Somewhere, out at the edges, the night
Is turning and the waves of darkness
Beginning to brighten the shore of dawn.
The heavy dark falls back to earth
And the freed air goes wild with light,
The heart fills with fresh, bright breath
And thoughts stir to give birth to colour.
I arise today
In the name of Silence,
Womb of the Word,
In the name of Stillness,
Home of Belonging,
In the name of the Solitude
Of the Soul and the Earth.
I arise today
Blessed by all things,
Wings of breath,
Delight of eyes,
Wonder of whisper,
Intimacy of touch,
Eternity of soul,
Urgency of thought,
Miracle of health,
Embrace of God.
May I live this day
Compassionate of heart,
Clear in word,
Gracious in awareness,
Courageous in thought,
Generous in love.
The beautiful prayer of Matins by John O’Donohue enables us to prepare, with a sense of hope, for what life gives us – the suffering and delight, the anxiety and the wonder. It is hard in the midst of darkness to believe that light will again reign but life teaches us this lesson as well. As we move as a community into Christmas, we pray for peace and gentleness to nurture us all.
I wish to acknowledge the commitment and service of three long-serving College teachers as they commence retirement at the conclusion of this term;
- Mr Michael Murtagh: member of R5 PC and French teacher spaning the last 42 years,
- Mrs Anne Willett: St Joseph’s Canteen assistant for the last 15 years,
- Mr Geoff Gibbon: House Leader of McAuley and English teacher at St Joseph’s for the past 34 years.
We thank each of these members of our St Joseph’s College community for all they have been and all they have given.
