From the Principal

Yesterday’s St Louis House Day was a resounding success. I extend my thanks to St Louis House Coordinator, Carla Tripi, House staff and St Louis House Captains, Noah Dale and Christopher Henderson, for their extensive planning in the lead up to the day and also for their active involvement in all activities offered to students throughout the day. 

For those new to the College, St Louis or Saint Aloysius Gonzaga was a Jesuit known for his unwavering commitment to the sick during the devastating plague in the 16th Century. St Louis devoted his life to serving others, despite his own frail health. His life exemplified profound compassion, dedication to service and a commitment to reaching out to those on the margins.

Given that this week is also Refugee Week, it is fitting to reflect on the legacy of St Aloysius Gonzaga. Given the theme of this year’s Refugee Week is ‘finding freedom’ it is even more fitting to do so. 

What does it mean to be free? To live without the fear of war, to have basic human rights upheld and to live without the fear of persecution are just some of the more obvious answers to this question.

When considering the plight of refugees, and their search for freedom, students can easily feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the numbers of refugees; more than a third of Australia’s population having been driven from their homes in Sudan, a whole nation displaced in Gaza, people fleeing violence, starvation and poverty throughout the world. There can be times when the aggregated numbers of refugees can numb the senses and limit our openness to each refugee’s own humanity and quest for freedom. 

St Louis’ dedication to helping those afflicted and outcast and his commitment to compassion and justice are perhaps reminders of our own responsibility to care for those who are vulnerable and in need of refuge. Each refugee searching for freedom, of course, has a story to tell. Perhaps our challenge at times is to be truly open to hearing the story.

Finally, I extend my thanks to everyone in our community who rallied in support of refugees and asylum seekers through their generous contributions to our donation drive for CARAD (Centre for Asylum Seekers, Refugees, and Detainees). 

Daniel Mahon

Principal