Catholic Identity & Mission News
On Tuesday this week, our Year 11 students experienced their Leadership Reflection Day. This has become a hybrid event, merging the leadership training and discernment day with the Year 11 Reflection Day. It will start, for our students, a period of time where they will consider how they will ‘let their lights shine’ as leaders in the St Peter’s College community over the next 12 months or so. This year’s preparation culminates in them determining their leadership vision as part of their ‘Year 12’ Retreat this November.
Each year, I am asked to present a short session on ‘Servant Leadership’ for our students at this Year 11 day. Servant Leadership is the preferred leadership style in the Catholic setting because it is argued that it best reflects both Jesus’ own example, and his teaching. It is about putting the needs of others before your own, treating others as you would like to be treated, trying to be a good listener and an empathic responder to things others are going through. It’s low ego and high impact. For some young (and older!) people, it’s not a very attractive option and not at all what they were hoping for if they happened to get the chance to have a little ‘power’. So, Servant Leadership can be a tough sell!
To promote Servant Leadership, I not only enlisted Jesus and the scriptures, via the ‘washing of the feet’ (Jn 13:1-17) and ‘Love for enemies’ (Lk 6:27-36), ‘The request of the mother of James and John’ (Mt 20:20-28) and then Proverbs 27:23-24 and Mark 9:34-35 but I also used a recent clip of a commencement address given at Northwestern University in June this year. The address was made by the Governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker and it first gained attention because he used quotes from the American version of the popular TV show ‘The Office’ throughout. I used a three-minute clip from this address because it contained some reflection and sentiment that at its climax, captured a really important element of Servant Leadership. Pritzker said, ‘I have found one thing to be universally true…the kindest person in the room, is often the smartest.’
The character strength of kindness can be underrated and yet at the heart of good leadership is emotional intelligence: ‘reading’ a person or issue and responding to any needs in a relational and decisive way. Kindness is a key part of this and as Jesus demonstrated time and time again through his mercy, love, and radical inclusion of all, it is entirely Kingdom-building too. We hope that St Peter’s graduates will have seen servant leadership in action at the College and will have learned about it through a range of programs. In doing so, they can lead in private, public, and commercial settings in a manner that can reflect the values of their Catholic education. Our track record at the College is strong in electing student leaders who aspire to serve the community for the common good, and so my parting advice to our Year 11’s was that they again should ‘choose well’. Fortunately, I’ve no doubt they will!
On a much sadder note this week, Force Put, a Year 12 student on our Cranbourne campus died after a tragic accident. I join with all in our College community in expressing my condolences to Force’s family and friends and at such a challenging time, seek comfort in our faith in a loving and merciful God.
God speaks to us through the prophets and says:
When you call to me, I will listen to you.
When you seek me, you shall find me.
When you seek me with all of your heart, I will be there for you.
Now I am revealing new things to you.
Created just now, this very moment.
Of these things you have heard nothing until now, for I may call you into the wilderness. Lead you along unknown paths. You may stumble, even fall, but through it all, I will be with you.
Grant Force eternal rest, O Lord and may perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace.
Fiona McKenna
Deputy Principal - Catholic Identity & Mission