MARY MAGDALENE FEAST DAY 

This week the College celebrated Saint Mary Magdalene’s Feast Day. However, due to the current COVID-19 restrictions, our commemoration and reflections on this day did not incorporate our typical Feast Day celebrations. We are extremely hopeful that we will still be able to have Feast Day activities later this term. 

The very nature of who Mary Magdalene was and what she represents is partly captured in Mr O’Neill’s column later in this newsletter, however, in Tuesday’s Split College Assemblies I spoke about the quality relationship that Mary Magdalene had with Jesus. 

In Joan Chittister’s The Friendship of Women (BlueBridge Books) she speaks not only about Mary Magdalene’s loyalty to Jesus but her exceptional connection with him. Chittister writes: “The Magdalene factor in friendship is the ability to know everything there is to know about a person, to celebrate their fortunes, to weather their straits, to chance their enemies, to accompany them in their pain and to be faithful to the end, whatever its glory, whatever its grief. The Magdalene factor is … that unshakeable immersion in the life of the other to the peak of ecstasy, to the depths of hell … about appreciation, affection, and warmth.” 

I shared with the College the connected idea of taking joy in one another’s achievements and successes. The English language is not always as complete as it needs to be, and so in this regard, we need to look at the German language to explore the idea of “freudenfreude” (pronounced = froy-den-froy-da) which translates as ‘genuinely rejoicing in another person's successes’. This idea is the direct opposite of “schadenfreude” which is when a human takes pleasure in the misery of others or even finds joy when their friends/acquaintances fail or make mistakes. 

Freudenfreude is currently being utilised in the world of psychology where it is being used by specialists such as Dr Catherine Chambliss who is noting that skilling people up in this area shows promising results in treating depression. Obviously, nothing is a silver bullet in the challenging world in which we live, but I do think this idea of showing genuine interest in another and enjoying others’ successes is worth emphasising and helpful in assisting our young people to build their own quality relationships. 

Reflection upon Mary Magdalene can therefore help us to reflect on our own nature.

SPIKE IN COVID-19 CASES 

No doubt you are keeping up with the media and reports of increased cases in COVID-19 in Western Sydney. There have been several staff and/or students who we are aware of who have had tests for the virus – but at this point (touch wood) there have been no positive cases of COVID-19 from this recent spike. 

I hate to state the obvious, but it remains critical that we all continue to play our part. While hand sanitiser is available in each room, students should have their own hand sanitiser and use this regularly. Physical distancing is not mandated, as per the NSW Government, but it is still recommended, and students should be mindful of where and how they gather in and outside of school. 

Due to this recent spike and comments from NSW Health, the College will continue to allow early pick of students in Years 7 to 9 (and, where relevant, siblings in other years).  

We will continue to provide clear and frequent communications as situations improve or otherwise. 

We will be in communication soon about our plans for End of Year events for Year 12.

COMMUNITY PRAISE 

Yet again, I was contacted during the week by a member of the public to praise our students. In this case, two of our students, came to the aid of an elderly member of the public. I don’t need to go into specifics here, but I am very proud of how our students continue to value and help community members and see their role as much larger than just themselves. This is pivotal to who we are and what we value as a community. It is the essence of being a student at Magdalene Catholic College.

PRAYER

See Mr O’Neill’s section below