“Here we stand to serve the many in the faith we’re called towards…”
The College Patron, St Stephen offers us a guide to following in Christ’s footsteps. Inspired by Stephen’s actions and witness, we aspire to live out the values of faith, service and courage in all that we do.
FAITH
Having faith means to have complete trust and confidence in something. Having faith in others requires us to trust that each person is inherently good and made in the image and likeness of God. We embrace the individual gifts, talents, wisdom and capabilities of each person, and support and challenge each other to meet our full human potential.
Our shared faith calls us to have an awareness of God’s presence and give ourselves to the fullness of life. It is the strength we need to overcome uncertainty, indifference, or desire for control.
St Stephen showed great faith in God even to the point of his death. His witness shows us that having faith doesn’t mean that you will have no worries or won’t make mistakes, but we can surrender our anxieties to God and to each other.
In our aspiration to live with faith, we ask ourselves:
- Who do I find it difficult to see the good in?
- What unhelpful worries am I holding on to?
SERVICE
St Stephen was appointed as the first deacon to serve his community by helping those in need. We are also called to be people of service in demonstrating generosity, working for social justice and being stewards of our environment.
Pitching in to work when people need a hand is the St Stephen’s way. We do this by saying our service mantra “How can I help?” as a way to show support within our college community. It helps us to become more like St Stephen as when we say it, we’re offering our time and energy to serve others without any expectation of reward.
In our aspiration to be people of service, we ask ourselves:
- Do I offer my assistance to others with no expectation of reward?
- Am I generous with my time and energy?
COURAGE
St Stephen’s courage in the face of danger reminds us that on occasion, we will be called upon to do hard things. Living courageously requires us to use our voice and agency to stand up for what is right and persevere in times of hardship. We also aspire to be true to ourselves and our values, take risks, give our best and bravely ask for help when needed. Sometimes we fail and are embarrassed or hurt, but following St Stephen means we give our best the next time too.
In our aspiration to live courageously, we ask ourselves:
- Whose voices are not heard in our school?
- How am I letting myself be held back by fear?
