This week we celebrate Catholic Education Week across our Diocese of Ballarat, with the annual theme ‘Let the words you speak always be full of grace’ – Colossians 4:6. I have taken the below extract from the Diocese of Ballarat Catholic Education Limited (DOBCEL) website, as it speaks of the need to lead people to conversations and interactions that transform our lives.

“How we speak and how we are open to be changed through dialogue, has been subject to deep consideration in many different circles – political, social, ecological, theological. Dialogue opens us to the other, to learn and to change – it is an openness to be moved or influenced and allow for the spirit to be present.

The way we live and act and the words we speak provide insight into the very essence of our individual being. Our use of language, with expression and gestures, brings us into engagement with others. Most regularly this engagement is through conversation or dialogue. For Christian people, sometimes this dialogue may be with the divine.

Grace is the gift of God’s presence in our lives. How we engage, speak and dialogue with others can bring God’s presence into being.

St Paul’s letter to the Colossians was written to a community receiving distorted accounts of Christian conduct and belief. St Paul was urging Christ’s followers to be above the misrepresentations. His words could be seen as inviting people into dialogue about Jesus and the Christian message in the world. We are invited to do that again today by Pope Francis who provides three fundamental guidelines to help us dialogue or speak with grace:

‘The duty to respect one’s own identity and that of others, the courage to accept differences, and sincerity of intentions.’ “

If there is one word that we should never tire of repeating, it is dialogue. We are called to promote a culture of dialogue by every possible means and thus to rebuild the fabric of society. The culture of dialogue entails a true apprenticeship and a discipline that enables us to view others as valid dialogue partners, to respect the foreigner, the immigrant and people from different cultures as worthy of being listened to. Today we urgently need to engage members of society in building ‘a culture which privileges dialogue as a form of encounter’ and in creating ‘a means for building consensus and agreement while seeking the goal of a just, responsive and inclusive society’. This calls for the ability to recognise other people’s right to be themselves and to be different.

Dialogue is much more than the communication of a truth. It arises from the enjoyment of speaking and it enriches those who express their love for one another through the medium of words. This is an enrichment which does not consist in objects but in persons who share themselves in dialogue. (Jim and Therese D’Orsa et al. 2019.)

This concept of dialogue and openness to the other has been celebrated and affirmed in the past fortnight at Damascus. As a community we have acknowledged IDAHOBIT Day – International Day Against Homophobic, Biphobia, Interphobia and Transphobia. As Catholics we are called to be people of respect, acceptance and understanding. The lunchtime activities organised by our students demonstrated our young people’s willingness and deep desire to be people of inclusion to respect diversity and to understand the other.

Thank you to parents who attended last weeks subject teacher interviews, we appreciate your support. This is an ongoing dialogue about learning and our partnership about challenging all learners to be their best. We would love to hear your feedback. Please click this link to access a short survey on how we can continue to improve this important partnership into the future.

Our Year 10 students participated in either work experience or faith formation activities that supported our students to broaden their worldview and to develop deeper empathy, understanding and tolerance. Gen Bryant, Melbourne based singer, song-writer worked with our students in the DEC on Monday, whilst on Tuesday the students discovered more about The Big Issue, an independent, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to supporting and creating work opportunities for people experiencing homelessness, marginalisation and disadvantage.

I’d like to thank the many staff who attended the Year 9 Camp last week. Students were able to further develop friendships, challenge themselves and to build personal strength. A special call out to Paul Briody who leads our camp program with genuine care and honesty.

This week our Year 8 students participated in their camp journey to Anglesea, l look forward to hearing the stories from our staff and students.

On Monday l had the privilege to attend St Patrick’s Primary School in Gordon where our students were invited to present ‘Little Feet Big Footprints’ program in a panel discussing what student leadership means to them. The program is an initiative that brings together Year 6 students from 6 smaller, rural Catholic primary schools (St Mary’s Clarkes Hill, St Brendan’s Dunnstown, St Michael’s Daylesford, St Patrick’s Gordon, St Brigid’s Ballan and St Augustine’s Creswick). Laura Kimm, our transition leader, invited Jessica Hodge and Rohan Shilito from Year 12 to share their experiences of leadership and the qualities one needs to be an effective and confident leader, both Jess and Rohan spoke with confidence, humility and great insight. They represented our College with much pride and insight – Thanks Jess and Rohan

With every blessing

Steven