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

On Sunday 19 May, our Church celebrates the Feast of Pentecost, a mysterious event recorded by Luke the Evangelist 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 understand how difficult and frustrating it can be trying to understand people when you don’t speak your language, and 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 many 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.

Year 8 Camp

One of the biggest experiences for Year 8 students in 2024 takes place in the next fortnight, the Year 8 Camp (May 27 to 31). The camp is held at Valley Homestead in Ovens and aims to build resilience, deepen relationships whilst at the same time having lots of fun. More information about Valley Homestead can be found below.

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
Level Leader: Year 8