From the Dean of Identity and Community
This week we celebrate Catholic Education Week. The theme for this year is communities of Faith, Hope and Love. Our communities hold our Catholic faith at its core, our education seeks to create a sense of hope in our future built on love for our fellow person. This week we have had key events that have showcased this but one key event that kicked off the week was our Matthew 25 Year 8 Retreat Day. The day, driven by the gospel, asks us to look who is the stranger and the prisoner in our society and what do we do, like Christ, to honour the dignity of all those we meet. The Christian Brothers build themselves on three key principles and we used these to drive the day.
Presence – Come as Guest. Being present to all of those we meet.
Compassion – Show love and kindness.
Liberation – When you show love and kindness to others you free them.
In the first session we were present to the story of 2007 Old Boy Seamus Evans who is a DJ and public speaker. He spoke about how he has lived with Tourette’s and how this affected him in his time at Lauries. He told very personal stories and I was struck by how honest he was in struggles with friendships and relationships but also how he overcame to form very strong friendships that are still very close to this day.
In the middle sessions the students rotated through a variety of different activities. The one I took them through was a card game called “Winners and Losers”. The game is deliberately unfair and if the cards do not fall your way there is no coming back. In our reflection we noted the winners cruise through and often gloated while those who didn’t win became frustrated. We related this with our school that often times when things go our way we can cruise through and not notice those who are struggling. The game taught us to always be aware and humble.
At the end of the day we were treated by a performance from the “Absolutely Everybody” choir. This is an inclusive choir with people from a number of different background but ultimately offers the choir for those struggling with mental health to bring a sense of community. In between songs each member told us their personal story and how the choir helped in their lives.
We hope the day impacted our students to live the gospel of Matthew 25 and create an Inclusive Community.
MR PAUL CORFIELD
Dean of Identity and Community