Dear Carmel College Community,

As I write this newsletter, we are all preparing for the impeding impact of Cyclone Alfred and I have just advised our Carmel Community that we will be closed for two days.  By the time you receive this newsletter hopefully the storm will have passed and we will be assessing its impact. 

Our theme this year is Hope and it is in times such as these that true hope is most needed.  As I have discussed before, genuine deep hope is different to optimism.  It is not “I hope we are all okay in the storm” (Although I do hope that!), but it is the deep abiding sense that come what may, we will be okay.  That through the grace of God we will not just preserve but that we can flourish. As we enter and pass through the storm, hold on to the hope that God promises – that through Him, all things are possible and that in the end, all will be okay. It may not be what we expect, but we will be okay.

I also think that the model of the Carmelites, facing uncertainty with quiet but determined prayer and strong faith that the Lord sustains, is a model we can follow. Perhaps taking a minute to pray the prayer of St. Teresa of Avila is appropriate

Let nothing disturb you,

Let nothing frighten you,

All things are passing away:

God never changes.

Patience obtains all things

Whoever has God lacks nothing;

God alone suffices.

Lent

We recognised the start of Lent with a very meaningful Ash Wednesday liturgy.  The darkness of the clouds and the impending storm added to the solemnity of the occasion and students showed the great respect. 

Back in 2023 Pope Francis had some suggestions for things we can do during lent to help prepare for Easter. The focus is on the traditional Lenten notion of abstinence. 

• Abstain from avoiding God. Lent is a time when we can return to a relationship with God and work on our relationships with others.  Maybe one way to that might be to look for God in others – even that person that cut you off in traffic.
• Abstain from spiritual arrogance. Pope Francis reminds us not to put ourselves before others – “Where there is too much ‘I’ there is too little God”.
• Abstain from digital media platforms. Pope Francis believes that overuse of digital media impoverishes human relationships. Anyone who has tried to compete with social media for a teen's attention understands this concept well.  Put down the device and connect this Lent.
• Abstain from polarisations and division. It is easy to get caught in the black and white views that popularise the media. We need to remember that most issues are complex, complicated and contain lots of shades of grey.
• Abstain from being indifferent to others. Caring for the disadvantaged and marginalised is a central pillar fo the church and Lent provides a wonderful opportunity for us to do this.
• Abstain from unnecessary noise. Silence and stillness are almost a extinct species in our modern world filled with digital media, motion, activity and busyness. Silence is good for the soul and we need to take time to be still and just be.
• Abstain from narcissism, victimhood and pessimism. Only thinking about what is good for us (narcissism) and complaining about x, y or z (victimhood) can make us angry and negative (pessimism).  Acceptance brings peace and Lent is a great time to consider and accept all the blessings we have been given.

I am not advocating trying to do all that between now and Easter, and I am certainly no role model for it either. However, maybe we can choose one small thing to focus on as we move toward recognising Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and celebrating the liberty of his resurrection.

NAPLAN

We wish all Year 7 and 9 students the very best for the upcoming NAPLAN tests.  NAPLAN gets a lot of bad press, and no doubt it has its issues.  But in simple terms, it provides us with excellent data on student’s learning and the areas of skill.  We need all Year 7 and 9 to give it their very best effort and we will be providing some incentives in the form of tuck shop vouchers for students who show the greatest gains in their learning.

Please stay safe and take care at this time.

God bless,