Dear Parents and Carers of Good Samaritan,

Tomorrow is the Feast of Hildegard of Bingen, a Benedictine abbess of the twelfth century who was a scholar, a counselor, a mystic, and a preacher. She was deeply involved in the social issues of her culture and all the major figures of her time. Popes and kings alike corresponded with her, seeking her ideas and her advice. She published the only medical encyclopedias of her day and her ‘Illuminations,’ or theological insights, have become as popular in this decade as in her own. She was a woman of her time and a woman for her time. She poured herself out all her life. She was a truly humble woman who knew her gifts and developed them to the benefit of all of us.

Hildegard was a doctor of the Church, a patron of music and medicine. Within the walls of the cloister where she lived, she cared for the spiritual and material well-being of her sisters, fostering in a special way community life, culture and the liturgy. In the outside world she devoted herself actively to strengthening the Christian faith and reinforcing religious practice. 

As our Year 6 students continue to prepare for the sacrament of Confirmation, it is saints such as Hildegard who reinforce to us in our modern context how deep devotion to God can sustain us in times of difficulty. As we continue to work together as a school community  through this strange period of time, let’s always take a moment for prayer. Hildegard’s prayer to the Spirit may be just what we need at this time:

Holy Spirit,

Comforting fire,

Life of all creation.

Anointing the sick, cleansing body and soul,

Fill this body!

Holy Spirit,

Sacred breath, Fire of love,

Sweetest taste, Beautiful aroma,

Fill this heart!

Holy Spirit,

Filling the world,

from the heights to the deep,

Raining from clouds, filling rivers and sea,

Fill this mind!

Holy Spirit,

Forgiving and giving,

uniting strangers, reconciling enemies,

Seeking the lost, and enfolding us together,

Fill these gathered here!

Holy Spirit,

Bringing light into dark places, igniting praise,

Greatest gift, our Hope and Encourager,

Holy Spirit of Christ,

I praise you!

Amen

Enjoy the week ahead, as we journey together with Jesus,

Toni Sillis

Principal