Catholic Identity & Mission News
I’m sure I won’t be alone in celebrating the inspiring Leadership process the College has just been through in electing our College Executive for 2025. Wow, what an impressive group of students! As in the background I am preparing for the Jubilee Year 2025 where the theme is ‘Pilgrims of Hope’, I felt this theme had come alive early as I listened to young people who genuinely have a vision for a peace, hope and fun filled future. Congratulations and THANK YOU to those Year 11 students who nominated themselves to serve our College community in 2025 and I wish all the very best to those who were appointed to positions.
In their presentations and interviews, these students often expressed the desire to make a difference to their ‘local’ school community so that the impact of their time at St Peter’s would be felt farther afield both now and, in the years ahead. Our students are far from immune to the bad news stories that dominate our news cycles, particularly the issues of violence in our world. The recent Australian Catholic Bishops’ annual Social Justice Statement ‘Truth and Peace: A Gospel word in a violent world’ also addressed the urgent desire for peace and hope in troubling times.
In his forward, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB, the President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference writes:
“In 1963 Pope St John XXIII issued his groundbreaking Encyclical Letter, Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth). At a very fraught time, it was an impassioned plea not only to the Church but to all people of goodwill for an end to war and the banning of nuclear weapons. He called for the promotion of peace founded on a commitment to the inviolable dignity of every human being. His successors have seen the devastating effect of wars and conflicts since 1963 and have repeated the same call.
The 2024 – 2025 Social Justice Statement, Truth & Peace: A Gospel Word in a Violent World, scrutinises the signs of our own times in the light of the Gospel, sees the violence and asks why the world is as it is and what is needed for there to be peace. It also asks the question: is peace possible? And in a world where many think peace is a mirage, the Statement puts its faith in the possibility of peace. In doing so, it looks back to Pacem in Terris and looks also to Pope Francis’ Encyclical Letter Fratelli Tutti.
Drawing upon Scripture, the Statement invites us to put our trust in the power of the crucified and risen Christ, who is the way, the truth and the life and also the Prince of Peace. From him, we learn to embrace a culture of encounter and to commit to the way of dialogue at both the macro and micro level. Words are never enough to make peace. Action is required. But words such as found in this Statement can help us understand the current situation and how we might work together to create a world which better matches both human desire and the divine plan. The Australian bishops offer this Gospel word to all who are committed to speaking the truth and working for peace in a violent world.”
This statement is an insightful and beautiful read – I encourage you to read it for yourself HERE
Finally, this will be my final newsletter for the year as I head off on Long Service Leave for Term 4. I am very excited that I will soon be spending some time in Assisi and in Rome, two very special places for St Peter’s College! My role will be filled by Mr Tishan Lokuge who I thank in advance for doing the fantastic job I know he will do! I wish all in our College community a happy and blessed remainder of the 2024 year and will look forward to reconnecting with you in early 2025.
Ms Fiona McKenna
Deputy Principal - Catholic Identity & Mission