Greetings from St Bede’s,

Happy Feast Day!

We had a good day to finish the term, beginning with Mass and Fr. Mark Walls was the Mass Celebrant.

In an excellent homily he made reference to the fact that this is the 100th year that the College has existed on this site. He then talked to the College about our crest and its significance and made reference to the stained glass window with the College motto on it - fide et opera. This was placed firstly in the original three storey building which was demolished in 1980, then placed in the original chapel in 1928, and now sits in the new chapel at the front.

He then reminded the boys of the meaning of the motto - fide et opere - by faith and by work, and how it is relevant not only in the five years they attend the college, but also is the motto they lead their lives by when they leave. It was fitting that on this Feast Day, we were reminded what the place stands for.

At assembly on Wednesday, I endeavoured to set the scene for Feast Day activities in this unique year...

In the College Haka our Year 9s are about to perform in a couple of days, there’s a line which says:

“Ahakoa he iti he ponamu”

“Although it is small, we are tough”

I was thinking about this in relation to the Feast Day coming up. A feast is a celebration and I thought what is the feature of this celebration and what came to mind was this…

This year often we have made the best out of second best and while on many occasions this year we may have felt diminished or small, we have toughed it out and made the best of it, and that is something to celebrate on Friday.

Though events have been cancelled or postponed, we have done what we could have, and along the way even surprised ourselves.

Who would have believed that a good number of you by cutting your locks off last week, could have raised so much money for teenagers with cancer – that I think was one of the best examples of making the best out of what was second best.

No-one would have batted an eyelid if, when the run was cancelled earlier in the year, we sat back and did nothing.

However, there are plenty of other examples of this that we will celebrate on Friday as well.

Against far better resourced sports teams and colleges, the number of finals we have progressed to in most of our winter codes is something to celebrate as well.

“Though we are small, we are tough”

One of the other words of the haka came to me….

“He Toa takitini
Kia Toa Kia Toa Kia Toa hi”

In other words...

“But as a unified powerful force
Therefore, onward to victory.”

Unified as teams, but unified also in support of each other – which was often second best, by livestream, whether on the sports field or in the PAC.

That’s something to celebrate on Friday as well.

Making the best out of second best – that in my mind is worthy of celebration on Friday.

Until next term,

J.G. Boyle