Clonard College - Geelong Hub

“And suddenly you know: It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.” Meister Eckhart

This year I have reflected on the Easter season, in light of Pope Francis’ teaching on hope. He reminds us that Jesus’ death is a historical fact. Believing this is not an act of faith. It is in his rising and encounter with the risen Jesus that we find the beginnings of our faith. The act of going to the tomb and being ready to be amazed by the power of the love of God is an invitation that we are called to over and over in our lives. It is a hope filled invitation.

This call was very much at the heart of our Kildare Ministries 10th Anniversary Conference held in 5 hubs across Australia, including here at Clonard. It was a wonderful occasion to pause and be challenged by our speakers about how we embody and animate the Kildare Ministries, vision, mission and values. The experience helped our staff to come to a greater understanding of being a part of something far bigger than just our own school or even the KEM network of schools. This would not have been possible without the vision and courage of the Trustees who imagined such a gathering and then the power of teamwork that happened behind the scenes to coordinate such a successful event at such a large scale. Personally, I am extremely grateful to our community and those who had key roles in the way we worked together. There was an extraordinary spirit of generosity and hospitality.

Some of the wisdom and challenges from the conference that have stayed with me include:

Dr Anne Pattel-Grey calling us to be ambassadors for justice and reconciliation for First Nations people. She asked – what do you learn about us? How well do you learn our language, our values, our culture, our spirituality? Does the oldest living culture in the world mean anything to you? She challenged Kildare Ministries to partner with the School of Aboriginal cultural studies to undertake Cultural safety audits of KM schools and community works as a starting point for reconciliation.

Inspirations and pearls of wisdom from the panel of guest speakers:

· Western culture needs to listen more to the plight of others and not just impose our world view to create trust beyond our borders

· The absolute principle of ethics is to liberate the poor – are we the ones doing the oppressing?

· We come from a tradition of prophetic disruption, what wisdom can we draw from?

· The call for radical inclusion is why we have jobs in Catholic Ministries

· Brigid and Nono were the radical risk takers of their times

· Use the magic of the Holy Spirit

· Being a synodal Church means us together, it’s a ministry of healing, increasing our circles of welcome

· The heart of what we do in faith communities is in intimate connection to the Jesus story

· Transformation takes humility, uncertainty, vulnerability, courage and risk

· Transformation happens to people first, not institutions. This is God’s work.

We look forward to continuing the conversation and discerning how we will bring alive the dreaming prompted by this conference in the coming weeks, months and years ahead.

Luci Quinn - Principal

A snapshot video of the three days at Clonard can be watched by clicking here.