SPRINGFIELD CONVENT SCHOOL
NEWSLETTER 08 April 2020
Blessing
A message from the Headmistress
Renewal
There’s nothing like a good road trip! So much time spent seemingly doing nothing and yet embarking on a journey filled with enriching experiences.
Only a few weeks have passed since I left the leafy suburbs of my former hometown and last saw the distinctive Johannesburg skyline in my rear-view mirror. What a privilege it was to traverse our vast and varied country and to share this experience with my daughter Olivia. One of Olivia’s least favourite physical activities is cross country running and, with a ‘grump’, she has at times mistakenly declared that “the coach made us run across the country”! Well, I have now brought her across our country leaving behind many an envious friend and colleague.
As a family, we have chosen change and, with that comes the opportunity to experience difference, to be challenged and to build relationships that extend our network. The warmth of the welcome that we have received confirms the character of the Springfield community and I look forward to a happy and meaningful association with the school. The author, Douglas Adams, mirrors my present thoughts when he says, “I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be.”
We find ourselves living through an extraordinary time in world history! The invisible disruptive force that surrounds us has had a devastating impact, all the while stirring an awakening in many to reimagine our lives and a planet beyond the Coronavirus. I have no doubt that, in our engagement with the ramifications of this pandemic, each of us have experienced a full spectrum of emotions. Let us try to accept the truth of our current reality and strive to be optimistic. Hope grows from optimism and hope is what keeps us moving forward.
How has the first week of term been in your homes? I have an eight-year-old at home and, in my opinion, working and schooling from home is definitely not something that should be encouraged for an extended period. It has, however, brought something quite special to our relationship. We are no longer competing with time. Time is on our side; it is abundant, and we are learning how to use it well.
This virus has opened everyone’s eyes to the value of healthcare workers in society, and rightly so. Much has also been said about the efforts of teachers, around the world, who shifted gear to keep learning going while the schools are closed. The Springfield teachers are an exceptional team! They work hard without complaint, always seeking solutions, and acting with great insight and care. Your daughters are in the safest hands.
This week is Holy week. A time during which we contemplate the significant events that led to Jesus’ crucifixion and death all the while waiting, expectantly, for the dawn of Easter Sunday. Easter brings hope and the promise of renewal. Something that bears relevance for all right now. May your families be blessed as you celebrate the true meaning of Easter and I wish you a time that is full of joy, happiness and peace.
Penny Mullan
Head of School
Junior School Principal Message
Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die."
~ John 11: 25 - 26I love Easter. I love the season of Lent leading up to it, I love the sacredness of Holy Week, I love the liturgies during the Easter Triduum, and especially I love the part I play in those liturgies. When asked by people what I will be doing over Easter, I have this stock reply: “I’ll be chained to an organ stool!” Which, while not being entirely correct (there are no chains involved) is, in many ways, true. My love for the Easter liturgies is tied very closely to my love for playing the church organ. Which, sadly, I don’t get to do this year.
I was so looking forward to Holy Week. It was going to be a special year, because so often we are on holiday during this time, and this year I was going to get to do those Assemblies and liturgies with the children, and have fun preparing them, and enjoying sharing my enthusiasm for Easter with the girls. And all I have now is a Newsletter.
My wish for all of you is that you will go onto YouTube or parish websites, and travel that Easter journey with your daughters: from the washing of the feet on Holy Thursday… to Stations of the Cross on Good Friday morning… to the Crucifixion service with the reading of the Passion on Good Friday afternoon… to the lighting of the Paschal candle at the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday evening… and finally to the joy of the Resurrection at Holy Mass on Easter Sunday morning. This year you get to be adventurous and look for livestreamed or pre-recorded services from all over the world – and join with others in prayer in the comfort of your living room.
I ask you to join other Springfield families this Easter weekend, and light a candle – for our families, our communities, our country and our world during this time. In our Baptism, God lights the flame of faith within each of us. In the Easter liturgy we pray that “the Morning Star which never sets may find that flame of faith ever burning,” and that is my prayer this week – that I may play a part in keeping that flame of faith burning in everyone I know and love – even if it is only through a letter to you all, and especially to the Springfield children whom I am missing so much.
