Dear Parents, Students and Friends of the College,
Our college is very focused on being true to its mission of forming in every youth the true and perfect Catholic. Since Jesus Christ, Our Lord and God, is perfect and since “the goal of a virtuous life is to become like God”, (St Gregory of Nyssa) then it follows that perfection lies in virtuous living. Therefore, growth in virtue is a central part of a Catholic’s formation. But how can we grow in virtue unless we know what it is? How can our students practice it unless they know what it looks like and how to practice it?
The answer to these questions lies in the choice that our school has made to adopting the Virtues Program: Education in Virtue » Learn more about Education in Virtue (openlightmedia.com).
How does the Virtues Program work in practice? Every week we introduce the students to a new Christian virtue. We do this on Monday in Homeroom. At this key moment in the day, the Homeroom teachers and House Mentors present and discuss the virtue of the week with their students. On Tuesday, I the Principal give some motivational words about the virtue of the week and what it looks like in practice. Across the week students strive to practice the virtue and the staff identify students who have been noted for their virtuous actions; their names appear in the Chronicle and points are awarded to their House. Through this program repeated annually we hope that, as they progress through the year levels, our students will become more and more familiar with the world of Christian virtue. By the time they reach VCE the hope is that they will be very comfortable with all the virtues, and will strive to live more virtuously as a
consequence.
This program of teaching, promoting, recognising and rewarding virtuous conduct is central to the character formation of our students as shown by our school values which are the 3 Theological and 4 Cardinal virtues upon which all other virtues depend. Since our College moto is Honor excellentiae debetur (Honour is due to excellence.) We want our students to strive for excellence not only in their studies but also in their behaviour. In other words, we want them to become virtuous.
Next week I will write about how parents can become actively involved in the Virtues Program; how they can introduce it into their home, and how they may benefit from it themselves.
Sincerely yours in the Two Hearts,
Father Cranshaw
(Principal)