Principal Address:
Welcome all to the commencement of the 2025 school year. I hope that you had a lovely summer, full of rest as well as adventure, good health and time with those you love.
I also trust that all are ready for a year that we know will be filled with both joy and challenges, as our chosen symbol, the rose, with it’s thorns as well a gorgeous blooms, and our theme colour, pink!
I am very confident that our way of being, the charism of St Angela Merici, and our values will help us navigate whatever comes our way this year and will feed our souls.
I will always start a year by reminding you about what wise members of our community, including students here at the college, have identified as our non-negotiable values.
They are:
Fidelitas
We are a faithful community.
Integritas
We are a principled community.
Communitas
We are an inclusive community.
And
Spes, the Latin word for hope
We are a hope-filled community.
Each of these values are integral to our theme for this year, Joy. As the children of God, we are meant to grow in joy and so experience one of the fruits of spirit-filled lives. Searching for and finding the great values of humanity, the transcendentals: truth, goodness and beauty, gives rise to moments of lasting joy and thus can heal any moment. As C.S. Lewis says, joy is the serious business of heaven. God calls us to be open to new things, goodness, the truth of our beliefs and, of course, beauty in all that we encounter and in the everyday. Our symbol for 2025, the rose, and the colour pink point to beauty, love, passion and sacrifice. Pink was the colour associated with Jesus by medieval painters and illustrators. We connect it with compassion, friendship, nurture, good health, comfort, warmth, femininity, the rights of women and unconditional love. It is a colour that evokes joy and happiness.
Yet, what is joy? Is it pleasure, amusement, contentment, excitement, relief, wonder, elevation, bliss, radiant pride, gratitude or, more darkly, schadenfreude – the jubilation felt at the loss of another?
I gave up trying to define this complex, subtle and sometimes fleeting emotion by myself. Could I find hints of what it means from enjoying viewing characters like Ted Laso, Spongebob Squarepants, Olaf and “Joy”? To try to get the feel of joy, I listened to so much ‘joyful’ music, for example, Arvo Part’s Spiegel on Spiegel, Beethoven’s Ode, Madnesses House of Fun, Abba, The Beach Boys- whilst -at- the -beach, and Pink’s Get the Party Started. I read about Emma McKeon and watched her celebrating victories after swimming incredible races. In the end, I turned to two great spiritual figures of my lifetime for wisdom and enlightenment, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. What did I learn from their conversations about joy?
Firstly, that joy, the feeling of lasting delight, rejoicing enchantment and spiritual radiance resides in the mind and heart. It cannot be found in the pursuit of a goal or achievement, it does not reside in fortune or fame.
I found out that joy is our birthright, it is even more fundamental than happiness which can be so dependent on external things. We experience joy when we seek to do good for others. Desmond Tutu describes the African term, UBUNTU (which I explored with you in our year of community) which means “a person is a person through other persons.” The more we turn towards others, the more joy we experience, and the more joy we experience, the more joy we can bring to others. Tutu says each of us should aim “to be a reservoir of joy, an oasis of peace, a pool of serenity that can ripple out to all those around you.”
Joy is contagious.
The Dalia Lama and Desmond Tutu outline 8 Pillars of Joy that help us to be joy-filled human beings, even in the face of loneliness, suffering, injustice, fear, sadness, grief and despair. Four are associated with the mind, four with the heart. It might help to reflect on each…
The Pillars of the MIND are:
- Perspective: The way we see the world is the way we experience the world. How do we view the world and how can we “reframe” our situation more positively? Can we move beyond our limited focus on “I”, “Me” and “Mine” to “We”, “Us”, and “Ours”?
- Humility: We are all creatures of equal significance and are dependent on each other. Do I see myself as one with all living beings? Can I accept that I am no better than anyone else? Can I accept that I am inter-dependent and need others to survive?
- Humour: Desmond Tutu says “If you start looking for humour in life you will find it. You will stop asking, why me? And start recognizing that life happens to all of us. It makes everything easier including your ability to accept others and accept what life will bring.” Can I gently laugh at my own foibles? Do I smile often enough? Do I connect with others through generative laughter?
