Principal

Asking our Boys to Make their Bed Every Day

The other day, a couple of the lads asked me about the secret to being well organised and where they should start.  My response? My organisation begins each day with making the bed. Sounds like a small thing however I was astounded to read that this was how James Clear, author of Atomic Habits overcame a serious baseball injury during his high school years. 

To recap, the injury, a baseball bat accident, resulted in a nearly year-long recovery period, forcing him to start small and focus on building a foundation for his comeback. He experienced trouble breathing, swallowing, and had seizures. He also lost his sense of smell and had to undergo surgery to repair his eye socket. Clear's recovery forced him to focus on small, daily tasks, as he couldn't have a radical transformation overnight. This was the birth of his "atomic habits" philosophy. He began with making his bed each morning and implementing small, consistent habits as his recovery improved. 

You can still be a loving parent and expect your child to make their bed every day.  

This describes the tension in modern parenting: the desire to nurture and cherish whilst also instilling discipline and responsibility. Loving parenting isn’t about shielding children from all discomfort or responsibility. It’s about equipping them with the tools they need to navigate life successfully. A well-made bed is a valuable tool. It is more than just a chore – it’s a valuable tool. It’s a microcosm of larger life lessons: 

• Routine and structure: a daily routine provides stability and predictability, which are crucial for a child’s emotional wellbeing. 

• Responsibility and Accountability:  Completing a small task fosters a sense of ownership and accountability. 

• Self-Discipline and Perseverance: This teaches children to push through mild discomfort and complete a task, even when they don’t feel like it. 

• Attention to detail and Pride: A neatly made bed cultivates a sense of pride in one’s environment and attention to detail. 

• Preparation for the Day: A small accomplishment can set a positive tone for the rest of the day. 

Expecting a made bed isn’t about being a drill sergeant. It lays the foundation for responsible, self-reliant and confident children. It demonstrates a parent’s love through guidance and structure, not just indulgence. 

In the big scheme of things, making your bed seems insignificant. But it is a small, consistent act that always reinforces life lessons, especially for me.  It’s not about the bed but the character it builds. 

Our Lady Help of Christians - 24 May

At World Youth Day in Sydney in 2008, Pope Benedict XVI blessed the painting of Our Lady of the Southern Cross, Help of Christians, which hangs in St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney. Sydney portrait artist, Paul Newton, had been asked to paint this new image of Our Lady and the Child Jesus to coincide with World Youth Day. 

On Saturday this week, we commemorate the feast of Our Lady Help of Christians who was made patroness of Australia in 1844. This occurred at the first Provincial Synod that was held in Sydney on the site where the Cathedral is now named in Mary’s honour.  

The devotion to Mary under this title goes back to early days in Christian history; she has been appealed to successfully when Christians needed help against enemies and danger.  

The infant Church in Australia had a special reason for turning to Mary. In those early and mostly priestless days, it was largely the Rosary that kept the faith alive. Catholic Australia remained faithful to Mary, and was the first nation to choose her, under the title of Help of Christians, as principal Patroness.  

It seems likely that it was the choice of the lay Catholics themselves, as they leaned heavily, as the Church did, on Mary's help for the establishment of the institutional church. It was precisely during this priestless period (1802-1819) that Pius VII returned to Rome from exile and instituted the feast on the 24th of May. To show that this dramatic episode had deeply impressed and struck a sympathetic chord in the hearts of Irish Catholics in this new nation Australia. In 1816 Edmund Rice asked the Christian Brothers "to offer special prayers to Mary Help of Christians", when their young institution was under threat. To confirm this, Archbishop Kelly's pastoral letter of 1904 lends strong weight:  

The altar at St. Mary's, with its statue of Mary Help of Christians, was erected as a memorial to Fr. Therry's name. In this remarkable way Australia became the first nation in the world to have, Mary, Help of Christians as Patroness: the first church to celebrate May 24th on a national scale (elsewhere the feast was restricted to Rome and specified places); and the first country to have a mother-cathedral under the same title. Today, we live in a very fragile world where mortal sin is glorified. We do need to be reminded of Mary's powerful intercession throughout the centuries under the title Help of Christians. We need to pray relentlessly for her powerful intercession as we enter perseverance and discernment while we are facing a very different enemy, who loves the body while killing the soul. Mary Help of Christians, Pray for us . 

In Memoriam 

We keep in our prayers:

• Noah Murphy (Year 8) and his family, on the recent loss of his maternal grandmother, who is also mother-in-law to Old Boy Graham Murphy (’91).  

   

• Ms Naomi Kunjip (Events) on the recent loss of her mother.  

   

• Antoine Zalloua (Year 12) and his family on the loss of his father, Mr Harry Zalloua.  

Dr Vittoria Lavorato 

Principal  

SPC boys can do anything!  

**except divide by zero