Dear Parents and Carers

Last week we celebrated our Narwari House Mission Week. It was the culmination of a massive effort by students and staff to raise awareness and funds to support Caritas Australia, the Catholic organisation that provides overseas aide and development. A huge congratulations must go to Narwari House Dean, Gerry Glass for the energy and enthusiasm to make the week so successful.

​Each of our Houses has a patron and Narwari is no exception. The patron for Narwari is Blessed Edmund Rice, founder of the Christian Brothers in Waterford, Ireland. Having been educated by the Brothers for 9 years and teaching in Edmund Rice Schools for 26 years, I have a strong connection to the Narwari patron. His life journey and commitment to the marginalised is inspirational. ​

From its very genesis Edmund’s education was challenging and subversive.  It deliberately attacked the social system that allocated people for life into categories, like rich and poor, set for them by those with influence and power.  Edmund welcomed children from low socio-economic backgrounds into his home and into his life as his guests, having a right to be there because of the common humanity that they shared. Their welcomed presence into this very foreign setting would have meant a great deal to these children and their parents.

Like Edmund, our key calling is to live out the dream for the liberation of all.  This occurs within our community as we seek to liberate minds and the hearts – to open up possibilities for all students regardless of their backgrounds and to give everyone an even chance.  But equally, we are called to look beyond our walls to the plight of those in our world today who do not receive a fair go. 

 

Some years ago, Dr Denis McLaughlin penned a book outlining the life of Edmund entitled: The Price of Freedom: Edmund Rice Educational Leader.  It is a pivotal study of the life and spirituality that underpinned the ministry of Edmund Rice which challenges many of the myths that have built up over the years.  Dr McLaughlin undertook extensive historical research to re-examine the life of Edmund and to articulate the values that were foundational to his educational mission.  The study presents three foundational beliefs that are as relevant today as they were in Edmund’s time:

Presence – For Rice, life was about apprehending or being present to an already existing relationship with God, and then responding to this relationship by being present to and loving that which God loves…. God’s mutilated and distorted presence especially in the poor, marginalized, damaged and rejected was at the core of an Edmund Rice Education.

Compassion – For Jesus the quality of our human life is dependent upon our nurturing compassion… Compassion is the atmosphere that vitalizes and revitalizes Edmund Rice Education.  The cultivation of an ethic of compassionate care is at the core of Edmund Rice Education.

Liberation – Compassion by definition demands action to address tyranny and oppression.  Justice is the social manifestation of compassion.  It is about providing a critical education and deliberately provoking consciousness-raising in learning about the way systems control and limit authentic growth.  Edmund Rice’s education not only cultivated an ethic of care in its schools but sought to challenge and transform conditions determining oppression.

Xavier Catholic College strives toward a liberating education that inspires young people to make a difference in the world.  As I have said to many parents, when you choose to send your child to Xavier Catholic College, you are choosing to join a community that has a gospel orientation that will at times go against the popular values of society.  This is at the core of being the Xavier family.  We join a family that has foundational values, a vision for the world and a responsibility to be inclusive, rather than exclusive.  

This powerful, counter-cultural message calls us to ‘welcome to the table those whom God has already invited’. We cannot be cocooned in our comfort. We must reach out with compassion to those who are voiceless and embrace them as our brothers and sisters no matter what discomfort this may involve.

The former Congregational Leader of the Christian Brothers, Br Philip Pinto, threw down this challenge when he spoke at a conference in Ireland entitled ‘Out of Darkness Colour Breaks’: 

“What would it mean to be radical disciples of Jesus today? 

We know that Jesus wanted followers, not fans! He did not call disciples to worship him, but to follow him. It is not about worshipping Christ so much as following Jesus. 

Can we be as radical in our time as the first followers were in theirs? 

What if following meant opening our communities as places of real hospitality to those who have no one to hear their story? 

What if we gave everyone the benefit of the doubt and learned to live non-violently? 

What if discipleship was taken seriously as we fought against losing our soul in a consumerist society?  

What if women were truly equal? What if a contagious joy was the hallmark of our assemblies or community meetings? 

Can we hear it not as a command to change other people’s thinking so that it matched our own, but to move to people beyond our cultures so that together we might move out of our small worlds?”

At times this mission confronts us with tough choices and the temptation to take the easy road.  But, at the end of the day, staying true to the vision of the gospel will provide the richest education and the greatest reward, both individually and collectively.  I thank all parents, students and staff for choosing to belong to the Xavier family and for your ongoing support in helping Xavier Catholic College remain authentic to its mission.

Blessings and Peace

Simon Dash

Principal

I was lucky enough to attend the Year 6 camp In Brisbane.  When I spoke to the students on camp I found myself reflecting on my own school experiences and those key moments which contributed to my own development and formation.  With the ongoing focus on academic progress it would be easy to pass over the benefits students take away from these experiences.  As a school, it is important that we prioritise time to recognise the spiritual, emotional and social development of our students.  Forming good individuals is as much a part of the journey at school as the learning we focus on each day.   All our Year 6 leaders were asked to reflect on their time at camp and what they took away from these three days and a common theme in these reflections was the opportunity to step outside of their comfort zone and take on new and exciting experiences. 

Click through to our Facebook page for a full gallery from the 2024 Year 6 camp.​