With Term 3 quickly coming to an end I thought it timely to update you on progress with two of our major rebuild projects – the Performing Art Centre (PAC) strengthening and the new Chapel.

Parents coming up the main driveway may have noticed the extensive hoardings and the high level of activity on both sites.

The photograph below is taken from the eastern end of the building site while the one above shows me standing inside the compound for the new chapel with the extensive foundation structure easily visible. Each photo gives you some insight into the work that has been going on for the past two terms.

The PAC strengthening is a major construction exercise that has included deep piling and major cross bracing to ensure the building meets the stringent earthquake code requirements. The extension foundations and block wall are nearing completion which is marked out in the photo below.

This week the block foundation work on the walls of the new chapel got underway and already some of the pre-cast concrete panels are visible above the hoardings. Shortly the large wall panels will be placed and this will give onlookers a clear perspective of the shape of the new chapel. It is a very exciting development.

On Friday 19 October a ceremony will be held at the College to bless the Foundation Stone for the new chapel. All parents will be invited so please put this date in your diary. More information will be sent out to our community in the coming weeks.

At assembly I told this story to profile the message of our CanTeen campaign…

“I want to tell you a story about two women who died within one week of each other in September 1997; both were very well known in the world during their lifetime, and both are remembered since their deaths.

Princess Diana and Mother Teresa.

On the surface the two women could not be more dissimilar – one the mother of two English princes, William and Harry and the other a nun who was canonised a Saint (her feast day being Wednesday).

From Macedonia, Mother Teresa established an order of nuns in Kolkata (Calcutta), who devoted their lives to caring for the most underprivileged people in that city of India. In India there is a caste of people called the Untouchables, the poorest of the poor, and she and her fellow sisters devoted time to care for them.

Mother Teresa had taken an austere vow of poverty, chastity and obedience. She lived simply and personally owned almost nothing. Mother Teresa was elderly, short, modest, wrinkled, and living in one of the poorest places on Earth.

Princess Diana was young, tall, glamorous and a media darling. The Princess of Wales was arguably the most famous woman in the world. Diana was a free spirit, famous for her fabulous wardrobe and jewellery. In the end, in her attempt to avoid the paparazzi, she was tragically killed in a road accident in Paris after a high speed car chase. Diana, Princess of Wales, died at age 36. That was the exact same age Mother Teresa began her ministry in Kolkata.

They met each other in New York, India, and Rome. Each respected, admired, and trusted one another. Mother Teresa utilised her compassion for the poor to change their lives and raise the consciousness of the world. Meanwhile, Princess Diana used her immense fame to focus media attention on the need to treat the poor with compassion and respect. Their missions in life did not need to be identical for each to be respected and honoured for caring so deeply about the least fortunate members of society.

Obviously, it is impossible to know what Diana might have accomplished had she not been killed so very young. If she were alive today, she would still be younger than Mother Teresa was when the two of them first met! Mother Teresa died at age 87, just six days after the tragic death of Princess Diana. Many people complained that her death did not receive the same level of attention despite her amazing accomplishments and inspiring example of compassion and dedication. There may be truth to that complaint, but I choose to focus instead on how Princess Diana and Mother Teresa, two very different women, used their God-given talents to make the world a better place.

We would all do well to follow examples like Princess Diana and Mother Teresa, because even though they came from two vastly different walks of life, they shared the same spirit for showing compassion for those less fortunate. Mother Teresa said this when Diana died… ‘She was very concerned for the poor. She was very anxious to do something for them, and it was beautiful. That is why she is close to me.’”

My point in telling this story is this… no matter who you are, you also can show the same, and the opportunity to do so is now as we enter the last weeks before our CanTeen campaign. The great thing about the project is that all of our College community can show that same spirit collectively – whether it is out on the roads, buying a ticket for the Concert for a Life which takes place tonight, or during the Home Day event at the end of the month.

Showing compassion for others less fortunate or for those suffering is something we all can do.

I will finish with a quote from Mother Teresa…

“Unless life is lived for others, it is not worthwhile.”

Until next time,

Justin Boyle