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- Mar. 10, 2010 - West Zone Yr 7 and 8 Swimming Championships
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Special Character » Mission
SPECIAL CHARACTER REPORT 2009
Writing in 1933 as the Nazi threat was taking shape in Germany, Christopher Dawson, an English historian, wrote these words with, I believe, true prophetic insight:
In fact the great tragedy of modern civilisation is to be found in the failure of material progress to satisify human needs. The modern world has more power than any previous age, but it has used its new power for destruction as much as for life; it has more wealth, yet we are in the throes of a vast economic crisis; it has more knowledge and yet our knowledge seems powerless to help us. What our civilisation lacks is not power and wealth and knowledge but spiritual vitality.
Spirituality is the soul of religion. From its inner dynamism every other Christian action gets its motivation and energy. It is the process of getting to know God and learning how to serve Him. It is allowing God to touch both our minds and our hearts. For the spiritual life is not an other-worldly, rarely-attainable luxury but an essential element for any fully human existence.
Having a spiritual outlook means that we can find God, or better, hints of Him, in all things. He is met in our everyday exploration into the worlds of science and nature, history, the arts and literature.
Spirituality requires an education in the three Rs - Respect, Responsibility and Reverence.
Respect means having esteem and regard for oneself and others, for one's own and others' rights and not destroying created things. It is the necessary foundation for living humanly.
Responsibility is about fulfilling our obligations, contributing to our communities and making efforts to build a better world.
Reverence means recognising the dignity of all human beings and then to look again and recognise their creator.
Having a spirituality based on Catholic values enables us to eliminate the false split between religion and life, and between the sacred and the secular. The real distinction is not between religion and life but between what is real and what is illusory; between a life lived in truth and a life based on false hopes.
Spirituality applauds achievements in academia, sport, music and art - they are all part of the spiritual quest. The true test of success, however, is the subsequent life of the student, the kind of person he becomes, the extent to which he is fully alive. We are only fully alive when we combine in ourselves the spiritual, a strong moral awareness, a lively mind, cultural sensitivity and a healthy sense of the importance of the body. A good education must result in young people being not only gifted and accomplished, but also wise and spiritual.
Gerry Kelly
Director of Special Character