Principal's Report

Dear Parents and Friends,

"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel." (Isaiah 7:14).

At our final assembly last week I was privileged to be able to address our students about some reflections I have had in the past few weeks regarding the true message of Christmas. Whilst Christmas is an opportunity for us to celebrate with family and friends, it is also a time where we can reflect on the message of the beautiful Gospel we will hear at Christmas mass. There has been an enormous amount of debate over the years about the role of the inn and innkeeper in the story of Mary and Jesus, and it would be very easy to become distracted by that debate. However, for us here at Killester it offers us an opportunity to ask how we have been hospitable in the face of need, particularly this year with our theme of hospitality. At it's simplest, Jesus was the newborn son of refugees, undoubtedly his parents were frightened, and at their time of greatest need they could find nowhere to stay. Regardless of what the biblical scholars tell us, I have in my mind a kind innkeeper and his wife, talking calmly with Joseph and Mary, and offering them a room in their barn. In this one kind and simple act they demonstrate to us the absolute meaning of hospitality. We often question our own government's treatment of refugees and ask how we as a society can live to be more like the innkeeper and offer refuge to those who seek asylum. In reflecting on this I asked our students to consider where they have shown the hand of kindness and hospitality to others and challenged them to consider this in the coming holidays as they celebrate Christmas with loved ones. 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all who have sent prayers and condolences to our community as we mourn the death of our beloved colleague and friend, Ms Kath Lawson. We dedicated the opening of this newsletter to Kath, and will be honouring her life and work tomorrow at her funeral mass, and in the coming weeks and months here at school. 

I wish all members of our community a peaceful and holy Christmas and New Year and I look forward to continuing our work together in 2020.

Sally Buick

Principal