One of the greatest lessons I hope our students learn during their time at Kolbe, is that we are created to not be self-serving, but instead to bring love to others. It is in giving, that we often experience the greatest sense of joy and fulfillment in our lives. This was the theme I spoke around at the end of our beautiful Ash Wednesday liturgy during the week. The period of Lent celebrates the journey Jesus took in the desert, which ultimately led to the greatest sacrifice a person can offer – to give up their life for another. Our patron saint, Maximilian Kolbe also emulated this action during his time in a concentration camp in Auschwitz during World War II.
Sacrifice for another does not have to be this extreme. Often it is the brief gestures of love and kindness that have the largest impact on others. Scott Adams said that ‘there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end’. During Lent, inspired by Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice for us, our community should continue to create ‘ripples’ of love in our community that hopefully will last a lifetime.
In this eNews, I am also proud to officially launch our College’s 2023-2025 Strategic Plan. I am truly grateful for the input from our entire community to bring this significant document together, that will help shape our community for the next 3 years. This plan is essential to ensure our Mission is being fulfilled, to identify our priorities and to maximise the effective use of our resources. As Lewis Carroll said, ‘If you don’t know where you are going, any road will do’ – this plan will ensure we have a constant sitemap and measure of our College’s purpose. So once again thank you to our entire community for your feedback, which has allowed us to develop a Strategic Plan that will help navigate our community through the next phase of our development.
Finally, I wish all our families a peaceful and solemn Lenten period. May the love and sacrifice of Jesus be a constant source of inspiration to us during this time. ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life’ (John 3:16).
Best wishes and God bless,
Neil Alweyn
Principal