Principal's Message

Pope Francis

'My dear young people, swim against the tide, it is good for the heart' (Paraphrase)

Pope Francis stands before us as a person with eyes full of hope in our young people. Whether we are young or old we are all faced with the many challenges and choices in life. Society is presented before us with images of murder, mistrust, abuse, violence and even the more subtle messages of “looking good”, golden tans, trips overseas, the need for a holiday and so on……… The list seems almost endless and appears to be constantly presented to us as the ideal. However, Francis seems to be pointing to another world where perhaps love, kindness, mercy, respect, honesty etc should be at the forefront of our lives and existence. My interpretation of the message of Francis is that he is asking young people not to be taken in by the commercialism and ego centric nature of our life but to look beyond and to work from principles which are Christ centred. He is encouraging, not only the young, but all of us to rediscover gospel values which are in many ways counter to what is being presented at present in society. For us at St Bede’s College our Guiding Principles are Christ centred values and invite us to show respect, be honest,  respect and love for our brother/sister and have faith in a God who takes us beyond our world. In thinking about our students at St Bede’s College there are many examples of them swimming against the tide. In so many ways I am aware of the following:-

-their generous effort with Mission Action Day.

-some 30 students volunteering for work in Thailand and India.

Ex-students who have given 12 months service working with the Indigenous population.

-our Lasallian leaders who work on the junior retreats or conduct the Christmas appeal.

-our students who help the elderly at the RSL Club.

-the students who support the refugees students with homework.

 -the many students who help the elderly cross a road or pick them up if they have fallen over.

- the ELearning students who give of their time and effort in helping other students and the list seems endless. One can only take pride in such responses and agree that these students are swimming against the tide and illustrating values which are all about goodness and generosity. I would also have to say that many of our young people show respect and love towards their brother/sister. I see it so many times during the day at the college. We are not perfect but as members of the St Bede’s College community we walk with Francis in “swimming against the tide”.