I am the good
shepherd;
I know my own
and my own know me,
just as the Father knows me
and I know the Father;
and I lay down my life for my
sheep.
John 10:14 -
15
None of us can imagine having to offer up
our lives for someone else, whether it be for a spouse or for a child. While
television dramas provide a plethora of scenarios when this might happen, the
news also regularly reports of parents saving their children from flaming homes
or raging currents. They are not always successful.
War brings an incomprehensible and tragic
loss of life, military and civilian. Few Australian or NZ families of the early
and middle years of the last century failed to be impacted by war fatalities.
No one, rich or poor, educated or unschooled, farmer or businessman escaped.
When such tragedies envelope whole townships, cities, states, countries and
peoples the immensity is plainly overwhelming.
Several years ago I stood at the Menin
Gate in Ypres, Belgium as the last post played. There were people present from
across our planet, each sharing this poignant moment, remembering those who
died on the battlefields of Europe. People nearby were shedding tears. It was
extraordinarily moving.
Further east at Gallipoli 5,833 Australian
soldiers died. A further 1,985 died of wounds, bringing Australia’s total
losses on those shores to 7,818. 19,441 Australian soldiers were wounded. New
Zealand lost 2,721 men and 4,752 were wounded. Amongst those who never returned
home was my great-grandmother’s 19 year old brother, Hohepa (Joseph) Marino. A
silent stone remembers his short life at Embarkation Pier Cemetery, Turkey.
Their motives for fighting a war far from
home were complex and there was certainly a strong desire for adventure and to
serve God, King and Country, and if called upon, they would lay down their
lives.
One of scripture’s strongest images is of
Jesus as the Good Shepherd. It is he who calls his sheep by name, who seeks
them out when they are lost, who when they hurt carries them back to the fold,
and who – when all else fails – lays down his life for his flock.
The image of our men and women leaving
these verdant, beloved shores to enter into the hell-holes of war, and that of
Jesus as the kind, loving shepherd is incongruous, but is critical is coming to
understand the desire of these young soldiers of freedom to protect their homes
and loved ones. Though so many died on foreign soil, the ultimate sacrifice is
of a love of a monumental scale. And though we have acknowledged that love with
physical memorials, the Menin Gate being a most famous example, the most
resonant and lasting is the freedom we now possess.
Few of us will be called to lay down our
lives for those we love, but we are most definitely called to love deeply, to
give of ourselves, so that the lives we live will matter, will have meaning and
purpose, to mirror and model the Good Shepherd.
Peter Douglas
HEAD OF SCHOOL SERVICES, NORTH
An amazing ANZAC memorial
An amazing mural created by the Spreyton
Primary School community with graphic artist Mark Damon from Devonport. It
really is worth popping in to see. It was funded by a ANZAC Century Commonwealth
Government grant.
Easter
Message from Pope Francis
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Jesus Christ is risen!
Love has triumphed over hatred, life has conquered death, light has dispelled the darkness!
Out of love for us, Jesus Christ stripped himself of his divine glory, emptied himself, took on the form of a slave and humbled himself even to death, death on a cross. For this reason God exalted him and made him Lord of the universe. Jesus is Lord!
By his death and resurrection, Jesus shows everyone the way to life and happiness: this way is humility, which involves humiliation. This is the path which leads to glory. Only those who humble themselves can go towards the “things that are above”, towards God (cf. Col 3:1-4). The proud look “down from above”; the humble look “up from below”.
On Easter morning, alerted by the women, Peter and John ran to the tomb. They found it open and empty. Then they drew near and “bent down” in order to enter it. To enter into the mystery, we need to “bend down”, to abase ourselves. Only those who abase themselves understand the glorification of Jesus and are able to follow him on his way.
The world proposes that we put ourselves forward at all costs, that we compete, that we prevail... But Christians, by the grace of Christ, dead and risen, are the seeds of another humanity, in which we seek to live in service to one another, not to be arrogant, but rather respectful and ready to help.
This is not weakness, but true strength! Those who bear within them God’s power, his love and his justice, do not need to employ violence; they speak and act with the power of truth, beauty and love.
Today, from the risen Lord we ask the grace not to succumb to the pride which fuels violence and war, but to have the humble courage of pardon and peace. We ask Jesus, the Victor over death, to lighten the sufferings of our many brothers and sisters who are persecuted for his name, and of all those who suffer injustice as a result of ongoing conflicts and violence.
