A good friend of mine shared the conversation had between a Grandmother and her grandchild, after asking how the first couple of weeks in a Catholic school had gone. The granddaughter said that she had learned a new blessing -
"In the name of the Father, the Son and the whole experience".
For many students and many staff, learning how to make the ‘Sign of the Cross’, is a very new experience! For those of us who have been around a while, it is just part of the furniture. If that young lady worked out early, that the experience and expression of God in education, is about the ‘whole experience’, we are doing something right! I hope she learns of a God who loves, is expansive and outrageously compassionate.

I was talking to a Shalom past student recently who is going through an ‘atheist phase’. This young person was saying that we don’t really need organised religion and the things that were taught in a Catholic school is just stuff any ordinary good person should do. If that is true, that is fantastic. I worry though, that this type of thinking buys into the belief that Christianity is just about being ‘nice’ or being ‘kind’. If we would just love each other, that would be enough. It’s not, and I hope our students don’t get through years of Catholic education believing that. Jesus didn’t get crucified for being ‘nice’. I came across a great prayer of blessing the other day which I pray for myself and every student at Shalom –

“May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, superficial relationships, so that you will live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people, so that you will work for justice, equality and peace.

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war, so that you will reach out your hand to comfort them and change their pain to joy.

And may God bless you with the foolishness to think that you can make a difference in the world, so that you will do the things which others tell you cannot be done.”

And living out that blessing is why Christians and people of good will, risk their lives and reputations around the world every day. Following Jesus is a dangerous business.

Bishop’s In-Service Day is on this Friday 17 February. This is a student free day for Shalom and the three Catholic Primary schools.

Year 7 Enrolments 2024 – along with our school Captains, Molly and Cooper, I visited the Catholic Primary schools to speak with the Year 6 students and hand out enrolment information for Shalom. If you have a child in Year 6 who you would like to attend Shalom next year, please begin the online enrolment process. Please remember that because you have a child currently enrolled at Shalom, you must participate in the enrolment process and the deadlines involved. No one can put in a late application for enrolment and expect that there will be a place available. For this year, the key dates are:

• Year 7 Information Evening – Thursday March 2
• College Open Day – Wednesday March 15
• Year 7 Applications Close – Friday April 21