Principal’s Blog

Principal’s Blog 28 October 2020

Dear members of the Marcellin family  Who am I to judge?  This off the cuff response from Pope Francis early in his papacy to a question about gay priests gave the world some insight into a new language and tone around homosexuality coming from the Catholic Church. Last week, in a new a new documentary by Oscar nominated director Evgeny Afineevsky called Francesco, the Pope has made further comments, this time in relation to same-sex civil unions.  Pope Francis with the documentary director Evgeny Afineevsky CNS  “Homosexual people have the...

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Principal’s Blog 22 October 2020

Our Marcellin mission: To make Jesus Christ known and loved  As our young men of Year 12 come to the end of their secondary education, it is a good time to reflect on the last six years of their journey at Marcellin. Every individual will have his own story and every individual will take away his own unique learnings. What the College has tried to do along the way is provide a range of opportunities across a broad spectrum, that taps into the holistic nature of each young man’s humanity. Central to this of course is our Catholic and...

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Principal’s Blog 15 October 2020

Dear members of the Marcellin family  It is that time of the year when we acknowledge our Marcellin artists. Like most things this year we will be celebrating in a virtual way through an online Arts Assembly and an online exhibition of the work produced by our young men this year.  What an important aspect of College life this is. In a recent blog I wrote about the significance of the Arts in shaping the way we view our world and ourselves. At an even deeper level,...

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Principal’s Blog 8 October 2020

Dear Members of the Marcellin Family A very warm welcome back to Term 4! It will be a term that everyone will be looking forward to I’m sure as we transition back to face to face learning over the coming weeks. Marcellin College is built on forming deep relationships and a strong sense of community. While this has been maintained over the past six months due to the extensive commitment of our young men, you Read more…

By John Hickey, ago

Principal’s Blog 10 September 2020

Dear members of the Marcellin family  On the 7 February this year I had the privilege to attend the Marcellin College 70th Anniversary Mass and Lunch. As a newcomer it was a wonderful opportunity to have a very early introduction into the history and traditions of the College. I had the great fortune to be asked to speak briefly at the beginning of the celebration and I thought this week, as we publish the 70th Anniversary edition of the Eagle, would be a good time to include my words Read more…

By John Hickey, ago

Principal’s Blog 4 September 2020

Dear members of the Marcellin family  One of the aspects of our life that so many of us are missing right now is live theatre. It’s funny how a trip to the theatre can really stimulate your senses and focus your mind on very important issues. This is what good theatre should do of course and it is why a vibrant and flourishing Arts culture is so vital to any healthy society. It should confront and expose as well Read more…

By John Hickey, ago

Principal’s Blog 27 August 2020

Dear members of the Marcellin family It was with real sadness that I learnt of the recent death of the renowned educationalist and author Sir Ken Robinson. It was many years ago that I first watched a TED Talk given by Sir Ken called How to escape education’s death valley. While it had an American context, to this day it remains one of most influential professional learning experiences I have ever had. It drew me Read more…

By John Hickey, ago

Principal’s Blog 20 August 2020

Dear members of the Marcellin family In a recent edition of his Red Hand Files newsletter, Australian musician Nick Cave made some thought provoking comments in relation to “political correctness” and “cancel culture”. Political correctness is a term that’s been around for a while but cancel culture is a relatively new expression (to me anyway) which has a particular voice on social media. The two seem to be related in the sense that cancel culture Read more…

By John Hickey, ago

Principal’s Blog 13 August 2020

Dear members of the Marist family Last Thursday, 6 August marked a rather unusual combination of things to commemorate – Catholics celebrated the Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord, and the whole world reflected on the 75th anniversary of the first ever dropping of an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. Could you possibly get two more disparate events? I had the opportunity to visit the city of Hiroshima in July 2014 and Read more…

By John Hickey, ago

Principal’s Blog – 6 Aug 2020

Dear Members of the Marcellin Family As we move into the Stage 4 Lockdown, I would like to take this opportunity to extend my best wishes to all families. I hope and pray that you not only remain safe and well, but are able to navigate successfully these new circumstances we find ourselves in. For our part here at the College, we aim to continue to work in partnership with you to provide the best Read more…

By John Hickey, ago