We ask for peace, above all, for Syria and Iraq, that the roar of arms may cease and that peaceful relations may be restored among the various groups which make up those beloved countries. May the international community not stand by before the immense humanitarian tragedy unfolding in these countries and the drama of the numerous refugees.
We pray for peace for all the peoples of the Holy Land. May the culture of encounter grow between Israelis and Palestinians and the peace process be resumed, in order to end years of suffering and division.
We implore peace for Libya, that the present absurd bloodshed and all barbarous acts of violence may cease, and that all concerned for the future of the country may work to favour reconciliation and to build a fraternal society respectful of the dignity of the person. For Yemen too we express our hope for the growth of a common desire for peace, for the good of the entire people.
At the same time, in hope we entrust to the merciful Lord the framework recently agreed to in Lausanne, that it may be a definitive step toward a more secure and fraternal world.
We ask the risen Lord for the gift of peace for Nigeria, South Sudan and for the various areas of Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. May constant prayer rise up from all people of goodwill for those who lost their lives – I think in particular of the young people who were killed last Thursday at Garissa University College in Kenya – for all who have been kidnapped, and for those forced to abandon their homes and their dear ones.
May the Lord’s resurrection bring light to beloved Ukraine, especially to those who have endured the violence of the conflict of recent months. May the country rediscover peace and hope thanks to the commitment of all interested parties.
We ask for peace and freedom for the many men and women subject to old and new forms of enslavement on the part of criminal individuals and groups. Peace and liberty for the victims of drug dealers, who are often allied with the powers who ought to defend peace and harmony in the human family. And we ask peace for this world subjected to arms dealers.
May the marginalized, the imprisoned, the poor and the migrants who are so often rejected, maltreated and discarded, the sick and the suffering, children, especially those who are victims of violence; all who today are in mourning, and all men and women of goodwill, hear the consoling voice of the Lord Jesus: “Peace to you!” (Lk 24:36). “Fear not, for I am risen and I shall always be with you” (cf. Roman Missal, Entrance Antiphon for Easter Day).
Jesus Christ is risen!
Love has triumphed over hatred, life has conquered death, light has dispelled the darkness!
Out of love for us, Jesus Christ stripped himself of his divine glory, emptied himself, took on the form of a slave and humbled himself even to death, death on a cross. For this reason God exalted him and made him Lord of the universe. Jesus is Lord!
By his death and resurrection, Jesus shows everyone the way to life and happiness: this way is humility, which involves humiliation. This is the path which leads to glory. Only those who humble themselves can go towards the “things that are above”, towards God (cf. Col 3:1-4). The proud look “down from above”; the humble look “up from below”.
On Easter morning, alerted by the women, Peter and John ran to the tomb. They found it open and empty. Then they drew near and “bent down” in order to enter it. To enter into the mystery, we need to “bend down”, to abase ourselves. Only those who abase themselves understand the glorification of Jesus and are able to follow him on his way.
The world proposes that we put ourselves forward at all costs, that we compete, that we prevail... But Christians, by the grace of Christ, dead and risen, are the seeds of another humanity, in which we seek to live in service to one another, not to be arrogant, but rather respectful and ready to help.
This is not weakness, but true strength! Those who bear within them God’s power, his love and his justice, do not need to employ violence; they speak and act with the power of truth, beauty and love.
Today, from the risen Lord we ask the grace not to succumb to the pride which fuels violence and war, but to have the humble courage of pardon and peace. We ask Jesus, the Victor over death, to lighten the sufferings of our many brothers and sisters who are persecuted for his name, and of all those who suffer injustice as a result of ongoing conflicts and violence.
We ask for peace, above all, for Syria and Iraq, that the roar of arms may cease and that peaceful relations may be restored among the various groups which make up those beloved countries. May the international community not stand by before the immense humanitarian tragedy unfolding in these countries and the drama of the numerous refugees.
We pray for peace for all the peoples of the Holy Land. May the culture of encounter grow between Israelis and Palestinians and the peace process be resumed, in order to end years of suffering and division.
We implore peace for Libya, that the present absurd bloodshed and all barbarous acts of violence may cease, and that all concerned for the future of the country may work to favour reconciliation and to build a fraternal society respectful of the dignity of the person. For Yemen too we express our hope for the growth of a common desire for peace, for the good of the entire people.
At the same time, in hope we entrust to the merciful Lord the framework recently agreed to in Lausanne, that it may be a definitive step toward a more secure and fraternal world.
