Having recently returned from a valuable visit to Rome, the Vatican and with it some days on Retreat in Assisi, there has been much to reflect on in regard to leading a Catholic school in an era of change. This was in fact the title of the study tour I undertook with a group of secondary Catholic Principals and senior leaders from a number of countries.

The study tour undertook seminar sessions at the Australian Catholic University’s Rome Campus and also visited various Vatican departments to engage in important discussions and presentations around the issues that we face in society today. At the centre of this encounter was the ongoing work of Pope Francis in reshaping many aspects of the Vatican and its work in listening to the people.

Archbishop Tim Costelloe continues to play an important role in the development and emergence of the Church’s call to Synod, to be engaged in listening and to build community. As President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference and a member of the Synod’s preparatory commission, he said it had been an extraordinary process to get to this point, with “Catholics across the world helping shape the working document.”

In a church that “bears the signs of serious crises of mistrust and lack of credibility,” members of the assembly of the Synod of Bishops will be asked to find ways to build community, encourage the contribution of every baptised person and strengthen the church’s primary mission of sharing the Gospel, the working document said.

There were many inspirational highlights beyond the study and shared discussions as we visited a number of significant sites in Rome and Assisi that lie at the heart of our faith and the history.

I’m very grateful for the opportunity and thank everyone for their continued dedication to the smooth running of the college, particularly Mr Randazzo who as always, does an outstanding job in my absence, ably supported by all of our other leaders at Chisholm.

Today will once again see some of that faith in action as we take time to focus on LifeLink Day and the support of those in our wider community who are in real need. Our students and staff always respond strongly to this important appeal and I thank everyone involved for their support and work in helping others.

I look forward to sharing a lot more information about developments and changes around the College in the coming few months, particularly in relation to our new building project that is just commencing, emerging changes to secondary school pathways and WACE, upcoming Immersion opportunities and the wonderful achievements of students, occurring on a daily basis. Some of these will be detailed in individual letters to all families.

I must also say, it’s wonderful to be back. 

Mr John Bormolini
Principal