- Acceptance: By knowing what is real we can change it if needs to be or can be changed. Can I accept the realities of my own life? Do I worry too much about things I can’t control? Do I change the things I can? Do I whinge about the fact that life isn’t as I want it to be? Can I be creative rather than reactive?
The Pillars of the HEART are:
- Forgiveness: Forgiving, not forgetting, frees us from the past. Desmond Tutu says “When we forgive, we take control of our own fate and our feelings. We become our own liberators.” Can I choose forgiveness over hatred and resentment? Can I right wrongs rather than attack the wrong doer?
- Gratitude: A wise Benedictine once wrote: “It is not happiness that makes us grateful. It is gratefulness that makes us happy. Every moment is a gift.” Do I realise how fortunate I am? Do I wake up everyday thankful I am alive? Do I allow myself to feel wonder, surprise, thankfulness and gratitude?
- Compassion: Cooperation, empathy, generosity and kindness are fundamental to our survival. We are hardwired to “suffer with others”. Can I see the needs of others? Do I do anything about their suffering? Do I show concern about the wellbeing of others? The Dalai Lama says “We are most joyful when we focus on others, not ourselves…bringing joy to others is the fastest way to experience joy oneself.”
And lastly
- Generosity: Giving to others is the most fundamental expression of our inter-dependence and need for one another. We know that long-term wellbeing comes from being generous. By giving we find purpose, we all admire those who are “Other-regarding.” Do I seek to make others happy? Do I give my time, wisdom, care and help to others?
Jesus said : “I tell you things that my joy might be in you, so that your joy might be full.” (Jn 15:11), St Paul wrote to the Phillipians, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Joy is one of the most prominent themes in the most ancient texts of our tradition. Right from the story of our beginning in Genesis, God’s plan for us has always been to bring joy and peace.
When we practice generosity of spirit – being big-hearted, magnanimous, tolerant, broad-minded, patient, forgiving and kind we are practicing ALL of the pillars of Joy. As members of the Merici community, we know we are loved unconditionally. We know we are precious. We know that God wants us to be filled with life and goodness and laughter – and joy. God wants us to flourish, to be filled with joy and excitement and to find what is beautiful in God’s creation: the compassion, the caring and the sharing.
I am privileged to welcome so many new members into our community: Year 7 and new students Year 8-12 started with our Seniors yesterday. We also welcome new staff to Merici College:
Ellie Jones – Design and Technology Coordinator (Term 2 start)
Teena Zorzi – Sociology and Psychology
Dr Cleo Karrim – RE (started Term 4 2024)
Amanda Flynn – PE/RE (started Term 4 2024)
Brielle Papas – Dance/Visual Arts (Started Term 4 2024)
Karen Rowe – Drama, TOK and Media
Emma Hillsdon – Inclusive Education and IH
Tanisha Elliot – Maths and Science
Yilei Zhou – Maths and IT
Jessica Buchanan – RE
Emma Goodwin – Science
Olivia Bundic – Textiles and Visual Arts
Dione Oxley – English
Gaelle Pajot – French
Jill Slacen – Administration Support for Wellbeing
Kerry Keneally – Student Services
Some Staff Changes are:
Dayne Spencer – Acting Creative and Performing Arts Coordinator
Bianca Porcheddu – Acting Balgo House Coordinator
Stephanie Spiller – Senior Studies Coordinator
Kath Morris – Transitions Facilitator
LSL
Fabrice Boon
Kerry McDonnell
And two staff members have left:
Kate Friend
Mark Fritz
Joy is part of who we are as human beings, a gift from God’s to his beloved creatures. It is elemental, beautiful, good, truthful and transcendental. It comes to us through encounter with all creation and, as Carlos Santana said, “if you carry joy in your heart, you can heal any moment.”
I wish you a year full of surprise, encounter and joyful moments.
Welcome to 2025 at Merici College!
Anna Masters
Principal
