The boys made the rafters ring at St Mary’s Church with their singing at Ascension Day Mass yesterday. The Communion motet, Panis Angelicus by Cesar Franck, was sung with great devotion by the school choir which also accompanied the hymns and Mass setting.
We all know that St Anthony’s is a community dedicated to kindness and service, and every so often this is thrown into sharp relief by a particular decision made by the boys. So it was with Gabriel and Sebastian in 3S who, back in February, decided to give up birthday presents and instead invite donations for a charity that helps endangered animals. The charity wrote to the boys this week to award each a certificate and badge in recognition of their raising the most amount of money in the shortest period of time. Congratulations to Gabriel and Sebastian who, no doubt, will serve as role models throughout the school.
I took as a theme for this morning’s senior assembly the concept of change and how this would be of particular interest to history students trying to understand causes and consequences. I explained to the boys that one of the fundamental laws of nature is that everything that exists (in a material sense, at least) is subject to change. Human beings are not exempt from this process although for us changes can be range from the imperceptible to that which might be considered as milestones, significant staging posts in one’s journey through life.
Whilst changes can be unsettling, even frightening at times, there is no escaping it; with this in mind, I encouraged the boys, particularly those leaving St Anthony’s at the end of this academic year, to focus on the opportunities for friendship and engagement that a new place will bring. Nor should we focus too much on the future, which in itself can be a source of anxiety. Carpe diem, seize each day and make it our own doing whatever is within our power to make the future better and brighter.
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