We ask the risen Lord for the gift of peace for Nigeria, South Sudan and for the various areas of Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. May constant prayer rise up from all people of goodwill for those who lost their lives – I think in particular of the young people who were killed last Thursday at Garissa University College in Kenya – for all who have been kidnapped, and for those forced to abandon their homes and their dear ones.
May the Lord’s resurrection bring light to beloved Ukraine, especially to those who have endured the violence of the conflict of recent months. May the country rediscover peace and hope thanks to the commitment of all interested parties.
We ask for peace and freedom for the many men and women subject to old and new forms of enslavement on the part of criminal individuals and groups. Peace and liberty for the victims of drug dealers, who are often allied with the powers who ought to defend peace and harmony in the human family. And we ask peace for this world subjected to arms dealers.
May the marginalized, the imprisoned, the poor and the migrants who are so often rejected, maltreated and discarded, the sick and the suffering, children, especially those who are victims of violence; all who today are in mourning, and all men and women of goodwill, hear the consoling voice of the Lord Jesus: “Peace to you!” (Lk 24:36). “Fear not, for I am risen and I shall always be with you” (cf. Roman Missal, Entrance Antiphon for Easter Day).
PROJECT COMPASSION
On Holy Thursday staff at MacKillop and Tenison Woods had hot cross bun morning teas and between the two offices raised $54.70 for Project Compassion.
LARMENIER PL DAY
Last year I spoke to Bobbi-Jo Bailey about the possibility of having her facilitate a PL session at Larmenier (on literacy).
From that moment Bobbi-Jo worked with us to plan a rigorous and extremely useful/supportive and challenging day.
Just as impressively Bobbi-Jo arranged to utilise the skills of Gretchen Lane on our day. The two EOs were thoroughly prepared for our day. Equally, as all good presenters do, they were able to adapt to the needs of our staff and keep us all focussed on our purpose. To demonstrate the time they put into preparing, they met with our Leadership Team prior to the day, set up a Google docs (for comment) and consistently revised the format.
Gretchen was able to weave her skills with the use of IT in classrooms/teaching throughout the day.
I know, as a learner who can be distracted, that ALL of the teaching staff walked away from the day thoroughly engaged, with additional skills to apply in the classroom (which will make a difference to students). For me as Principal it complemented our literacy strategy and has given us a further way forward.
Please pass on my thanks and congrats to both BJ and Gretchen. I'm very happy to recommend them to other schools, as they are an asset to our system.
Brent Wilson
PETER'S WHEREABOUTS FOR NEXT TWO WEEKS:
MEETINGS COMING UP:
FROM ST FINN BARR'S:
FROM ST THOMAS MORE'S:
FROM ST BRENDAN SHAW:
Yesterday saw the Blessing and
official opening of the Westcourt Centre. Both Archbishop Porteous and
the federal member for Braddon, Brett Whitely, spoke on a theme of solid
foundations being fundamental, drawing the connection between the physical
foundation needed for the formation of a building, and the foundations required
for the spiritual, academic, social and physical formation of people.
That we focus on the formation of the whole person is key to us, and our
Catholic ethos provides a sound framework to work out of.
Another observation was the
selfless support that parents make so that future generations of students can
benefit by their contributions. That the College was able to fund the
bulk of the cost of the development out of its Building Fund, is testament to
this generosity for others. I thank parents, past and present, for this
model of communal responsibility that reflects two of our core values.
This weekend we remember and honour
all service personnel for the selfless duty they undertake for the benefit of
us all. The College will be represented at a number of ceremonies in the
region, and I thank the students who have volunteered to do so. I look
forward to hearing the address to be given at the Devonport Dawn Service by
Year 10 Dillon House Councillor, Fletcher Clarke.
Frank Pisano
PRINCIPAL
FROM LARMENIER:
FROM ST PATRICK'S COLLEGE - PROSPECT:
FROM ST BRIGID'S
FROM OUR LADY OF LOURDES:
FROM OUR LADY OF MERCY:
FROM SACRED HEART - ULVERSTONE:
FROM STAR OF THE SEA:
Mercy
Cross
Many
thanks to Laurie and Pat Milburn for the creation of our newest addition to
remind us daily of our Mercy Values of Dignity, Hospitality, Compassion,
Excellence, Mercy and Justice - the completion of a
beautifully crafted Mercy Cross, comprising three native Tasmania timbers.
Thank you, too, to Mrs Gregson who organised this beautiful addition to our
school environment. We will thank Pat and Laurie at an upcoming school
assembly.
FROM ST ANTHONY'S:
No comments:
Post a Comment