Dear members of the Whitefriars College family,
Over the past couple of weeks of have been privileged to attend two uplifting and engaging assemblies led by our Middle and Senior student leaders. With Whitefriars Day coming up, the boys and staff supporting them felt it would be appropriate that the theme for these assemblies should focus on the concept of what it is to be a ‘Friar.
Those who gathered, heard some wonderful reflections from our boys on what this concept means to them, speaking from the heart about their experiences of this place and particularly those who had supported them during their time here. I was blessed to be asked to provide my own thoughts on the idea which I have presented below. I would like to thank those staff and student leaders who supported this very worthwhile event, and I look forward to celebrating our special Whitefriars Day on Friday 13 September.
I commenced as a Whitefriars Boy in 1977. My older brother had started here in 1975, and I have two younger brothers who commenced after me. Whitefriars, in 1977, was only 16-years old having started in 1961, with thirty-two Year 7 boys and four teachers, led by the First Principal of the College, a 35-year old Principal named Fr. Frank Shortis.
There wasn’t much here then in the way of buildings and facilities. The Kierce Wing of today, housed Science, Art and Music, the E-block was general classrooms with a Science room where the current staff office is, there was another classroom block where the Chapel is now, and a very small gym which was a repurposed army hut.
As a 16-year old school, not many people knew who we were outside this community, and to tell you the truth, I think we were still trying to work out who we were.
But the seeds of the identity of Whitefriars were being sown and our identity as ‘Friars boys was being nurtured and developed even if we didn’t recognise that at the time.
You see, many of the people who taught us during that time wore a brown habit – the Carmelites. It was these men who shaped Whitefriars, who shaped us. Not so much by word but by action. These men devoted their entire life to supporting this community and supporting us to grow to be good men.
These days, when I finish work for the day, like all of us, I go home to my family and my life outside school. In those days, the Carmelites whole life revolved around the College. They were often the cleaners, the maintenance guys, the admin staff, the footy coach, the choir master, the teacher…. They lived for this place 24/7 plus they also supported local parishes and attended to their lives as Carmelites with all that entailed. I don’t know how they did it!
This was the example we witnessed everyday. The example of commitment, resilience, generosity, family spirit, respect and mostly a deep and abiding faith.
Back in those days, depending on where you went, schools could be harsh places. I used to catchup with mates who went to other schools and they used to tell me about how boys who did the wrong thing at their school often received the cane or strap as punishment for their wrong doings. That did not happen to the same extent here at Whitefriars, at least not in my experience.
The first Principal of our College, Fr. Frank Shortis said that he did all he could to avoid issuing this sort of punishment at Whitefriars. He once said, “I was never comfortable with the practice and even now I cringe when I think of it”.
This did not mean that boys were not held accountable for their actions, however, the Carmelites believed that a quiet word in the ear was far more effective than a clip over the ear!
This approach had an impact on us boys. The Carmelite approach was about calmness not chaos, gentleness rather than harshness, relationship not retribution. I believe the teacher, husband, father, friend and man I am today, can be partly attributed to the modelling of these men.
They taught us to be humble, to be patient, to be firm in our beliefs, to be compassionate and mostly just to be kind. Where we that way to each other all the time? No. We were boys who had a lot of growing up to do but these example of the Carmelites are what formed us.
At the heart of this ‘Friars identity is our College motto, Almae in Fide Parentis, in the care of a loving mother. As the last and longest serving Carmelite Principal of Whitefriars, Fr. Paul Cahill once said Almae in Fide Parentis –is a constant beacon of the values upon which the Whitefriars culture is built.
Being a ‘Friar is about being like Mary. A person of courage who took many leaps of faith in her life. A person who always put others needs ahead of her own A person who took time to stop and reflect and ponder things in her heart. A person who challenged the people in her life to be the best version of themselves, and a person who never ran away when the going got tough.
That’s what being a ‘Friar is to me. That’s what being Carmelite is to me. I see it in my brothers, my sons, the many Old Collegians I have met on the journey. I see it in our amazing, committed and dedicated staff, and mostly I see it in you.
Each one of you has the spirit of the ‘Friar in you – but that’s not enough. Like anything in life, you have to grow that spirit, reflect on it, and most importantly, practice it. Practice it in your interactions with each other, with your teachers, your family and all you meet along the way. Because being a good ‘Friar takes practice and effort but if you do it well – the rewards are great.
Each of you has the ability to be a great ‘Friar, like the 13,000 ‘Friars have gone before you. It is now up to you to keep that ‘Friars spirit alive for those who come after you.
Remember – Almae In Fide Parentis.
Mr Mark Murphy
Principal
