From the Principal

Pentecost 

This Sunday is Pentecost Sunday a time when we traditionally think of the Holy Spirit coming among the Church. The pinnacle of the Easter story is the promise Jesus gave us that he will be with us until the very end. This promise was of a Spirit, a Spirit of God which will lead us all in the pathway of wholeness. Our journey through life is one where we grow and develop in our wholeness, and for Christians, a relationship with God in the Holy Spirit is one where we are guided and inspired to be whole – or our true selves. We know, however, from the first Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles and disciples, and from our own experience that the Spirit works in unpredictable AND ordinary ways. 

The problem for many of us is working out where the Holy Spirit is leading us. This requires the gift of the discernment of spirits. St Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, left the church a guide for working out how we can tell if and where the Holy Spirit is leading us. 

One summary goes like this:

1. Don't make a decision when you're down. Let the crisis pass and take time to weigh all the options.
2. The Holy Spirit enables us to let go of our unhealed past and not live in the unknown future.
3. The Holy Spirit draws us to deal with the here and now, as it is, not as we may like it to be.
4. The Holy Spirit frees us up to bring out into the open anything we keep buried in the dark and there is nothing that has ever happened to us that is beyond the Spirit's healing.
5. The Holy Spirit breaks down isolation and draws us into community with other people.
6. Be careful of things that appear too perfect, they sometimes have a sting in the tail and can be destructive.
7. Be guarded about all things that are urgent. The Holy Spirit brings a sense of perspective to problems.
8. The Holy Spirit is always present where compassion and forgiveness are demonstrated.

Not bad for a guy who died in 1556! So, Pentecost is God's promise to abide with us come what may. And living in the power and love of the Spirit and claiming the Spirits’ direction is an intensely practical affair. It is with this type of confidence that we can sing the ancient chant, ‘Come O Holy Spirit fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth your spirit and we will be recreated and you will renew the face of the earth.’ As Blessed Edmund Rice also reflected: "Each person is an open letter from Christ”.  

Year 11 Subject Information Evening 

Next Tuesday the College Leadership Team will present to Year 10 families about our plans for Year 11 in 2023. The meeting will be held in the Edmund Rice Hall and commence at 6.30pm. I encourage all Year 10 families to attend where they will be provided with information about curriculum offerings in Year 11, updates with regards to building, staffing, course counselling, pastoral care structures and programs as well as an opportunity to ask questions about senior secondary education at St Virgil’s College. 

We have a time lapse camera trained on the Year 11 and 12 Centre Building works so each week as my header photo, I will feature an updated photo so that all in our community can follow the progress of this exciting project.

I look forward to seeing families on the night. 

Student Free Day – Staff Spirituality Friday June 10

Next week, on Friday June 10 the Junior school and Senior school staff of St Virgil’s College, will join with the staff from St Francis Flexible Learning Centre at the Austins Ferry Campus to participate in our Staff Spirituality Day. The purpose of this day is to deepen our understanding of what it means to be Gospel people, and to engage in the charism of our founder Blessed Edmund Rice, a man of compassion, service and faith. Our focus will be on our Touchstone of Justice and Solidarity and the day will be structured around the EREA Framework for Justice and Peace. 

A reminder that this is a student free day and that no supervision will be available for students on the day.

Reconciliation Week 

This week we are celebrating National Reconciliation Week, an excellent opportunity to further share with and learn from the First Nations people we are working with in our ongoing journey of truth and healing.

Once again we have been formally recognised as National winners of the National Narrangurrawli Reconciliation Award at events in Melbourne and Hobart. Reconciliation at both campuses of the College is embedded in all we do and say and provides a means for us to learn every day about the truth of our island’s history as we work towards creating a more just and honest collective future. 

Reconciliation Week is important because it helps us focus on the present, a special few days to critically reflect upon what this word means to us as individuals and as a community and what we intend by our reconciliation words and our reconciliation actions. 

More resources and information about Reconciliation Week are available at https://www.reconciliation.org.au

Staffing Update

Ane' Cook, Learning Support Officer has advised me of her intention to resign from her position to seek employment as a Primary Teacher during her final stages of her teaching degree. Ane’s last day will be Friday June 17 and we wish her all the very best as she moves into the teaching profession. Advertising for Ane’ replacement is underway and I will advise the College community of her replacement in due course.  

I am pleased to announce that Mrs Kelly Noble has been appointed to the position of Payroll Administrator. Kelly has a Certificate 3 in Business Administration and is currently completing her Certificate 4 in Human Resources. Mrs. Noble has held recent positions as Business Support Officer with Ambulance Tasmania and payroll positions with the Department of Police, Masonic Care and Department of Health.   

I congratulate and welcome Mrs Noble to St Virgil’s College. 

Best wishes for the week ahead.