Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, Louvain, Belgium
A perfect wife – who can find
her?
She is far beyond the price of pearls.
Her husband’s heart has confidence in her,
from her he will derive no little profit.
Advantage and not hurt she brings him
all the days of her life.
She is always busy with wool and with flax,
she does her work with eager hands.
She sets her hands to the distaff,
her fingers grasp the spindle.
She holds out her hand to the poor,
she opens her arms to the needy.
Charm is deceitful, and beauty empty;
the woman who is wise is the one to praise.
Give her a share in what her hands have worked for,
and let her works tell her praises at the city gates.
Proverbs 31:10-13.19-20.30-31
From the end of the
book of Proverbs, these verses form part of an acrostic poem on the noble ideal
of womanhood. One of the essential tools of the Jewish and Christian scholars
has been to view the scriptures as analogy. All theological language is, of
course, analogous. A declaration from the 4th Lateran Council
stated: No similarity can be found so
great but that the dissimilarity is even greater. Thus although we humans
can love so much, God’s love is incomprehensibly greater and has none of limitations
of human love.
This is why we speak
of Wisdom as a feminine entity. In Hebrew it is a feminine noun. We Catholics
most often endow Mary, the Blessed Virgin, with the title Seat of Wisdom – in
Latin, sedes sapientiae – as a devotional title, which recognises Mary’s role
as the mother of Jesus, and which in iconography depicts her with the Infant
Child seated on her knee.
But further, while
these words from Proverbs may appear to exalt the perfect wife, or perfect
woman – and which we may then appropriately attribute to Mary, the writer of
Proverbs is equally exalting of Israel’s relationship with God, about the kind
of nation, the kind of people that God calls his own. As church, we are, like
Israel, called in to relationship with God.
There are many
scriptural images of the relationship between God and his people. There is the
intimacy of the dysfunctional marriage of Hosea and his wife Gomer, the beauty
of the Song of Songs. However, the writer of Proverbs writes of the perfect
relationship – one undoubtedly modelled on the culture of his time, and you and
I are invited both personally and communally into this relationship of
perfection in which our fidelity is expressed in word, work, action and praise.
Peter
End of Year celebrations
If you would like to invite Peter to your end of year assembly would you please contact Carole. Peter will work on a first in, first serve basis. Our regional EOs also love to receive invitations!
Well done, Leeann!
On Friday 7 November, our EO: Curriculum (NW), Leeann Medwin, was honoured and recognised by ACEL by awarding her a Certificate of Excellence in Educational Leadership! A number of our colleagues, principals and TCEO staff were present, including our Acting Director Sean Gill and Head of Mission and Education Services Sandra Harvey. The contribution of former Director Trish Hindmarsh to education was also recognised at the same ceremony. Congratulations to you, Leeann!
Road runners (Burnie 10)
Guess who ran in the Burnie 10? And who flew down here just to run?
REFLECTIONS ON CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP
by Kevin Treston
Group Facilitation
Many tasks of the leader relate to managing groups such as staff, pastoral council, management teams, parish and school assemblies, parents and friends associations. The quality of interpersonal relations is a major concern for any leader. Jesus devoted much of his ministry to the formation of his group of disciples. The gospels recount his struggles to inculcate his vision and the obduracy of the disciples (e.g. Mk. 9:33-37; Mk. 10:35-40).
Group leaders use helpful strategies to assist people to interact creatively and achieve their goals. Those involved in leading groups will find the following suggestions helpful in the facilitation of group relationships:
· Encourage a shared belief among group members about the positive value of consensus decision making.
· Ensure that the physical arrangement of the room is conducive to positive group interactions. Avoid a ‘top/bottom’ seating.
· Plan an appropriate process for that particular group. The levels of personal maturity and education, the stage of group development, the degree of competence in achieving the task are some of the factors, which would shape the kind of process used.
· Attend to the two major purposes of a group viz. achieving its purpose and facilitating health interactions.
· Helps to achieve group tasks are:
o Clarify the purpose of the group
o Initiate an appropriate process
o Communicate relevant information
o Keep to the task
o Develop possible options
o Focus on a solution
o Plan actions
· Evaluate outcomes and the proces Good relationships in a group are helped by these approaches:
o Welcome people into the group and introduce members to one another
· Set a climate of respectful listening
o Creatively manage conflict
o Establish a group culture of synergizing
o Encourage members to participate if they so choose
o Acknowledge differences and use them for better option
o Help people to become bonded in the Spirit
o Establish eye contact
o Show care for one another
There are many variations in the character and purposes of groups such as groups for prayer, social justice, pastoral planning, per support, pastoral councils, school and hospital administration teams, staff meetings. Good leadership in the groups helps people to experience the value of working together for communal reward.
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Peter's whereabouts
Diary
From Our Lady of Mercy
From Sacred Heart - Launceston
From Sacred Heart - Ulverstone
From St Anthony's
From Larmenier
From St Brigid's
From St Finn Barr's
From St Joseph's - Queenstown
From St Brendan Shaw College
From St Joseph's - Rosebery
From St Patrick's - Latrobe
From St Patrick's - Launceston
From St Peter Chanel's
From St Thomas More's
From Star of the Sea
From Sacred Heart - Ulverstone
From Stella Maris
