Founders' Day Mass

Friday 19 May marked Founder’s Day at St Bede’s College. Each year, as we celebrate Founder’s Day Mass, we celebrate our heritage as Lasallians, a heritage that started over 300 years ago with St John Baptist de la Salle and has since spread to over 80 countries. To acknowledge the breadth of the international Lasallian family and our connection to it, we heard prayers of the faithful prayed by our students in several different languages including Russian, Greek, Chinese, Filipino, Portuguese and French. We also heard the First Reading in French – the language of the Founder.

We warmly welcomed Father Michael McEntee, newly appointed Parish Priest of St Patrick’s Mentone and St John Vianney’s Parkdale East. Fr Michael added to the ‘international flavour’ of the Mass by preaching the Gospel in Melanesian pidgin.

We were blessed with the presence of many De La Salle Brothers from the Malvern Community, Mentone Community and those who are our own College staff. With gratitude we acknowledged and thanked them for their commitment to the Lasallian vocation of providing a Christian and human education to the young.

Ria Greene

Deputy Principal, Identity Community and Action

2019 Tercentenary of the Death of St John Baptist De La Salle & Year of Lasallian Vocations

As Lasallians, we anticipate an important milestone in the life of the Institute: 2019 – the 300th anniversary of the death of the Founder. This tercentenary provides us with the opportunity to reflect on and celebrate our past, imagine and create a future filled with hope, while living in the present moment in the presence of God.

In order to motivate the Institute and coordinate an array of events, activities and resources, an Ad Hoc Committee was formed by the Superior General Br Robert Schieler and it was my privilege to be appointed as the representative for the PARC Region.

In September 2016, the Ad Hoc Committee met in Rome and determined the following goals for 2019:

Celebrate and give thanks for our common heritage and our vitality through our association for the transformative human and Christian education of the young especially the poor.
Renew our commitment to respond to the reality and needs of today through promoting our mission, charism, and Founding story.
Share our hope for the future within the unity and diversity of Lasallian vocations by witnessing the movement of the Spirit in our lives and ministry.

Further, four priority areas were identified as the focus for the year – Mission, Formation, Spirituality, Vocations. These areas will guide our initiatives, ensuring that the year will be more than ‘an event’. It is the Institute’s desire that 2019 will be a deeply enriching and transformative time for all Lasallians; both individually and collectively.

Some key celebratory dates and events have been named. The year itself will commence on the First Sunday of Advent 2018 and conclude on the Feast of Christ the King 2019. The choice to use the liturgical year as the beginning and ending time for the year of celebration made sense practically and theologically. The liturgical year, as opposed the academic year, is universal thereby allowing equal access to all Lasallians. Also, to set the year within the liturgical year reminds us that St John Baptist De La Salle’s vocation was to the priesthood.

Plans for the following key Eucharistic celebrations and locations are already underway:

7 April ROUEN

30 April REIMS

15 May ROME

Other international events are being organised including the Young Lasallians Gathering @ WYD Panama 22-27 January 2019 and an International Educators Conference (date and place yet to be confirmed).

While there emerges great interest in the international events taking place, it is clearly not possible for all Lasallians to attend these, so we need to think creatively and practically for how we will celebrate 2019 Tercentenary of the Death of St John Baptist De La Salle & Year of Lasallian Vocations in a more local or regional context.

During my recent visit to the PNG Sector I had the privilege to work with teachers at Hohola Youth Development Centre, De La Salle Secondary School Bomana, and Jubilee Catholic Secondary School. Some very sound ideas came from the staff groups in relation to 2019 that included spiritual and cultural celebrations with all Lasallian school communities, and a desire to do more to alleviate the suffering of the poor and marginalised in the Port Moresby area and more broadly throughout PNG.

What is asked of you? (individually and collectively)

You are encouraged to start imagining, discussing and planning what 2019 might mean for our school community of St Bede’s College.

Therefore, take time to consider:

How do we offer enriching and inclusive experiences for our Brothers, students, Old Collegians, families, staff?

How do we collectively and collegially harness our efforts to celebrate the year’s significance through the identified priorities of: Mission, Formation, Spirituality, Vocations?

How to identify the new challenges and the urgent needs of our world (human and environment) and how can 2019 be a catalyst to respond to them with compassion and creativity?

Fast forward 100 years … when planning is taking place for the Founder’s 400th anniversary, what legacy do we want to be acknowledged for?

"You can perform miracles in regard both yourselves and your work by an entire fidelity to grace, not letting any movement of grace go by without corresponding with it; and by touching the hearts of children entrusted to your care" (J.B. De La Salle, Meditation 180.3).

Please email your comments, suggestions or queries to rgg@stbedes.catholic.edu.au

Ria Greene

Deputy Principal, St Bede’s College Mentone

(PARC Representative and Ad Hoc Committee Member for 2019 Tercentenary of the Death of St John Baptist De La Salle & Year of Lasallian Vocations)

Student reflections on an inspirational international speaker …

When Willie Green, former NFL player now motivational speaker, came on Wednesday 31 May, no one was expecting what was to come. But when we walked into the auditorium, the ecstatic music and vibe guaranteed that period 3 was shaping up to be a good one. When Willie was introduced and took the microphone, just his presence amped up the excitement. Then he spoke and the whole year level was engaged. Not only were his words of wisdom, like learning not to just using our straight-forward sight but looking at what's to come with our vision, keeping all eyes on him but his engagement with us. He made us feel guilty by pretending to offer his NFL jumper free to the loudest yell, laugh as our fellow classmates tried to rip a phone book in half and awe at his ability for him to do push-ups with our friends standing on his back, telling us that no dream was unachievable. He also told dramatised stories, like when his young son took him on for a pencil or when he did a push up with the biggest teacher in the world on his back. But the main message he was trying to get across is that we all go through tough times and that we need to overcome them and look to the future.

Elijah McEvoy 8.9

Recently, the school was visited by a very special man named William Green, a former NFL footballer turned inspirational talker who tries to help people achieve their dreams and goals. At a young age, William Green had it tough growing up on the streets of Atlantic City, New Jersey. His parents died one year after the other and this led to William experiencing major mental health problems. However, through the words of teachers, friends and other relatives, William regained his strength mentally and physically and went on to play the position of Running Back in American Football. When William talked to us about his football career he said, "I wasn't the biggest or the strongest but I wanted it the most." In the same way, this was reflected by his hard work ethic and his ability to make it big time in the NFL. All of us can learn something from his story and hard-working, persevering personality.

Lachlan Doyle 8.4

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