West Campus News

Study Leave

I have just returned from 4 weeks of study leave in Israel.  In this time I was based at Tantur Ecumenical Institute in southern Jerusalem, near the town of Bethlehem.  Tantur is affiliated with the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, USA. This was an amazing experience and I was appreciative of the lectures and excursions to some important sites so important to the three great religions worshipping the one God – Christianity, Judaism and Islam.  The key learnings for me that I will share with staff and students in the near future were:

1. Scripture and biblical geography insights that give a context and greater understanding of the meaning of the various stories and events of the Old and New Testaments
2. Early Church history of the development of the Christian community during apostolic, Roman, Byzantine, Muslim and Crusader periods and how this influenced the evolution of the Church in the Holy Land
3. Interfaith dialogue between Christianity, Judaism and Islam, including the importance of openness and acceptance in a pluralistic society
4. Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the need for us to be slow to judgment in a complex socio-political situation.  If this conflict is ever to be resolved then there needs to be love, trust and genuine listening of the other’s fears
5. Faith renewal.  Perhaps one of the many highlights of the experience was the renewal of Baptismal promises in the Jordan River where Jesus was baptised.  Also especially important were celebrations of the Eucharist in places such as the Shepherd’s Field in Bethlehem, on a boat on the Sea of Galilee, at the Church of Transfiguration on Mt. Tabor and on the final day we celebrated at Emmaus
6. St Peter.  I made it a specific aim to visit churches of particular significance for St Peter and to understand more of his significant relationship to Jesus and his crucial role in the early Church.  The significant Churches included:

1. St Peter’s Church, Capernaum
2. Church of the Primacy of St Peter, Tabgha
3. Church of St Peter in Gallicantu, Jerusalem
4. St Peter’s Church, Jaffa

Much can be learned about St Peter at these sites and I look forward to sharing that with staff and students in the near future.

Thanks to the Diocese of Sale and Mr Chris Black for providing me with this opportunity.  I am also thankful to Miss Fiona McKenna who took on the role of Acting Head of Campus, Mr Peter Brannan for acting as Pastoral Leader and Mr Calen Robinson for filling the role of Assisi House Leader during this time.

Chess Competition

The Chess Competition, organised by Mr Chris O’Hara, kicked off this week in the library and there was great interest and energy.  Each house provided two players to compete and it would appear that the traditional power houses in chess, Augustine and Romero, are looking strong once again.  Stay tuned for the ongoing results over the next few weeks as we lead up to the SIS chess competition.

Winter Sleepout

The Winter Sleepout will occur on the night of Friday, 24 August. Our Youth Ministry class will be running a knitting workshop at this event. They aim to highlight the importance of appropriate clothing when students are no doubt experiencing the cold in the hall, and by extension, out on the streets.  They also want to create a variety of scarfs to donate to those in need. They are also hoping that this important skill of knitting can be taught and shared with residents from Willow Wood Aged Care or Marnebek School. As they say, "give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime."

To achieve these goals, the Youth Ministry class would appreciate any donations of wool or even knitting needles.  If you can assist, please drop of these items to the front office at West Campus.

Wishing you all a great Term 3.

Mr David Hansen

Deputy Principal - West Campus