St Joseph’s College Geelong
News & Events Thursday 27 February 2014 - Issue No 3
135 Aphrasia Street Newtown Victoria 3220 Ph: 03 5226 8100 Fax: 03 5221 6983 Email: sjcoffice@sjc.vic.edu.au Web: www.sjc.vic.edu.au
Last Friday evening I attended the Associated Catholic Colleges Swimming Sports at the Melbourne Aquatic Centre. Congratulations to all who competed in the event.
Principal’s Report Dear Parents, Students and Friends of the College, Former student, Brennan Houghton’s funeral mass took place at St Mary’s Basilica last Tuesday. It was wonderful to see the support of Brennan’s class mates, who although they have left the College, chose to wear their school ties to the service. About 150 of his year level were in attendance, a fine tribute to a courageous fighter.
Last Saturday evening the St Joseph’s Cricket Club celebrated their 50th anniversary. The club is located on our school grounds and provides coaching to about 9 junior sides as well as providing one of the largest Milo junior coaching clinics in Victoria. During the evening I was presented with a cricket bat recognising the support of St Joseph’s College from 1964 2014. I hope to display the bat in its glass case in a prominent place and in doing so reflect on a mutually beneficial partnership over the past 50 years. Congratulations and best wishes to all those connected with the club and its history. Sporting clubs connect people into their local communities and therefore are an important part of our social fabric and so I wish the club well, as it moves into the second half of the century. Paul Tobias - Principal
During the week I was asked to address a Year 12 Religion class about issues of belief. As part of that presentation I shared some of my life story and reflected on the difficulties I experienced at school as a consequence of my father not being a Catholic. I think in the past the Catholic Church has been too focussed on that which divides rather than unites us with other Christian Churches. The current Pope, Francis recently addressed this issue during an address in St Peter’s square on 22 January this year where he referred to Christianity’s divide as a scandal. I have included some extracts from his speech below. As St Paul reproached the Corinthians for their divisions and rivalries, he asked them, “Is Christ divided?” the Pope said. “Christ has certainly not been divided. But we have to recognise with sincerity and with sorrow that our communities continue to live divisions that are a scandal,” the Pope said. “Divisions among Christians are a scandal. There is no other word for it. A scandal.” Christians had two important elements in common - baptism and the cross, he said. However, the Pope stated that divisions among Christian communities “weaken the credibility and the effectiveness of our efforts to evangelise, and they risk emptying the cross of its power and meaning”. After his main catechesis, the Pope addressed Arab Christians in the square, especially those from Egypt, asking them to never let the faith be used to divide, but to join in communion with God and their brothers and sisters. Let the Lord’s name be proclaimed, not to shut people out, but “to open the heart to love which unites and enriches” he said. “Let’s pray that the Lord grants unity to Christians, living differences as a richness; seeing the other as a brother to welcome with love.”
Compassion Innovation Integrity
Calendar of Events MARCH New Parent Welcome Evening Ash Wednesday Liturgy SJC Athletics Day Labour Day - Public Holiday Computer Free Day Westcourt Campus Opening Edmund Rice Day National Anti Bullying, Anti Violence Day 22 P&F Trivia Night 28 Barefoot Bowls n Beats
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& Enrolment at St Joseph’s College Geelong
Thursday 24 April 2014