Aloysiad 15-12 2006.indd - St Aloysius
Aloysiad 15-12 2006.indd - St Aloysius
Aloysiad 15-12 2006.indd - St Aloysius
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demanding of all involved. Both rights and responsibilities<br />
need to be emphasised. Parents in their communications<br />
sometimes seem to regard teachers as deliverers of<br />
a service rather than as professionals involved in a<br />
challenging enterprise. Teachers in turn can fail to see<br />
parents as genuine partners in education. <strong>St</strong>udents who fail<br />
to give respect to their teachers are not only breaking a<br />
discipline code, but more significantly, their actions weaken<br />
the relationship of teacher-student that every study shows<br />
lies at the heart of academic achievement. The respect<br />
given by a teacher to a student may be a powerful gift of<br />
personal formation.<br />
Complementing a relational model of school authority is<br />
our tradition at <strong>St</strong> <strong>Aloysius</strong> of ‘cura personalis’, the care of<br />
the individual within our community, which, as I understand<br />
it, gives priority to regarding each individual as of infinite<br />
value and dignity, and thus impels us to act accordingly.<br />
There is an Ignatian adage of “adapting to times, places<br />
and circumstances” which stands against a “one size fits<br />
all” approach in dealing with people. The temptation to<br />
sacrifice the individual for a perceived common good is<br />
one that goes back at least as far as the justification given<br />
for the move against Jesus. While there must be bottom<br />
lines, and, as in any community, there must be rules and<br />
regulations that we have every right to enforce, there is also<br />
a higher requirement to show and give respect, based not<br />
on authority, but on the relationships that shape a community<br />
such as ours. Comments are frequently made about the<br />
nature of community and the sense of belonging that help<br />
shape the Aloysian spirit, and to my mind this stems in part<br />
from an approach to discipline that seeks never to forget the<br />
individual or to sacrifice easily the individual in the interests<br />
of control or order.<br />
As 2006 winds down, we turn our eyes to the coming<br />
of the Christ Child. In the midst of all our activities we recall<br />
the extraordinary claim we Christians make about God’s<br />
great act of solidarity with humankind; of God becoming<br />
so fully part of the human story so as to transform and<br />
redeem it by becoming incarnate with us and for us. Mary<br />
was pregnant with Jesus before her marriage with Joseph,<br />
and undoubtedly knew the pain of rumour and disapproval.<br />
Jesus was frequently criticised for breaking the law. He<br />
taught of the imperative of a love that transcended all other<br />
commands. And the Lord was crucified by lawful authority.<br />
The God revealed in Jesus is ‘the God of surprises’, among<br />
which is the knowledge that God deals with us, not as we<br />
deserve, but out of God’s infinite and generous love. There<br />
is a challenge for us in this, not only in our personal lives<br />
but in the way we run institutions and deal with people in<br />
all sorts of situations.<br />
Christmas brings both reassurance and challenge to<br />
the believer: may the Love which nourishes and renews be<br />
with all the <strong>Aloysius</strong> Family this Christmas and the coming<br />
New Year.<br />
Fr Chris Middleton SJ<br />
College Principal<br />
Overseas Reunions<br />
During October and November a series of Reunions<br />
for members of the Aloysian Family (Old Boys,<br />
Parents, Past Parents, Grandparents, Future Parents<br />
and Friends of the College) were held in Hong Kong, San<br />
Francisco, New York and London.<br />
The younger Old boys and partners at the Hong Kong Reunion<br />
Twenty-two members of the Aloysian Family gathered<br />
in Hong Kong on Saturday 28 October for the inaugural<br />
Hong Kong – North Asian Dinner at the Ladies Recreation<br />
Club on Hong Kong Island. Unfortunately, the date<br />
coincided with a long weekend in Hong Kong and a<br />
number of people availed themselves of the break to either<br />
return to Australia or travel throughout the region. Special<br />
thanks to Andrew Fox-Smith (SAC 1983) for hosting the<br />
Dinner at his club, Henry Wong (SAC 1983) who coordinated<br />
the dinner and handled the finances and Andrew<br />
McDermott (SAC 1985) and Matt Nacard (SAC 1989)<br />
who assisted in the organisation of the event, much to the<br />
chagrin of other guests at the Reunion, Matt Nacard wore<br />
his College Blazer that even after seventeen years, still fits<br />
him like a glove!. Guests at the dinner ranged from Old<br />
Boys living in Hong Kong long term to expatriates based<br />
in the city for a short-term transfer and Future Parents.<br />
Plans are afoot to hold the dinner regularly each year and<br />
to arrange a few more casual get togethers throughout<br />
the year.<br />
Guests at the Inaugural Hong Kong-North Asia Reunion<br />
Following the Hong Kong Dinner a reunion was held<br />
in San Francisco on Sunday 29 October. Twenty members<br />
<strong>St</strong> <strong>Aloysius</strong>’ College<br />
A Jesuit School for Boys _ Founded 1879 a l o y s i a d / p a g e 5