Catholic Identity and Mission 

2024 School Leader Interviews

Over the last few weeks, Scott Blencowe, Jay Baker, Ruby Adkins and I have interviewed for the 2024 Justice and House Leaders.  It has been amazing to hear personal leadership stories from these inspiring leaders.  Well done to all selected!  They appear in this newsletter.  I wish to thank Scott, Ruby, and Jay for their work with these.

New leadership roles for 2024

Student Engagement Liaisons 

After appointing our School Captains, Justice Captains and House leaders and in consultation with John Freeman we have created some new roles for 2024 – Student Engagement Liaisons

The Student Engagement Liaisons serve as a vital conduit between the student body, particularly within Years 7 to 10, and the school’s Mission Advisory Council. 

This role aims to foster an enriching school culture by promoting student involvement in various activities and initiatives, thereby amplifying student voice and participation.

Congratulations to the students selected for these roles, which will be important for student voice. 

Student Mission Team

Mission Advisory Council

Year Level teams

RE Teachers Professional Development 

On Monday 16th October RE Staff welcomed Christopher Morris - Lecturer, Spirituality

and Head of Department, Dept. of Pastoral and Spiritual Studies.

He presented some professional learning on Meditation.  Feedback was that it was both personally and professionally rewarding.

Parish School Partnerships

As a part of my work on the Parish Pastoral Council, we have been working on Parish School Partnerships.

On Wednesday 1st November, 13 past students from St Joseph’s Korumburra, Ken Myors, and I attended the All-Saints Day whole school Mass at Korumburra and then the opening of their new building. 

The St Joseph’s Parish and School community were excited to see the alumni students represent our college on the day.

Many thanks to Sharon Anderson, Principal of St Joseph’s for her hospitality.  Our students were grateful to be part of the day and for the refreshments served.

On Thursday 2nd November, Sarah Roscoe-Smith and I accompnaied some of our Year 11 Students to St Laurence’s for the All Souls Day Mass.  It was great to celebrate together as a Leongatha Community.  Our students participated in the Mass well and were excellent role models to the St Laurence students in attendance.  Many comments were made by Parishioners who loved seeing our students there.

The Vatican released the new Apostolic Exhortation by Pope Francis, Laudate Deum, to all people of goodwill on the climate crisis, on 4 October 2023. 

It is a document intended to follow up on his 2015 encyclical, Laudato Si, On Care for Our Common Home.

An apostolic exhortation is a teaching document from the pope, which often aims to exhort (encourage) a particular virtue or activity. Like many papal encyclicals, apostolic exhortations have often developed themes of the Church’s social teaching.

Besides Laudate Deum, Pope Francis has written five exhortations so far in his papacy, on the joy of the Gospel, love in the family, everyday holiness, on young people, and the Church in the Pan-Amazonia. Three of these exhortations were written in response to Church Synods. 

Laudate Deum means "Praise God".

This exhortation has been called a follow-up to Laudato Si’ and the title reflects this. Like Laudato Si' this new document reminds us of the words of St Francis' prayer poem, the Canticle of the Creatures, which praises God by praising God's creation.

Pope Francis states specifically that the title of this letter is “Praise God” because “when human beings claim to take God’s place, they become their own worst enemies.” (#73) By this he means that when we seek power for its own sake we damage both ourselves and the planet. Power should be used to create a better world for all.

For more information and key messages of Laudate Deum see the link below

https://cafod.org.uk/pray/laudate-deum-explained

 Pope Francis's Prayer for Peace

Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!

We have tried so many times and over so many years to resolve our conflicts by our own powers and by the force of our arms. How many moments of hostility and darkness have we experienced; how much blood has been shed; how many lives have been shattered; how many hopes have been buried… But our efforts have been in vain.

Now, Lord, come to our aid! Grant us peace, teach us peace; guide our steps in the way of peace. Open our eyes and our hearts and give us the courage to say: "Never again war!"; "With war, everything is lost". Instil in our hearts the courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace.

Lord, God of Abraham, God of the Prophets, God of Love, you created us, and you call us to live as brothers and sisters. Give us the strength daily to be instruments of peace; enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother or sister. Make us sensitive to the plea of our citizens who entreat us to turn our weapons of war into implements of peace, our trepidation into confident trust, and our quarreling into forgiveness.

Keep alive within us the flame of hope, so that with patience and perseverance we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation. In this way may peace triumph at last, and may the words "division", "hatred" and "war" be banished from the heart of every man and woman. Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands. Renew our hearts and minds, so that the word which always brings us together will be "brother", and our way of life will always be that of: Shalom, Peace, Salaam!

Amen.