From the Rector
Greetings from St Bede’s.
Winter descends; a shock to the system after the beautiful autumn weather that we were blessed to have during the lockdown.
We continue to progress closer to normal and it is great to see the boys on the playing fields and the performing arts facility involved in co-curricular programmes.
Earlier in the week the NZQA announced some changes to their criteria in an attempt to respond to any disadvantage seniors may have experienced due to the lockdown. This has been detailed in a separate email to you earlier in the week, but I know is appreciated by both the staff and the boys.
On Wednesday Bishop Paul celebrated Mass for the Year 13 boys before school and we were impressed by the numbers who came prior to their classes. WE are mindful that their final year at the College has been derailed somewhat and Bishop Paul dealt on this in his homily, which follows.
I imagine that as Year 13s you had all sorts of plans for this year, and what you were going to do and how you were going to make your mark and contribution to the life of St Bede's. You will have been looking forward to the many practices that mark the life of this College and what you would do as part of that.
The we have Covid-19 and that has changed all of that. I know that the Feast Day last week was very different because of it. What you have experienced is what so many others have too, all over the world. People were getting married and that had to be postponed, people died and funerals couldn't take place, now people are losing their jobs, students are stranded overseas, relationships are under strain. Our whole world has been unsettled by this.
But underneath all of that lies the question which this time has thrown up to us - what is really important about life, and why am I here? When you stop all the action and activity that surrounds us and just stay home and live a small life, these big questions come to the forefront. And they are important questions that so often in our noisy, busy, over-stimulated world we don't focus on enough. Because if we know why we are here and what we are living for, all other things fall into their right place.
For us as Christian people we believe that we were willed into existence by God. Each one of us was designed to be here by God's will, and we are living this life to become that men and women God created us to be so that we will be ready to go to heaven and be with God when we die. It is a powerful truth of this life that we are in fact getting ready to die. Now we don't think of that too much when we are 17-18, 40 or even 50, but in fact we should. Not as something to be fearful for, but as something we want to be ready for when the time comes. And what does that look like?
It means that we are living with integrity - we know what we believe, we know what we should do and we do it. And our actions are about living in accord with what Jesus asked of us. But even more we are made to be in a relationship with God. The God who willed us into being wants us to be in love with him, to spend time with him, to live in harmony with what he shows us in Jesus Christ. And he gives us the Holy Spirit to strengthen and help us do this.
If we get this right then all the other areas of our life fall into place, into their right order and perspective. We know how to enjoy this world, but we don't lose sight of what the trajectory of our life is on and where we are finally heading.
You will have to change your plans for this year. And it won't matter, you will still enjoy the time you have and you may even be able to do some different things. What will really matter is the sort of men you are when you leave here, and the sort of life you will live. I promise that you will have a much more fulfilled life living in union with God than anything else you can imagine. That is Jesus' promise to us and we are fools if we don't take him up on it.
The new Careers Teacher, Mrs Kershaw was introduced at the end of mass so that the boys can put a face to the name and to advertise a new Careers website she has developed to help the boys in their planning for next year.
In light of the fact we are not having assemblies the senior boys have stepped up with an online community reflection which begins form time on Wednesday. We as a faith community have been challenged to pray together, so I applaud the initiative from the senior students.
Until next week,
J. G. Boyle