From the Principal

COMMentary Number 2 of 3

Our second COMM word is ‘community’ and what better definition of a community is there than that of Saint Augustine (son of Saint Monica) who believed that a community of people is one which is united by the things that all love.  This is very relevant to our Monican experience.

It is a tremendous feeling to sense that one belongs to a family, school, club or any other group which has shared values and thus unity through thought, word and action.  The individual becomes the member, the loner finds a welcoming home, the lost finds people of companionship. 

I encourage Monicans to give thought to those things we love together. What values do we share?  Interestingly, I believe that being united under the blue and gold of Saint Monica’s College gives a feeling of belonging and shared ownership.  It is not the fact that the car, train, bus or walk to school bring us to the one destination that matters and makes us a community, but instead what we find and the moments of discovery that are Monican – realities lived like our six Kingdom Values of compassion, forgiveness, generosity, humility, peace and love of neighbour (especially those hardest to love).

Consider the communities to which you belong and question what you do to strengthen the community in its shared values.  Are you a member who seeks to serve others; do you do your share of carrying the heavy loads and contributing; do you genuinely care that others have feelings, needs, aspirations and dreams?  And what do you receive in return from your fellow community members?

The word ‘community’ embraces coming together for positive results and purposes.  On one level it is represented through the family, whilst a person enjoys that communal feeling in ways that delight and give assurance.  In societal terms, we refer to the sporting community, the horse racing community, the arts community, and the book lovers or gardening community. In our faith tradition, we know about religious communities of ordained and lay people like religious communities of Good Samaritan Sisters and lay communities like members of St Peter’s parish, Epping.

Jesus called His followers to reach out and be united by the things they loved.  He always reached out to the poorest community or those most in need and he criticised some groups whom he believed were unworthy of being a ‘community’ such as the Pharisees.  That distinction exists right up unto today. 

Blest are we as Monicans to be members of this beautiful College community. We are bound together by the things we love, the people we love, the God we love.  “Community’ is the second COMM word upon which I am happy to write and call all to celebrate.

Brian E. Hanley OAM

Principal