A friend of mine, who knows how much I love the words and music of the American liturgical composer and spiritual writer, David Haas, sent this reflection to me recently, written by him during this pandemic, which I pass on to you:
REFLECTION by DAVID HAAS
So much has been and will continue to be, for some time, cancelled: sports events, concerts, plays, worship services, rallies, travel, meetings, classes, family gatherings, and so much more.However –Love has not been cancelled.Mercy has not been cancelled.Prayer has not been cancelled.Attentiveness has not been cancelled.Goodness has not been cancelled.Thanksgiving has not been cancelled.Loving relationships have not been cancelled.Kindness has not been cancelled.Music has not been cancelled.Conversations have not been cancelled.Learning has not been cancelled.Poetry and storytelling has not been cancelled.Courage has not been cancelled.Meditation and contemplation have not been cancelled.Painting and dancing has not been cancelled.Families have not been cancelled.Community and solidarity has not been cancelled.Faith has not been cancelled.Hope has not been cancelled.And … God’s presence with us, has not been cancelled
I, together with a number of others, have enjoyed putting this Newsletter together for you. May you find something in it that speaks to you. In this time of world turmoil and uncertainty, as we pray for good health and, in time, normality again, may this season of Easter be a time of hope and renewal.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
~1 Peter 1:3Alison Dunn
Junior School Principal
A message from the Head of RE
A few months ago I included a really profound reflection by Pope Francis, not knowing that most of his thoughts would be realised within a global context so soon.
Living through this global pandemic has certainly allowed scope for great introspection and given us time to consider what is really important in our lives. In the moments of stillness, many people have turned to God, drawing from a rich abundance of faith and hope. Hope gives a purpose for tomorrow, hope gives us the energy to belong.
While the lockdown has forced us into social distancing, being part of a faith community has connected us on a beautiful spiritual journey of awakening our core values and beliefs. Many people have acknowledged the incredible potential of the lockdown in terms of the prevalence of being held in the palm of God's embrace.
As we enter into the holiest of weeks in our liturgical calendar, let us remain mindful of the struggles of Jesus' journey, the sadness, the loss, the pain, and the ultimate resurrection. May the Holy Week Liturgy keep us focused on the core of our faith - The Easter Story. We too shall rise.....
Let's keep the faith and stay blessed and healthy.
Gillian Stubbs
Head of RE
What a speech Pope Francis gave in his homily...
- You can have flaws, be anxious, and even be angry, but do not forget that your life is the greatest enterprise in the world. Only you can stop it from going bust. Many appreciate you, admire you and love you. Remember that to be happy is not to have a sky without a storm, a road without accidents, work without fatigue, relationships without disappointments. To be happy is to find strength in forgiveness, hope in battles, security in the stage of fear, love in discord. It is not only to enjoy the smile, but also to reflect on the sadness. It is not only to celebrate the successes, but to learn lessons from the failures. It is not only to feel happy with the applause, but to be happy in anonymity. Being happy is not a fatality of destiny, but an achievement for those who can travel within themselves.
To be happy is to stop feeling like a victim and become your destiny's author. It is to cross deserts, yet to be able to find an oasis in the depths of our soul. It is to thank God for every morning, for the miracle of life. Being happy is not being afraid of your own feelings. It's to be able to talk about you. It is having the courage to hear a "no". It is confidence in the face of criticism, even when unjustified.
It is to kiss your children, pamper your parents, to live poetic moments with friends, even when they hurt us. To be happy is to let live the creature that lives in each of us, free, joyful and simple. It is to have maturity to be able to say: "I made mistakes".
It is to have the courage to say "I am sorry". It is to have the sensitivity to say, "I need you". It is to have the ability to say "I love you". May your life become a garden of opportunities for happiness ... That in spring may it be a lover of joy. In winter a lover of wisdom. And when you make a mistake, start all over again.
For only then will you be in love with life. You will find that to be happy is not to have a perfect life. But use the tears to irrigate tolerance. Use your losses to train patience. Use your mistakes to sculptor serenity. Use pain to plaster pleasure. Use obstacles to open windows of intelligence. Never give up .... Never give up on people who love you. Never give up on happiness, for life is an incredible show.
~(Pope Francis)
Letter from Archbishop Brislin
Newsletter - 2_2020 (3 April 2020).pdfAcademic expectations and parental stress during lockdown
Dear Parents
If like me, you are feeling slightly overwhelmed with the online learning tasks being sent your way, rest assured that you are not alone. Parents across the globe are in the same boat as us. Gone is the honeymoon stage of lockdown where we could cocoon and relax - now we have to get our offspring's brains ticking again!
