Newsletter 9: 26 July 2022
Dear Colleagues,
Preach the Gospel always and sometimes use words.
Saint Francis of Assisi
At the end of last term and the beginning of this one, it has been a privilege to meet with several whole staff groups for different reasons. Whilst many people regard the first semester of 2022 as the most challenging for schools in the past 50 years, among the staff whom I had the pleasure to meet recently were expressions and attitudes of accomplishment, resilience, courage, faith, hope, and humour. Despite the constant demands since January flowing from the pandemic, manifested in repeated changes and adaptations due to staff and student illnesses, the pervasive sense of purposeful service to the students’ education was marked in every setting. Catholic Social Teaching on work begins with the dignity of the human person and an understanding that
work is for the common good and part of building up and glorifying Creation.
The selflessness and sense of vocation among staff in our Marist schools throughout this year continues to be a striking witness to the Gospel of Jesus. Consistently placing the needs of others before themselves, day in and day out, the efforts of our teachers across the country is acknowledged with gratitude. Conscious of the predicted increasing waves of infection across the community during these winter months, a less disrupted second semester is anticipated in light of encouraging advice from the health experts as the warmer weather gradually returns.
Over the holiday period the Fifth Plenary Council(1) was held at St Mary’s Cathedral College in Sydney. The theme of the Plenary, Listen to what the Spirit is saying …. remained central to the deliberations throughout. Much has been written by participants, reflecting on their experience. It has been fascinating to read the passion and differing perspectives by respected participants and observers including Sister Patty Faulkner SGS(2), Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP(3), Mr Christopher Lamb(4), Professor Hayden Ramsay(5), Mr Greg Craven AO(6), and Father Frank Brennan SJ(7). Marist Provincial, Brother Peter Carroll FMS and Marist Association Councillor Ms Madeline Forde were participants, whilst MSA Board Chair Brother David Hall FMS was a Plenary facilitator and Father Gary Perritt CP provided support in a host of ways.
The Concluding Statement from the Plenary Council(8) recognises the different perspectives yet is ultimately a statement of hope for the future. Some key observations include:
This process has been an expression of the synodality that Pope Francis has identified as a key dimension of the Church’s life in the third millennium.
Some moments of this second assembly have been calm and harmonious, others tense and difficult. But every moment has been blessed; the entire week has been grace-filled, though never a cheap grace. The Holy Spirit has been both comforter and disrupter.
We trust that the God who overturned our smooth predictabilities and led us into new territory will continue to open up the pathway before us.
We have seen God at work in these days, comforting and disrupting in order to lead his people into a future of God’s making. This has been a time of grace, and for that we give humble thanks. May God who has begun the good work in us bring it to fulfilment (cf. Phil 1:6).
May the Holy Spirit continue to shape us in our work together.
1. https://plenarycouncil.catholic.org.au
2. https://www.goodsams.org.au/article/what-is-it-about-women-and-the-church/
3. https://www.catholicweekly.com.au/a-week-of-positives-and-negatives-for-the-plenary-archbishop-anthony-fisher/
4. Article by Christopher Lamb in the Tablet
5. https://www.catholicweekly.com.au/hayden-ramsay-what-was-not-on-the-agenda/
6. https://www.catholicweekly.com.au/a-woke-weak-and-oh-so-mediocre-church/
7. https://catholicoutlook.org/fr-franks-homily-10-july-2022/
8. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jieDZjTrfF2EuHTuM4a6lrEQdbV3j5RT/view