On March 1, St Columba welcomed one of the largest gatherings of Independent School Heads and Principals to its regional meeting.
On a sunny Sunday afternoon, over fifty heads and their partners arrived at the School’s Trinity Chapel. The theme chosen by our School Chaplain, Rev. Paul Hodge, for his homily was the danger of tribalism, creating a sense of the “other” in society that allows us to treat those of a different tribe as less worthy.
Basing his homily on his experience with other Diocesan Chaplains in the Holy Lands, and the ancient tribal tensions that have bedevilled the region for centuries, Rev. Hodge spoke compellingly of the dangers we face in accepting this mode of existence.
His “take away” for the Principals was our capacity as leaders to confront the evils that can come from accepting tribal boundaries and exhorting us to follow Jesus’ example of defying the narrow definition of people as “us or them”.
Augmenting Paul’s preaching was the stunning addition of the voices of two of the School’s vocal groups – the Chamber Choir and Manshed.
All those attending were very vocal in their appreciation of the Chapel service, with a number of the opinion that services of this quality would be an answer to the diminishing attendance at chapel services that accompany each meeting.
 | Mr Terry Muldoon Principal, St Columba Anglican School |