hours).
Our Small Difference
We may not be able to confront leaders,
We may not have the capacity to divert resources,
or uplift communities;
We may not have the voice to silence the noise of war,
or the words to negotiate peace between armies;
But, as we follow you, O God, we are able to do something.
And so, we pray that you would inspire us
to commit to and act on the small difference we can make:
May we bring peace through small acts of gentleness and reconciliation;
May we bring wealth through small contributions and collaborations;
May we bring safety through small acts of consideration and acceptance;
May we bring wholeness through small acts of care and service.
And in the small ways, O God,
may our small difference make a big contribution
to your saving work in our world.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
Amen.
Blessed Edmund Rice, pray for us.
Live Jesus in Our Hearts, forever.
Christus Lux Mea
Joe Zavone (Principal)