CAREW COLLEGE
EREA
Bishop’s Message My Dear Friends, It is a privilege to contribute these words for your Yearbook of 2020.
In the light of the COVID crisis, much has been said of the uniqueness and challenges of this year. The challenges have been enormous and there has never been a more difficult or disrupted school year. During this time of great difficulty, your school community has been a beacon of hope for all. I have never been so proud of our schools as this year, when the care and compassion that we espouse in our stated mission, has been so visibly enacted in our school communities. Be very proud of your resilience, your care and compassion, your dedication to what is important. In the face of great challenge, your school has truly been an ornament to the vision of Edmund Rice and the priorities of our Gospel. We are particularly proud of our final year students, whose valedictory year has been greatly compromised. Despite the challenges of off-site learning and restrictions within society, our students have found a way to lead, to learn and to celebrate. This augurs so well for their future success. Our staff have been magnificent! In the face of great pressure and challenge, we must celebrate the extraordinary dedication and creativity of our staff. We are so proud of you and our profession is so much richer for the contribution that you have made. Many of our families have undergone great hardship this year. Thank you for staying with us and please know that we are with you in good times and in times of adversity. Your faith in Edmund Rice education is what sustains us and drives your school to be the best that it can be. Finally, in my final time of offering these words, I am grateful for and rejoice in the vision that unites us all and challenges us to become more complete human beings through a Catholic education based on compassion, liberation and inclusion. With much gratitude, Wayne Tinsey | Executive Director Edmund Rice Education Australia
Dear Members of the Ignatius Park College Family, It is always a pleasant experience visiting the College as I have done once again this year. Our Foundation Mass and presentation was of the highest standard and I enjoyed celebrating with you. Without question, the year just gone has been unique, certainly in my lifetime. I did not see COVID-19 coming or its consequences. We will never be the same again. Many adjustments to our lives are probably here to stay. Whilst here in North Queensland we have not experienced the same intensity as other parts of Queensland, or Australia, or in other countries (such as USA with over 210,000 deaths), we have not been completely immune. It wouldn’t take much to ‘tip the scales’ if we were not to remain vigilant. Life must go on, of course, but until there is a vaccine to combat this virus, I suspect social distancing and other measures will remain. In all this, in all the challenges that come our way, Christians or ‘disciples’ walk by faith, knowing that God in Jesus Christ is the reason for our very existence. ‘Social distancing’, something we are all continuing to practice in this sense, does keep us apart and appears to be in opposition to our call to live together as brothers and sisters. When our Church doors were closed, we also seemed to be sending the wrong message. But closing the doors was necessary to immediately respond to the crisis. The truth is though, long term, those who profess the Christian faith are called to break down barriers and embrace each other with compassion, respect and love. Our responsibility not only through COVID-19, but beyond is to become the ‘face’ of Christ in our community, by living according to his teachings. In this way, we live up to the Edmund Ignatius Rice tradition, a tradition that underpins Ignatius Park College. I pray for all of you as we prepare to celebrate the Christmas Season and to embrace a New Year. What will the New Year bring? That’s unknown, but through faith, we do know Christmas will bring the Christ child into our midst – the one who always makes our darkness bright – our Saviour and our Lord. With every best wish and blessing,
Most Rev Timothy Harris | Bishop of Townsville
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Ignatius Park College 2020
