Principal’s Message

As we passed the midpoint of this term last week, we have an opportunity to build on the great start to the year and set our plans in place for the second half of the term. Ash Wednesday also occurred last week and marks the commencement of Lent. Lent allows us the opportunity to pause and to reflect on the significance of this time in these weeks leading towards Easter when we will celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus.

Ash Wednesday

At the Parish Mass for Ash Wednesday at St Peter’s Church, all St James College students joined with the St Peter’s primary school children and parishioners to reflect on the significance of the day. During our mass celebrated by Fr Raju Jacob, the Ashes were placed on our foreheads by the St James College Leaders, while the words “Repent and believe in the Gospels” were spoken. These words remind us of the significance of Lent.

Lent is a time when we need to examine our thoughts and actions, and strive to become a better person, and thus, closer to Jesus.

Lenten Reflection – Pope Francis

During his recent General Audience, Pope Francis reflected on the 40 days spent by Jesus in the desert. The Vatican News gives an account of this reflection:

Pope Francis says that, in a sense, Lent is a time for us to imitate Jesus and seek a place of silence, where we are free to hear the Lord’s word and experience His call. “In the desert one hears the Word of God,” he said, noting that Jesus taught us how to seek the Father, who speaks to us in silence.

He remarked on the fact that, for many of us, it is not easy to be in silence as we live in an environment that is “polluted by too much verbal violence," by so many "offensive and harmful words" which are amplified by the internet.

“It is the time to give up useless words, chatter, rumours, gossip, and talk, and to speak directly to the Lord,” he said, it is a time in which to dedicate ourselves to an ecology of the heart.

In a world in which we often struggle to distinguish the voice of the Lord, Jesus calls us into the desert and invites us to listen to what matters, Pope Francis explained.

The desert represented by the journey of Lent, is a place of life, a place in which to dialogue in silence with the Lord who gives us life. The Pope also reflected on how an important part of our Lenten desert experience is the practice of fasting, “Fasting is being capable of giving up the superfluous and going to the essential. Fasting is seeking the beauty of a simpler life,” he said.

The Pope also noted that the solitude of the desert increases our sensitivity to those who quietly cry out for help. “Even today, close to us, there are many deserts, many lonely people: they are the lonely and the abandoned. How many poor and old people live near us in silence, marginalized and discarded, “he said. The desert of Lent leads us to them, he continued. It is a journey of charity towards those who are weak and in need.

Pope Francis concluded by reiterating that the path through the Lenten desert is made up of “prayer, fasting, works of mercy", so that it may lead us "from death to life".

We pray that during Lent we may be able to leave our distractions behind as we make even stronger efforts to be charitable, friendly and more forgiving in our daily relationships with those around us.

Social Justice Activities

Over these weeks, the College Leaders and the Student Representative Councillors are running their annual Easter collection for those in need through the St Vincent de Paul Society. Thank you to the students, staff and the homerooms who are already planning for donations to this worthy cause that assists those less fortunate in our community. We hope to provide a significant contribution to this appeal in the coming weeks.

Thanks to our Lasallian Youth Leader, Joel Harriss, who has organised a number of Year 10 students to assist with the Joey’s Van Soup kitchen operating through St Joseph’s Parish in Springvale. Joel, together with Marty Callanan REC, is currently working with a number of our staff to organise visits to the Melbourne Immigration Transition Accommodation (MITA) Detention Centre to support those who are in the process of immigrating to Australia. Thank you to the students and staff who over the coming months will be involved in these outreach activities that operate after school assisting those who really are on the margins of our society.

Student Achievement and Involvements

Thank you to the students rehearsing for our College Production, those training for the evening DAV Debating Rounds, and following our recent Swimming Carnival, those preparing for the SIS Interschool Swimming Championships, as well as the many who are representing St James College in the weekly Southern Independent Schools sporting competitions. It is clear to see that there are many opportunities for our students in both the Cultural and Sporting domains and we encourage all students to ‘try out’ for a team or attempt a new activity over this year. I thank our dedicated staff who give of their talents and time to provide these opportunities throughout the year.

Importantly, in coming weeks, the students will be busy with their studies as we continue and complete the various units of work across the subjects. Each student should be focusing on achieving his own Personal Learning Goals, drawing on the support that surrounds him at school and at home, while preparing to respond to the different subject tasks and unit testing that comes with his school work. This response becomes increasingly important as we move further into the term.

International Women’s Day

This Sunday as we acknowledge International Women’s Day, we recognise the significant influence of women to our faith including St Mary Mackillop, Australia’s first Saint, and of whom our Year 7 Centre is named.

Celebrating the rich contribution of women, we recall the beautiful words of the Hail Mary in honour of Mary, the Mother of God:

Hail Mary full of Grace,

The Lord is with thee.

Blessed are thou

Among women and

blessed is the fruit

of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary Mother of God,

pray for us sinners

now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

Mindful of our Lasallian Theme for this year, Great Things are Possible let us use these next weeks of Lent to prepare for Easter with the knowledge that through our own actions we can make a difference - by building positive relationships with others and supporting those around us, especially our neighbours in need.