Principal's Message

Raymond Pisani

Principal

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Prayer

A Parents Prayer for your daughter as she starts 2020.

Lord Jesus, we ask for Your help as our daughter begins this new school year. Allow her to experience Your presence in the many blessings You put before her. Open her eyes to the new challenges and exciting opportunities that this new school year brings. Open her heart and mind to new friends and new teachers. Give her a generous spirit to be enthusiastic with her studies and courage to accept new opportunities. Help her to be attentive to her teachers and allow her to be a person of JUSTICE.

Jesus, inspire her to do her best this year!

Amen

We have had a fantastic start to the year and the first week culminated with the celebration of the Opening School Mass and the acknowledgement of the performance of the Year 12’s of 2019.  At this occasion we introduced this year’s theme, the Kildare Ministries value of Justice, and it is most important to reflect on what is central to the message of this theme.

There is a story of a photographer was feeling very down so he went out for a walk in a snowfield. As he walked he heard a voice inside his head say “Take a photo, take a photo” which he did. He returned home and when he developed the photo the photographer said that he could see an outline of an image in the snow formation. He came to believe that this image was the face of Jesus. I believe that we too are looking to see Jesus in our daily lives. Perhaps with our “Justice” theme that could be the question for the year: Where do you see the face of Jesus?

We see, read and hear many slogans, quotes and sayings that are meant to inspire us. There are Vision Statements, Mission Statements and Value statements that are designed to do the same. Well we have a Mission Statement here at Marian and whenever I show it to others they always are struck by one particular line:

Assert that justice requires a radical discomfort about the

suffering of others and work to be an agent for change.

It is great and comforting to know that there are people at our school who had involvement in writing this statement. We have exemplars of what justice could look like. There are a number of aspects to this line. You need to stand up and be a voice for those that are suffering. You need to be genuinely uncomfortable about this suffering and this is not just being unhappy or sad. But more about reaching out in way in which others may not expect, that is, in a radical way. The discomfort makes you take action. Does the treatment of refugees and asylum seekers move you? Does the plight of the homeless prompt more than outrage? Also, the suffering of “others” may come in many forms. I read recently that by the year 2050 the total weight of plastic in the oceans will be greater than the total weight of fish. How does plastic get into the waters? Will we be uncomfortable with seeing plastic lying on our grounds with the strong possibility that it will end up in our drains and in our waters? Will we be radical enough to pick it up and place it in a bin even though we did not put it there? When it comes to justice for people and for all creation will you do what others may not expect? That was certainly the example that Jesus gave us.

Therefore, it is no surprise that Jesus is central to the Kildare Ministries Principles of Living Justice where we are called to respond to the cries of the earth and the cries of the poor with love and hope, to be a sign of love and justice in our world. Over the course of the year it would be my hope that you will see these principles lived out. As human people, with understanding and reflection of our world today, there is much good that we can give witness to. “To be human is to have a heart that is moved by stories of desperate need and crying injustices. Humanitarian responses to people in crisis are practically instinctual.” Thomas Massaro, S.J. Author, “Living Justice”

For us to be leaders for justice we have to allow ourselves to be the hands, feet and eyes of Jesus, allow ourselves to be the heart of Jesus and allow ourselves to be the voice of Jesus. And so, let’s think back to that question for the year that I referred to earlier. Is it you who will see Jesus or will others see Jesus in you? Either way live justly.

I would very much like to congratulate the Year 12 Class of 2019 for the exceptional results in both VCE and VCAL. Their overall performance was one of the highest in the Brimbank area and that needs to be acknowledged especially for their dedication but even more for the way they formed partnerships in their learning with other students and with staff.