Please be comforted with the knowledge that at Springfield, as always, family and health comes first. During this special Holy Week, being with your family and enjoying each other, is what matters most. Keeping your relationships strong, staying sane, happy and caring of one another is what is most important. This beautiful image of Mary with baby Jesus says it all for me.
One day we’ll look back at lockdown and long for these close times with our families. Try to do what matters most and don't stress too much about the rest. This will come to an end, we will get back to normal, our kids will be okay, this is temporary.
If you aren't managing, need more support or flexibility, please let Ms Dunn, Mr Meehan or me know.
With love and strength to you all
Gabby Cloete
Counsellor Junior School
Resources for parents and pupils during Holy Week
Holy Week Resources for Families (1) (2).pdfHoly Week - Resources from the Jesuit Institute.pdf Live Streaming information
Live-streaming of parish Sunday and weekday Masses and devotions
Below are further options for the live-streaming of parish Sunday and weekday Mass, as well as other devotions:
- Wittebome: Corpus Christi. See Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/corpus.christi.56679
- Table View: Church of the Resurrection. Mass will be live-streamed on Sundays at 9.00am and Tuesday to Friday at 8.30am, on the Table View Facebook page.
- Grassy Park: Our Lady Queen of Peace. Mass will be live-streamed on Sundays at 8.00am and Monday to Saturday at 8.30am on the Grassy Park Facebook page – you will need to join the group. The following will also be live-streamed: Rosary at 7.00pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday; Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help on Thursday at 7.00pm; and Stations of the Cross on Friday at 7.00pm.
- Parow: Immaculate Conception. Mass will be live-streamed on Sundays at 9.00am to the Immaculate Conception Facebook page.
- Stellenbosch: St Nicholas. Mass will be live-streamed to the Stellenbosch Catholic Church’s Facebook page every Sunday at 10.00am.
- Simon’s Town: Ss Simon & Jude. The following events will be live-streamed to the Simon’s Town Parish Facebook page. 1. Sunday Mass 9.00am; 2. Weeday Mass Tuesday – Friday 9.00am; 3. Stations of the Cross (every Friday) 6.00pm; 4. Daily reflection.
- Constantia: Our Lady of the Visitation. Sunday Mass at 09.00 will be posted to the Constantia Parish YouTube channel.
- Bergvliet: Holy Redeemer. The following will be live-streamed to the Holy Redeemer Catholic Church Bergvliet Facebook page: Mass on Sundays at 9.00am; Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help on Thursdays at 7.30pm; and Stations of the Cross on Fridays at 7.00pm. Still to come: a five minute meditation/teaching each day on the Eucharist.
- Kommetjie: St Norbert (incorporating St Andrew’s, Ocean View and St John’s, Fish Hoek). Every day, Sunday through to Saturday, there will be Morning Prayer of the Church at 8.30am, Benediction at 8.55am and Mass at 9.00am, all live-streamed to St. Norbert’s Priory Holy Mass Online Facebook page. There will also be Stations of the Cross live-streamed on the remaining Fridays of Lent at 7.30pm.
This list will be updated on an ongoing basis.
Stations of the Cross
stations-of-the-Cross-Youth-1.pdfHoly Thursday
Holy Thursday Para-Liturgy.pdf
Good Friday
Good Friday Prayer service at Home.pdfEaster Blessing
EASTER BLESSING
“On this Easter morning, let us look again at the lives we have been so generously given and let us let fall away the useless baggage that we carry – old pains, old habits, old ways of seeing and feeling – and let us have the courage to begin again. Life is very short, and we are no sooner here than it is time to depart again, and we should use to the full the time that we still have.
We don’t realize all the good we can do. A kind, encouraging word or helping hand can bring many a person through dark valleys in their lives. We weren’t put here to make money or to acquire status or reputation. We were sent here to search for the light of Easter in our hearts, and when we find it we are meant to give it away generously. The dawn that is rising this Easter morning is a gift to our hearts and we are meant to celebrate it and to carry away from this holy, ancient place the gifts of healing and light and the courage of a new beginning.”
~John O’Donohue