Publication of the Augustinian Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel—Australasia

December 2020, No. 56 Publication of the Augustinian Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel—Australasia VISIT US ONLINE | www. osa.org.au Artwork by Duc Tin Nguyen OSA From The Provincial “As the creator of heaven and earth, He is the creator of Mary. But according to the statement of St. Paul, “born of a woman”, He is the Son of Mary. The same Lord of Mary is the Son of Mary. The very creator of Mary was born of Mary.” - Saint Augustine, Sermon on John 8, 8-9 At the heart of Christmas faith is the intimacy of God and humanity expressed in self- emptying love. Jesus reveals this intimacy in his very self. Mary’s welcoming of this gift in her body Christ into her heart. (cf. St Augustine, Sermon 25, 7-8)makes sense because she had first fully welcomed The longing in our hearts for a sense of the nearness of God is a gift. It is there in whatever being each person who shares in that humanity that God has shared with us in Christ. Christmas many respects and, from a faith perspective, this is celebrated on 25th December – it is lived each needhappens we haveto us. to This know has and been feel a we difficult are not year alone in day in our attitudes and actions of love, justice and has been very real in our common experience. peace. Compassion, understanding, solidarity – these have been experienced in countless acts of mutual On behalf of the Augustinians of the care and concern. The self-emptying love that Australian Province I wish each of you and your families a peaceful and joyful celebration of Christmas and a good year to come. In so doing I orChristmas in a family celebrates context workedhas been to ensurereflected the in well- the express the gratitude of the Augustinians for the beingselflessness of others. of many who either professionally many ways you have supported us by your prayers and friendship throughout the year. You are in the In celebrating Christmas 2020 none of us prayers and thoughts of the Augustinians. knows the journey of the year ahead. The hope and the promise that we celebrate at Christmas is real. God Bless Our faithfulness to that hope and promise is in our Fr Peter Jones OSA personal and communal commitment to the well- Prior Provincial 2 THE AUGUSTINIAN | December 2020 Safeguarding The Augustinians are committed to the safety and care of all people within its communities, especially children and vulnerable adults. The Augustinians acknowledge with sorrow the deep distress caused to any person because of the harmful actions of Order members and regrets the lack of care and oversight in the past. The Augustinians are committed to the Church’s ‘Safeguarding’ program that ensures children and vulnerable people are kept safe and respected. This is supported by Gospel values, faith in Jesus Christ, and the teachings of St Augustine. The Order of Saint Augustine-Australasia achieves 97% compliance mark for Safeguarding The Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel- Australasia embarked 12 months ago on a program to implement Catholic Professional Standards Limited (CPSL) ‘safeguarding’ program. CPSL was established by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) and Catholic Religious Australia (CRA) in responseThe to safeguardingthe finding of program the Royal provides Commission. a strong governance framework for Church entities to build safe cultures and environments so that all people including children and the vulnerable are protected. Safeguarding is a shared responsibility. The audit process provides assurance that safeguarding controls have been designed appropriately and are interviews, observations, and a review of policy, procedures,operating efficiently. processes It andcomprised controls. wide It coveredranging the Order’s Australian and overseas (South Korea, Vietnam and Thailand) operations. The Order was complimented by CPSL for a 97% compliance mark and for the commitment and standard of the work undertaken’. David Holland Project Officer Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel-Australasia CPSL Audit VISIT US ONLINE | www. osa.org.au Augustinian Education What It Means To Be An Augustinian Graduate spent there, and it has helped me to realise a few things - those things being the ways in which this Augustinian educationGraduating has helped St. shape Augustine’s not only College me, but in all November 2020 graduates has left and me those with beforea lot of us, time into to the reflect men uponwe are my today. time centralised. Each and every boy is a part of a wider school community who help to foster and grow their potential and allowThe them most to becomesignificant the aspect best versions of my journeyof themselves. at Saints The was friends the you community make become around more which than the friends, school they is become your family, and I myself know that I have made some friends for life, for that I will always be grateful. I still remember my orientation day and the many different uniforms and unfamiliar faces sitting on the front driveway of the school, who are now today a part of what is my community. Augustine’s embody the values of St. Augustine, and are an essential part of our journey at the school. These values whichHowever, have this been community shared with goes me, beyond interiority, the confines humility of and just compassion friendships which with haveboys, helpedthe teachers me to atgrow St. individually and helped our Augustinian community itself to grow. I am grateful for the teachers at this school, some of whom have helped me through my darkest hours and have helped nurture me through my academic journey and to reach my potential, an experience which many other boys can attest to. of my journey, and especially now as a graduate I have come to appreciate the Augustinian values which are now an evidentThroughout part of my my character. time at St. These Augustine’s values College,have stemmed I have been from given the consistent the opportunity practice to reflectof our onChristian each aspect faith myself, with a better understanding of what it means to be a Christian formed through Augustinian values, these being,whilst ata sense school, of on humility, reflection a heightened days, pastoral realisation periods andof interiority tutor groups, and eacha gratitude contributing and charity to imbuing in everything each boy, thatand you do, and if you walk through these grounds, you will be able to feel these values and see them in action. My time spent at this school will remain a part of me for the rest of my life, and I will forever be grateful for my opportunity to study there, for the friends that I have made, and for the values which I now apply to my everyday life. I will strive to remain a part of this community, a community which cherishes each other and one that seeks to have each and every person become the best versions of themselves, a goal which I am thankful for. Jack Berry School Captain 2020 Saint Augustine’s College - Sydney Awards Night Speech Sir Isaac Newton said, “What we know is a drop, what we don’t know is an ocean”. I think it is fair to say that 2020 has been a year of great discovery and collective learning for us all. We have learned about our world, our local community and ourselves. importance of being agile. We have learned that uncertainty and We have learned about fragility yet resilience, sacrifice, and the individuals. We have met the challenges of this year relying upondisruption, the skills while we havedifficult, developed can enable in earlier us to schooling grow and years, develop as hard work, perseverance and the continuous search for truth. This year we, along with senior school students all over Queensland, have not only contended with the disruption and disappointment that COVID has bought, but also a level of uncertainty surrounding the new grading system, the ATAR. We have learned that: Our work in year 10 and 11 really matters. Hard work in these years will pay off and is necessary in order to achieve the results we want at the end of year 12. Unlike the OP system, under the achieving strong results in both years. ATAR system our assessment results in both years 11 and 12 count towards our final score, so we need to be We have also learned that now, more than ever, in navigating this new system, our teachers are our best ally. They work tirelessly to support our learning and development and this year they have done so whilst Our teachers are not only knowledgeable, but also approachable and incredibly generous with their time. They adapting to new learning delivery methods such as ‘learning from home’ and for the first time, the ATAR system. from their knowledge and guidance. are critical to our academic success and we should embrace every opportunity to engage with them and benefit Last but not least, we have learned about the importance of our wider Villanova community and the role to compete against each other for rankings, allowing us to further embrace the brotherhood that the Villanova Collegeit plays inenvironment our academic fosters. achievement. By being A collaborative, further benefit helping of the each ATAR other system out is and that supporting students are each no other, longer we required will all benefit. The senior years of learning are not a sprint, but rather a marathon. We will not win the race in the last care of ourselves by balancing study with co-curricular activities, by monitoring our mental wellbeing, and using every100 meters, resource but available rather by to uspacing including ourselves other and students, persevering.

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