Acting Dean of Identity | Mr Terry Thompson
My Crossroad
Happy Father’s Day for last Sunday to all our dads, granddads and father figures within our Terrace Family - I trust you had a great day. I was treated with breakfast at a local café with my wife, daughter and extended family. Being one of five children, I am constantly in awe of the role my parents played in raising and shaping us, and Sunday was another reminder of the incredible man my father is.
We pray for everyone who has a fathering role in our lives; to fathers who have lost children, who have lost fathers, those with strained father relationships, fathers with strained child relationships, those who are not able to be fathers, those yearning to be fathers and non-biological fathers.
Year 10 Retreat
In their class groups, students in Year 10 commenced their Retreat program last week. This retreat replaces the Immersion experience that has previously been a part of Year 10. Unfortunately, we were unable to go ahead with usual Immersions due to COVID-19.
A retreat can be defined simply as a definite time spent away from normal life. The spiritual retreat program at Terrace provides students with Gospel-centred formative experiences through which their spiritual growth and Christian self-understanding are nurtured. I recently came across this acrostic for the word retreat:
Relax and really be here
Energy and enthusiasm
Time for being together
Reflect, pray, plan for action
Everyone matters
Activities to have fun while we learn
Try to make a difference
The theme of the Year 10 Retreat program is Our World – My Crossroad. This theme acknowledges that students will be faced with many crossroads on their journey, and the recent pandemic is just one example. At the end of this year, they will be faced with another crossroad in their lives – returning to the main campus. We hope through this retreat that we can show our readiness as a community to support the boys through all of life’s crossroads. We also hope they will take away from their retreat a number of learnings such as:
- Focusing on being selfless (not selfish) members of society.
- Awakening to adulthood and seeing their true and deeper gifts as they transition into the next phase of their lives.
- Identifying the importance of relationships.
- Awareness of the social and emotional needs of others.
- Introducing them to role models - people who have engaged with our world and have come through their crossroads a better person.
- Developing an appreciation of the fragility of our world – and our responsibility for it.
Tuesday Morning Mass
A reminder about Tuesday morning Mass at 7.30am in the Chapel of The Holy Family. Reidy House is leading Mass next week (Week 10).
Due to the current COVID restrictions in place, parents who attend will need to sign in (via the EVA check-in app) and follow social distancing requirements. We appreciate your support with this.
Live Jesus in our Hearts…Forever