Spiritual Life of The School

FROM THE SCHOOL CHAPLAIN FATHER ANDREW ROBINSON

By the end of 2021, it became almost hard to believe that the first half of the year had been somewhat normal in Canberra. The School had returned to many of its regular rhythms – the joy of gathering in Houses for Chapels, and Assemblies, culminating in the remarkable House Music Festival at the end of second term.

But the deep strain and anxiety that came with the Delta wave engulfed Canberra too, and we entered lockdown with the rest of south-eastern Australia. This makes reflecting on the School’s spiritual life difficult, as so many of the touchpoints of our communal life together were missing.

The pandemic years have been years of disappointment, to say the least. Even for those spared the sorrow of losing loved ones to the virus, these years of suspension, waiting and isolation have taken their toll. But amidst the frustrations and limitations on our communal life, the light and joy of school have not dimmed. Year 12 finished with superlative results and marked their graduation with a deep sense of connection with one another as well as gratitude to their parents, carers and teachers. The ministry of the Chapel continued, with online services of Morning Prayer, weekly video Chapels across the School community featuring Will the blue monster puppet, and gatherings via Zoom where we could meet together, even in moments of deep grief.

What has struck me most of all is the deep resilience of the School community. It’s a resilience that springs from hope and a deep commitment to one another.

In the Epistle to the Romans, St Paul writes that ‘suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.’ (Romans 5:3b-5)

We head into 2022, I suspect, with some caution – life is far more unpredictable in these times than we are usually accustomed to in Australia. But we go forward in hope, knowing that God is the God of the past, present and future, and that the hope he offers will not disappoint us.