Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews

from every nation under heaven. 

When they heard this sound,

a crowd came together in bewilderment,

because each one heard their own language being spoken. 

Acts 2:5-6

Last Sunday 8 June, our Church celebrated the Feast of Pentecost, a mysterious event recorded by Luke the Evangelist (Acts 2:1–31) in which the Holy Spirit gifts the disciples with the ability to speak and communicate in languages that everyone understood. Anyone who has travelled overseas will appreciate how difficult and frustrating it can be trying to understand people when they don’t speak your language, and the enormous feeling of relief when you eventually find someone who does.

Whilst this event caused the salvific message of Jesus to spread very quickly within the early Church communities, it also raises profound questions for the modern Church and Catholic schools. How can we speak to students about their faith using language that they understand? Will they listen? Will we listen to them? In a world that deifies the individual and measures their worth via their social media profile, how can we make students listen to Catholic social teaching that has subsidiarity and community at its core?

There are many ways to speak to students, and even more ways to listen to them. Communication is a sine qua non for a positive relationship, and the highly skilled Kilbreda College staff have built very strong and mutually respectful relationships with the Year 8 students throughout the first semester of this year.

One of the biggest experiences for Year 8 students in 2025 takes place in the final week of this term: the Year 8 camp (30 June – 4 July). The camp is held at Valley Homestead in Ovens, and aims to build resilience and deepen relationships whilst at the same time having lots of fun. More information about Valley Homestead can be found at: https://www.valleyhomesteadschoolcamp.com.au/ .

We hope that all Year 8 students will embrace the opportunities that their camp provides, especially the difficulties and the challenges. We especially invite your prayers for nice weather!

Bill Fitzsimons

Learning Leader: Year 8