JOURNEYING WITH YOUTH
By Dean Wearmouth
Principal, St Ignatius of Loyola Catholic College, Auckland
As we close the 2024 school year, it is fitting to reflect on our school motto, “Finding God in all things”. Our motto is a cornerstone of Ignatian spirituality and a reminder that God’s presence is not confined to sacred spaces but is woven into every moment of our lives. As we have encountered Christ through one another this year, our community has been woven together through Christ, finding God in the highs and lows and finding God in the everyday. Finding the keystone in our own lives weaves us closer to God, closer to one another and closer as a community.
This year, every single one of our students contributed to our success and participated in the knitting and weaving of the fabric of our school culture. Their collective efforts to become the best they have been called to be – and created to be – have established a strong and positive culture woven into the heart of our community.
The special culture that students have all been a part of establishing in this, our inaugural year, will influence the new cohort of students next year, and the year after, and the year after that. In fact, their influence in this school will remain for generations to come. The cohort of 2024 are the trailblazers who have established our rich culture of joy, justice and peace. A culture that is steeped in Christ and that we are all so proud to be a part of.
Throughout the whole year our staff have embodied the Ignatian call to be “men and women for others”. Their dedication to the college during our foundation year has shaped not just minds but hearts, inspiring our students to seek the magis — to strive for excellence not for their own glory but to glorify God through their work. They have developed a culture of excellence in Christ. It shows that when we put the standard of Christ before any other standard, we achieve true excellence.
The work of the school has been thoroughly supported by both establishment board and school board members. So too, the support of parents and caregivers, particularly in the development of our community, has been invaluable. Thank you for your support and involvement at home and in the wider perspective of school life, showing the greater glory of God to your children.
As we bring this foundation year to a close, I thank each and every one of you for the part you have played in this extraordinary journey. Together, we have laid the foundations of something remarkable that will endure for centuries; a special place where faith and learning come alive, a place of joy and of justice and of peace, a place where every student is empowered to set the world alight with their gifts and talents. A place where we are always finding God in all things.
Banner image by David McMahon