Welcome back to 2017. In taking on this new role I wanted to continue with the Blog that Peter established. At the same time, I knew I could not replicate Peter's blog with his narrative, his sense of spirituality that came through each week's post. So I have accepted that while it will be the same it will be different simply because I am different. It is swings and roundabouts, different gifts and talents that come and go with different people in different roles.
In each of our School communities, we have many, many families starting their Catholic educational journey. They have made a commitment (whether strong or weak) to Catholic Education and specifically a Catholic education in your school. What are they hoping for? What do they aspire for their children hopefully in the holistic sense of an education experience?
Abraham Lincoln as a father had similar thoughts and musings. He wrote a letter to his son's teacher outlining what he hoped his son would experience and learn and develop.
I hope some of his aspirations for his son resonate and connect with you as parents and educators? Our School's are more than assembly lines creating literate and numerate beings across primary years of schooling. As leaders (all staff in our schools are leaders), we are more than just managers. We are more than just professionals, we are personally connected in our communities. We are also not just an individual but part of a network of leaders across the state and in particular our greater Northern region.
Parents are trusting each of us and our staff to develop young people of worth and value. I aspire for you to trust and help me be the leader you need to achieve this. To be connected and authentic in the relationships we have needs developing if vulnerability which leads to openness which leads to growth, can happen. I think we could all do worse than read Abraham's letter and try to develop the 'art' of growth and self-reflection he is hoping his son will achieve.
I look forward to visiting our school communities for the first time across these next few weeks!
I am also hoping that you forward this blog and share the link with all staff in our schools.
Welcome:
Welcome to David Mohr - Data Analyst (on the left) Kim Schade (Education Officer: Secondary), Jacqui Lawless (Acting Principal Larmenier) and Liz Illingworth (Principal St. Finn Barr's)
Dave on the left Jacqui
Liz Kim
THE MASS IN BRIEF
Written by Drasko
The word “Mass” comes from the Latin word missa, meaning “sent”. It is the last thing that we hear said to us in the liturgy: Ite, missa est* – which means “Go, you are sent” (literally: “Go! This is the dismissal”, and not “Go, the Mass is finished”, as some would have it).
Why is that important? Because it reminds us of a basic fact about what we do when we come together for the liturgy: that we do so in order to be “missioned”, sent into the world.
The Mass is not about us; or about what we do in the liturgy (which is to worship, listen and receive God). It is about God and what God does in the liturgy: love us, free us, teach us, feed us, and send us.
The word “liturgy” means “public work” (and not as some would have it: “the work of the people”). It refers to something that some Greek cities in the time of Jesus used to do for the people: namely, put on a public performance, usually of a play. What the liturgy of the Mass is really about is what God does for us – publically, openly and for the common good of all – and that is why it is sometimes called the “work of God”. So, the Mass is a liturgy, in the sense of a public act, a dramatic work, a sacramental performance, about what God does for us.
It is, as it were, “a play in five acts” or “rites”:
- Act One: the introductory rites of greeting and welcoming into the love of God (“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit”) that sets us free (“I confess to almighty God and to you my brothers and sisters …”)
- Act Two: the liturgy of the Word, where Christ, the Word-in-person, speaks to us through the words of scripture.
- Act Three: the liturgy of the Eucharist, where Christ, the Word-incarnate, feeds us with the “bread of heaven”, his own real, loving and abiding presence, transforming us into his own body, the church.
- Act Four: the concluding rites of blessing and commissioning, to go out into the world and be Christ’s presence, his body, bringing good news to the poor, liberty to captives, sight to blind, a time of God’s grace.
- Act Five: actually and actively living what we sacramentally and liturgically celebrated in the Mass.
Unlike theatre, however, liturgy is a play in which there is no passive audience, and in which we all have a role to play. We are not mere spectators, but actual protagonists in this divine drama. God writes the script, designs the set, directs the action and, in the person of Jesus, performs the main role. Why? In order to send us out onto the stage of the world in order to perform that very same role by the way we live, and thereby do the “work of God”.
* Latin. The language of the Mass was Latin until the late 1960s.
- Monday 6th February . - Site Meeting at SHCS Lton
- Tues 7th - Thurs 9th - no organised commitments/meetings
- Friday 10th Feb . - Regional Office Meeting Ulverstone (am) and Lton (pm)
- Mon 13th Feb - School Visits OLOM and travel to West Coast.
- Tues 14th Feb . -School visits to West Coast .
- Wed 15th Feb -School visits to STM
I will share my calendar with all Regional staff along with any Principal's that would like access. This way you have accurate and 'real time' calendar access to where I am on weekly and daily basis. As we know things evolve and change across the year with meetings and appointments. Having the ability to see my calendar I think would be beneficial. If you want access please contact Carole Goodwin.
School Visits:
Carole is coordinating my calendar and appointments and has already sent out to Principal's proposed visits across the year. Thanks already for Principals being flexible with these appointments. As you can appreciate it is difficult to manage these in an efficient way along with other appointments and meetings that I need to be part of. This time in schools has to be of benefit to you as Principals and the support and development you need. Our initial conversations will be focused on what you need for these meetings to be worthwhile.
Around the Schools:
Josh, Grace, Sophie and Liam from Sacred Heart Launceston representing Tasmania in the Australian Junior Country Cup.
