From the Headmaster
Lenten Journey Begins
Last week we were touched with ash as part of our Ash Wednesday Liturgy to signify the commencement of the Lenten journey. Lent is too often understood as a time of 'doing this' or 'avoiding that'. While there are probably things we should do or avoid over the coming weeks, the Lenten period is more about a time of real commitment to prayer and spiritual renewal. Pope Francis refers to it as a ‘mountain trek, an uphill path that requires effort, sacrifice and concentration’ to allow hope to flourish, to bind wounds, to weave together relationships, plant dreams and sharpen our relationships with Jesus.
Embracing the Future
The development of the renewed strategic plan is now complete. The process has been designed to evaluate the current strengths and needs of the College and to set simple, strategic direction over the next four years. Since beginning the process last year, an extensive consultation process has confirmed many dimensions of the College that are deeply valued by staff, students, parents and the broader community. These include its Catholic and Marist identity; the opportunities for faith formation; the academic orientation of the school; the priority it places upon a holistic education for boys; the gift of community and that boys are known and cared for; and the generosity of the College’s teachers and parents in the education of each student.
Feedback also suggested some important areas of development for the future of the College. These include a more strategic approach to attracting and retaining staff; review and reform of the pastoral care system in the Senior School; a more deliberate approach that builds positive mental health practices; an expansion of a spirit led dialogue in creating a welcoming and inclusive community and the ongoing nurturing of respectful relationships across the community.
This list is not exhaustive, but it does comprise many of the areas that the community emphasised in their feedback through the College review. Most importantly, the process assisted the College in its review of its Mission and Values Statement and the establishment of the essential characteristics of a Marist Canberra graduate. These characteristics will assist the College to be more intentional about the qualities of each young man as he journeys with us. In partnership with parents, these characteristics will be pursued in the College’s everyday mission.
Hopes for the Marist Graduate:
- is restless for God and alert to the Spirit
- embraces mystery and seeks a deep relationship with Christ
- is nurtured by contemplation
- is committed to intellectual rigour, learning and achievement
- aspires to live in gratitude with joy
- encounters the daily company of empathy and forgiveness
- moves towards and accompanies the least, the lost and the lonely
- is a steward of creation
- looks to the future with audacity and hope
There is a risk in creating a list of characteristics and believing that a Marist education can be itemised like a shopping list. It is better to think of this as an integrated approach in the fullness of humanity in creating a more caring, loving and generous world.
We look forward with optimism to the future journey of Marist College Canberra as it pursues its mission of educating and forming young men who will take their goodness out into the world that so desperately needs it. We do so with the companionship of the Marists, our teachers, parents and former students of the College.
The Road That Stretches Before Us
Many years ago, I read a small book, the name of which I have forgotten, which began with the sentence that I have never forgotten: ‘The road which stretches before you tests the strength of our heart long before it tests the strength of his legs.’
That sentence seemed to me to be profound then and the passing of time has not lessened its significance. There is so much in life that is really a test of our inner strength, of the determination of our minds, of the resolution of our wills, of the faith and hope of our hearts.
If we want to accomplish something, there are two kinds of pains we inevitably encounter: the pain of discipline and the pain of regret.
Whenever your son takes his first step towards a new goal, he often will experience the pain of discipline, the pain of hard work, the pain of sacrifice, as he single-mindedly pursues his dream.
On the other hand, if he doesn’t go after his dreams, he might experience an even greater type of pain: the pain of staying stuck, which eventually turns into the pain of regret.
This is so true of study. It is taking the first step towards being a good student which is difficult. There is a discipline in giving time regularly to study. But there will be, one day, a time when your son will wake up and realise, he wants to study rather than needs to study - let’s hope so! If your son can discipline himself regularly, one day he will discover the discipline has become a desire.
The ultimate test for a Christian is to be able to make sacrifices and to cope with suffering when it comes our way. Young people must be schooled in interior resolve, in doing without. Real strength is in the heart, not in the legs. Such strength, like physical strength, doesn’t just happen, it must be cultivated over time.
Matthew Hutchison
Headmaster
