Catholic Identity & Mission News
Servant Leadership
This week our Year 11 cohorts have commenced their discernment of 2023 student leadership roles. I was asked to address them on the topic of ‘Servant Leadership’, a preferred style of leadership in Catholic education. In talking about this ‘low ego / high impact’ leadership, I referred to the examples of our Patron, St. Peter and our current Pope, Francis. One of the key reasons that the early Church grew was that people felt deeply alienated in or by the Roman Empire and in contrast, the early Christians built communities. Peter was the acknowledged leader of these early Church communities, and was always the first named apostle, and the one apostle that St. Paul sought counsel from. And yet when people tried to defer to Peter, he told them, ‘Stand up; I am only a mortal’ (Acts 10:26). The early Church was for everyone – Jew or Gentile (non-Jew) – and Peter wanted everyone to feel welcome and have a say. He was a servant leader – he was low in ego, communal in nature, had a clear vision and purpose and was charismatic enough to get people to join him in professing the good news of Jesus Christ. Pope Francis is clearly leading in the same way in his call for a more synodal Church where all are recognised as children of God and invited to have their views and opinions heard (as we have seen in our recent Plenary Council sessions).
Our students are also encouraged to be servant leaders. There are many opportunities for students to involve themselves in leadership and decision making at the College. Our Year 11’s have been invited to nominate themselves to roles of service next year and to consider how they might lead for the common good. It was timely too that their training day fell only a day after the Feast of the Assumption. The Catholic belief that Mary was assumed body and soul into heaven reinforces the special place that Mary holds in our theology. She was the perfect disciple, unlike Peter who could get it wrong! Mary always got it right and while that could potentially make her seem less accessible to we ‘mortals’, her life experiences of joy, worry, patience, suffering and resilience help to make her very accessible. It is these qualities that contribute to her being considered not only the Mother of God but also of the Church – us! The understanding of the human condition is shared by Mary, Peter, and Francis. Now for our student leaders, we invite them to reflect on their own strengths and challenges and to consider how they can use them to better themselves, their student body and our College. I wish them every success moving forward.
Spirituality Day
And finally, staff enjoyed a wonderful Staff Spirituality Day on Friday last week. With thanks to the talented members of our Mission and Identity Team: Greg Nelson, Jean-Paul Antoine, Denise Tan, Elouise Johnson, Tishan Lokuge, Laura Appleby, David Fini and Matt Hocking, staff were able to select different workshops ranging from the encyclicals of Pope Francis to the theology of religious music, enhancing Catholic school identity, Catholic Social Teaching – the ‘jewel in the crown’, Christian prayer and an on campus ‘pilgrimage’ experience. These workshops were greeted with great enthusiasm. We also had keynote addresses on ‘Peter and Francis: Towards a more synodal Church’ and on a recent Vatican document about a ‘Culture of Dialogue in Catholic Educational Institutions’. My thanks to all those who attended so positively and contributed to a very happy and enriching day.
Fiona McKenna
Deputy Principal - Catholic Identity & Mission