Welcome back to all staff and students after Learning@Home due to the pandemic. Thanks to everyone for their spirit of partnership, understanding and commitment during this period. It is hard to believe that we are in June already!
For our Christian calendar, last Sunday we celebrated the Feast of Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit as Jesus’ gift to us.
Have you ever met others who are full of spirit? I recently asked a staff member if she could identify any colleagues who are “full of life”. I loved hearing her response; I received an immediate reply, but she came back to me the following day with another!
On Tuesday, I met with the SRC and the concept of spirit came up again. Angus explained to me the importance of Thurgood, an annual futsal tournament, that evidently promotes a positive spirit in the life of the College. During the conversation, my mind immediately went back to the Swimming Carnival and watching the senior boys, many of whom are SRC members, compete in the water polo event. The spirit and energy from our senior boys in the indoor pool area was sensational. Their sense of celebration, encouragement and positive relationships were obvious to this Acting Principal in my first few weeks.
Last week, as I was walking through the College, I noticed a display that captures many of the mission and outreach opportunities that our school offers. What is it that motivates and calls us to engage in these activities?
Every day we are presented with opportunities to respond, some more obvious than others. The Holy Spirit is within us; wanting, waiting, desiring to help or encouraging us to respond.
For many of us, I’m sure that throughout our week we are presented with both challenges and opportunities. The Holy Spirit can provide us with the wisdom to work through these in a way that makes us more loving, more human and more spiritual.
Through prayer and meditation, we can ask for the wise word when relationships are stretched in the family, to ask for patience with a work colleague, for strength when we are tired. Indeed, we can ask for the Spirit to uphold us in all the myriad of mundane things we do, so that through us our world will become a more Spiritual place.
I will leave you with the following prayer for this edition….
Loving Father, send me your Spirit to guide and strengthen me in the challenging situations I face. With your love and life, may I live a richer, deeper spiritual life.
We pray that the Holy Spirit is with us when opportunities present for us to make a positive difference. Help us to bring a positive spirit to our friends, families, workplaces as well as to those people who need our welcome, compassion, love and service.
I ask this in Jesus’ name, confident that you will hear me. Amen.
In partnership
Mr Gregg Sharman
Acting Principal