Today the Foundation Stone of the new Chapel was blessed by the Provincial of the Society of Mary, Fr. David Kennerley SM.

Joining us for the occasion were old boys, donors, clergy of the Diocese and the Society of Mary, members of the boards, staff and the year 13 students to mark the occasion - an important step on the road to the completion of the new chapel in the middle of next year. It was a good opportunity to also thank some of the many donors and it was most appropriate that the Provincial of the Society of Mary bless the stone given they have made a significant financial contribution towards the project as well.

We finished last term with CanTeen and next week will be in a position to present a cheque to that organisation on behalf of the College. But more about that next week.

For seniors, there is only two short weeks of tuition, so the importance of them working with their teachers to prepare for externals, and maintaining an environment where staff are not concerned with anything apart from learning.

This is a special time for Year 13s, with a series of events to acknowledge their time at St Bede’s; not only the boys but their parents. The College spends a lot of time ensuring these events are top-notch: The first is the Leavers' Ball tonight, a special night in the social calendar. The other events occur in two weeks’ time; the Prize Giving, the Leavers' Breakfast and Tie Ceremony and the Leavers' Mass, the final event where everyone has a part to play to make that a celebration.

As the year 13 students complete their time, I made this comment at Assembly…

“I speak with a lot of old boys and earlier in the year one told me a story of a fall-out he had with a fellow Beadean 25 years’ ago, which he worried about for a long time. He had picked on this boy and delighted in that. The guy reached out to him years later and had him on about it – he knew he should have said something while he was at school to bury the hatchet and to have the spine to say “I am sorry”. I’ll leave it at that but could I suggest those three words or some similar gesture can do wonders.

Similarly, a conversation with a staff member is appreciated, whether it is one who you had a fall-out with, or one who helped you along the way…”

Until next time,

Justin Boyle