Catholic Identity & Mission News

College Leadership for 2022

This week, our Year 11 students started their discernment about College leadership for 2022. I was asked to present some ideas about leadership within our Catholic setting. Naturally, our model for leadership is Jesus and his example of ‘Servant Leadership’. Servant Leadership is based around the leader serving the needs of their ‘followers’ rather than the other way around. 

Sometimes in my RE classes in particular, we can go a little ‘off-task’ when we get into discussions about what we believe in and our aspirations. In one recent Year 9 class, some students were telling me about the amazing trainers they wanted to own in the future (!). I mentioned that I had once owned a pair of original ‘Air Jordan’ basketball runners and they were aghast that I’d given them away when they’d now be worth up to $30,000! When I replied that I didn’t care about the money, they didn’t believe me! But it was a good launch pad to talk about what we value and why. In Servant Leadership, the focus isn’t on having the leadership title or role, or the trappings associated with it, it’s on what can be achieved for the common good when serving in that role. It’s sometimes referred to as ‘low ego / high impact’ leadership. 

Jesus instructed his disciples, ‘whoever wants to be first must be your slave - just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many’ (Mt.20:28). Servant Leadership is being other-centered, and using one’s knowledge and skills to try to enact a vision, and lead others to achieve the best outcomes for all. The Year 11’s were invited to embrace this low ego / high impact model as it’s authentic to our Catholic identity, and values leadership traits like collaboration, transparency and subsidiarity. I hope you will join me in keeping the Year 11’s in your thoughts and prayers as they contemplate their leadership journeys moving forward. They are a wonderful group of students and will, when given the opportunity, make their own positive contribution to student leadership at St. Peter’s College.

Finally, the lockdown unfortunately interrupted some of our Catholic Education Week celebrations but we had managed to fit a number of activities into the week already. Our Youth Ministry students collaborated for an incursion (see Mr Barton’s article below), plus there were daily prayers and reflections, musical performances (students and staff!), free hot chocolates and pancakes, and a free raffle to set a vibrant tone for the week. Plus, if you were a ‘fan’ of the ‘tale’ of Catholic Education we looked to ‘freshen up’ your day with a ‘Fantale’ or ‘Mintie’ in the yard at recess and lunch. Bad jokes aside, there was an increased awareness of the Catholic education story and its achievements during the week, and a gratitude for all we share together at St. Peter’s College. My thanks to Elouise Johnson, Laura Appleby, Nigel Patawaran, David Fini, Patrick Barton and Tishan Lokuge for the contributions they made in the running of these activities.

Here are some photos of some of the activities of the week, across both campuses, which I hope give you some sense of the celebrations. 

Fiona McKenna

Deputy Principal - Catholic Identity & Mission

Youth Ministry Excursion

On Thursday, 27 May 2021, on the eve of lockdown, the year 11 Youth Ministry classes of St. Peter’s College, both Cranbourne Campus and Clyde North, came together to run workshops for Catholic Education Week 2021.

Each year Catholic Education Week is centered on a theme. Considering that 2021 is the 200th anniversary of Catholic education in Australia, it is perhaps fitting that the theme this year is; “Faith in the Future.” 

The workshops, designed and run by the students, were centered on this idea of Faith in the Future. Many wonderful passions were explored and expressed by the year 11 students through their workshops, revealing many of the issues that they believe are present, or perceived, within the St. Peter’s College community.

Students of the Cranbourne campus started the day by addressing the concept of privilege, the importance of consent and the persistence of gender bias. These workshops were followed by those of the Clyde North students who engaged participants in the realities of our fast fashion culture, and the evils that go along with it. This was balanced with a focus on gratitude in the final workshop, a theme which carried through into the closing liturgy.

We had no idea that a day of engagement and contemplative interaction would end with the news that we would be returning to online learning. In many ways it was the perfect way to end a term of Youth Ministry for the Year 11 students.

Our best wishes and prayers go with them in their exams.

Mr Patrick Barton

Year 11 Youth ministry Teacher- Cranbourne Campus