Principal
Doing What Is Right, Not What Is Easy
“Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right” 2 Th. 3:13
The lead up to our Mother’s Day masses inspired me to reflect upon the last four words of verse 13 in the second letter of St Paul to the Thessalonians. It is a command, an encouragement, and an admonition rolled into one line.
I have been reflecting on the reaction of some of our parents to the original news that we had to restrict our two masses and then deal with a last-minute change, with little notice, to restrict attendance once again. To deal with the initial restriction to 800 mothers in total, we decided the fairest thing to do was to go with a ‘first in, best dressed’ approach. The only other thing we could have done was to cancel, and live stream. Much easier. But in our minds, it was not right. It was worth persisting to have some mothers present albeit limited.
Clearly, not all members of our parent body were fans of this approach. Ms Daley and I needed to manage an avalanche of negative feedback and requests. Some of the language used was quite hurtful and I believe, unnecessary and unwarranted.
When we had to further restrict attendance and only have 300 at each mass, once more, it would have been easier to cancel. But was it right? We deliberated and decided we would restrict to Year 5 and Year 12 mums only. Year 12 because it is their last year at SPC and Year 5 because those students have not had any social interactions; they had a virtual orientation whilst they were in Year 4, a live streamed welcome mass and they could not take part in our usual Junior school dinner.
Again, the reaction to the news from some was extraordinary. I truly regret the hurt and disappointment that the COVID-19 restrictions have had on this most special event. I am a mother too and know full well how much being with our children at a school function as special as Mother’s Day means to us. I do not regret persisting with a very limited event even though some of our mothers would have preferred not to do it this way to be ‘fair’ to every student. It certainly would have been a lot easier (and many schools did this) but it is not the right decision.
At St Patrick’s we work hard to teach the boys about doing the right thing, no matter how difficult the consequences. It is what we are called to do as Christians. Doing right is a personal matter and doing what is right lies squarely on the shoulders of the individual. No matter what others do, you know what you must do. If you know the difference between right and wrong, then you know what you need to do. God makes this personal; the Bible quote says, “Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right”. St Paul puts it in our lap.
Every Christian is judged on her/his individual service. We will all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, right by ourselves. No one will be there to run interference; no-one will offer defence. It will just be us and the record of all our deeds. When we were little, we tried to blame other kids for what we did wrong. My parents used to ask, "If they jumped off the bridge, would you jump off too?" or "If they stuck their head in the fire, would you stick yours in too?" The lesson they were trying to get across was that we should act based on our own knowledge of right and wrong. That is what God is saying here. And that is how we operate at St Patrick’s and the level of account we hold one another to.
When St Paul says we are to never tire of doing right, he hints of the effort required to please God. It is not always easy to do the right thing. Sometimes it means disagreeing with a friend. It may require you to stand on principle. You could lose your parents’ approval, in the case of SPC. Ultimately, the cost of doing right will never be as high as the cost of doing wrong.
In the end, we held two beautiful masses and live-streamed the first one, allowing each boy to be at home with his mum to be with us in real time. My thanks also to the Year 12 mothers who allowed me to be part of their lunch afterwards. It was truly lovely to get to know the women behind the boys I serve. We are going to try and ‘future-proof’ our Mother’s Day Masses in 2022 by hosting them off-site in a larger venue. This will just give us more options if any restrictions hit the community without notice.
Thank you to Ms Daley, Father Jack and all SPC staff who helped us host the Mother’s Day masses. My deep appreciation also to all who reached out to Ms Daley and me with words of encouragement and reassurance as we worked through all our restrictions. It was your care, unending support and love for the College and one another that gave us the strength to do what was right and not seek an easy solution!
Vaping Detectors
Last term, a survey was conducted in relation to the College's Strategic Planning process. Through feedback obtained from some students and parents, I was made aware that we have boys vaping in the College bathrooms. In order to ensure that we have the safest and most supportive learning environment for our students, I needed to take necessary steps to address this issue.
Vaping detectors have been installed in the past week in each bathroom/change room used by students at the College. Like smoke detectors, vape detectors are relatively unintrusive. They don’t record video or audio—they just register the chemical signature of vaping aerosol, then send an email or text alert to key people in the College Executive.
We believe they are a useful deterrent. They will also enable us to support the young men of SPC who have a vaping habit. Any questions or concerns can be directed to me.
In Memoriam
The EREA community was saddened by the death of Phil Glendenning’s daughter Kate. Phil, who is the Director of the Edmund Rice Justice Centre in Sydney, is very well known for his high-level advocacy and human rights work in Australia and around the world. He is a man who has committed his life to the work of the Edmund Rice Justice Centre and promotion of the Charism of Blessed Edmund Rice and the prophetic vision of an unfolding of Gospel justice in our world. He truly embodies the values of Blessed Edmund: Presence, Compassion and Liberation.
Phil’s eldest daughter Kate has succumbed to a serious health crisis. Just a fortnight ago she was hospitalised with complications in her second pregnancy. She was found to have liver cancer. Kate was induced six weeks prematurely and gave birth to a baby boy. She and her partner have another son turning three this month. The new baby is in very good health and thriving, eating well and out of the humidicrib. I know that many of you have been praying for Kate and for her family. I also know that your prayers will continue in the coming weeks as the family mourns her passing. May God hold her gently.
Eternal rest grant unto her O Lord and may perpetual light shine upon her.
May she rest in peace.
Amen.
Dr Vittoria Lavorato
Principal
SPC boys can do anything! *
*except divide by zero