Living with Strength and Kindliness

As this term draws to a close, we are blessed to have many reasons to come together with joy and gratitude. The past few weeks have been an opportunity to further engage with the season of creation. A time to pause and reflect on the part creation plays in our community and school life. With the changing seasons, we have also been fortunate to enjoy some sunshine which is definitely something to be grateful for! 

Last week the staff paused together to engage with our Spirituality Day. During this day, we explored the identity of our College, its history and story in connection with the Catholic faith. As we courageously explored what Catholic education means to each of us, we also explored dialogue and the importance of listening with both an open mind and heart. 

We were lucky in the afternoon to be joined by Father Novie, who led us through the ritual of Mass. Next term we are delighted to invite families, staff, students and friends to House Masses, which will be held during the St Mary’s Parish Mass services on Sundays at 10am. We invite Brigid, Delany and Chisholm House to attend on Sunday 8 October and Moore, Nicholls and Patrick House to attend on Sunday 19 November. 

Today, we will gather with our student community to celebrate the end of term with an assembly. I share with you an extract from one of our College Captains', Mara Looney’s address to the community. 

"It is so exciting to be finishing another term of school. Each and every one of you should be proud of what you have accomplished this term and throughout this year. You are nearly done! As we go into the holidays it is good to reflect on the things we have learnt, the people we have connected with, and the memories we have made. 

Term 3 has been a busy one. We reconnected at our House days and some of us had the opportunity to explore the Kildare Campus. We were able to come together at athletics, which was wonderful to have back, after many years of disruptions. I know the Year 12s were very excited to have the day back and hopefully some people were able to pick out some of our rhyming costumes! I hope you have all had fun and can have many more opportunities to connect as a whole school when we return for the final term of the year.

Please be grateful for our school and treat it with the respect it deserves. The cleaners, teachers, and other staff want this school to be a clean and safe space for everyone so lets help them to keep it that way. Whether this is just picking something up in the yard or pushing your chair in at the end of class. All of the facilities we have access to are what make our school, and we should be grateful as not all schools and students have access to these things.

As my time being a leader comes to a close I am truly inspired by the upcoming leaders in our school community. It has been an honour to stand before you this year and I would like to thank you all for the effort you put into the school and your learning. Listening to the new captains' speeches and hearing their ideas and voices has allowed me to reflect on when I was in that same position last year. Thank you for being St Joseph’s College students and continue to be amazing. Have a great holiday everyone!"

Lee Pethybridge

College Leader - Faith and Community