Communio: a report on the second gathering

Approximately 50 participants made of school leaders, HODs and SMC Chairpersons attended the second gathering of Communio last Friday afternoon. Montfort Secondary was our gracious host.

Michael de Silva, our guest speaker, facilitated the afternoon’s reflection and discussion on “Leader-educators in Catholic Schools & Catholic leader-educators: living the values and culture.”

Working with the participants, he identified four areas of concern that school leaders of Catholic schools face:

• the situation of increasing secularism in our schools
• the need to rethink the policy of affiliation between primary and secondary schools
• the question of “what do our schools exists for?"
• the involvement and quality of Catholics as teachers and leaders in our schools

In raising these concerns, Michael challenged participants to think beyond management. School leaders, he pointed out, are leaders when they are willing to grapple with tensions and problems faced and to find creative ways to respond to them. Leaders lead, not manage. He also singled out the need for Catholic school leaders to be clear about the rationale for Catholic schools. A school leader who clearly understands this will be able to lead the school better.

Throughout the afternoon, there was a healthy exchange of views, as there was a sense of a community sharing and seeking ways to better lead our schools.

Communio: second gathering

The second gathering of Communio will take place on Friday, 27 June. It will begin at 2.30pm at Montfort Secondary School.

The topic for the afternoon is "Leader-educators in Catholic Schools and Catholic leader-educators: Living the Values and Cultures."

Our guest speaker is Mr Michael de Silva. Drawing on his years as an educator, school leader and someone who is presently working in the fields of educational leadership, Michael will share with us his thoughts on the topic. He will be speaking in his personal capacity.

Besides Michael's presentation, the afternoon will include small group sharing and a learning journey to the Church of Nativity, where we will end the afternoon with Mass. Our hosts are Montfort Secondary School.

You are most welcome to attend. Kindly contact Ms Shirley Louis if you wish to participate. She may be contacted at the telephone number listed on this page.

Communio: where school leaders and educators in Singapore Catholic education gather to share and learn, to grow as persons and educators, to build comunity together. We meet once a school term.

photo: jump, like this by byron realey

Developing School Culture (4): Display of Symbols

Symbols have been used by the Christian Church since the earliest ages for many reasons. In general, Christian symbols remind believers and non-believers of God’s presence and God’s divine activity in human space and time, as well as in the lives of holy men and women.

Indeed, Christian symbols in Catholic schools help all to be aware of God’s continuing and loving presence in the myriad experiences of learning, teaching and growing as a community.

In this day of increasing secularization, the Christian symbols our schools display and celebrate have the important role of teaching the faith to Catholics, as well as of telling the story of God’s goodness in the lives of all peoples.

Some of our schools share the symbols they display and celebrate below.

from Assumption Vocational Institute

Every room has a crucifix on a wall. There are statues around the Institute: the statue of St Louis Marie de Montfort and 2 statues of Our Lady of the Assumption are placed within the Institute compound.

To learn more about how AVI displays the statues and crucifix, please contact Mr. Paul Choong, Tel: 67659074.

from CHIJ Katong Convent (Secondary)

The school displays statues and images of Our Lady, the Infant Jesus and Blessed Nicolas Barre around the school premises.

To learn more about how CHIJ Katong Convent displayed the statues and images, please contact Ms Lam Ai-Leen, Tel: 64486433.


from CHIJ Our Lady Queen of Peace
There is a crucifix in every classroom and special room. A large crucifix is also displayed at the Hall, the main school entrance and the Prayer Room.

A statue Our Lady is at the grotto, pond and at the Amphitheatre. A statue of the Guardian Angel is at the school gate (entrance).

To learn more about how CHIJ Our Lady Queen of Peace displayed the images, please contact Mrs Clare Lewis, Tel: 67691529.


from Maris Stella High
During Lent, purple cloth is draped over the cross to remind the school of the season of Lent. With Easter, it is draped with a golden shimmering cloth to remind all that Jesus has risen.

To learn more about how Maris Stella High School displayed the images during Lent, please contact: Mr Paul Kwok Weng Yee, kwok_weng_yee@moe.edu.sg.

from Monfort Junior
Crucifixes are displayed in every classroom. The images of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary are displayed at the entrance to Montfort Junior. The statue of Our Founder, St Louis Marie de Montfort, is also displayed at the main entrance to the school.

To learn more about how Montfort Junior displayed the images, please contact Mr James Chng, Tel: 65101593.

from St Gabriel’s Secondary
The school displays the story of the life of St Louis de Montfort on its noticeboards and has a statue of St Louis in the school premises.

Paintings of the Annunciation and Jesus inviting children to himself are displayed at the school front lobby. The Hail Mary Prayer is also on display there.

The Lord’s Prayer is displayed on the front wall of assembly courtyard.

There are crucifixes in every room.

To learn more about how St Gabriel’s Secondary displayed the images, please contact Mr Francis Foong, Tel 64813573.



from St Joseph’s Institution International
There is a crucifix in every teaching space in the school including the offices and public places like the canteen and Hall.

The Angelus bells are rung every noon and at 6.00pm. They are also rung for 5 minutes before morning prayer and Friday Mass. The bells remind all of the Lord's invitation to prayer.

To learn more about how St Joseph’s Inst International displayed and conducted the ritual, please contact The Brother President, broughton@sji.moe.edu.sg.

from St Joseph’s Institution Junior
Hanging in each classroom is a crucifix and the Founder’s portrait. A mural depicting Founder’s life and another one on Noah’s Ark is displayed in the school.

To learn more about how St Joseph’s Institution Junior displayed, please contact Mr David Ching, ching_kin_hin@moe.gov.sg.

Developing School Culture (3): Heroes

Heroes inspire us. They allow us to dream dreams of who and what we want to become in the future.

In our schools, the stories we tell of our school heroes - the founders, teachers and students who have made a difference - are often seeds from which our young begin their own growth into the fullness of the persons they eventually become.

Some of our schools now share the stories of heroes they celebrate.


from Assumption Vocational Institute:

Our successful alumni are our heroes. From being school drop outs to graduates with a university education, these are our real heroes. The Brothers too are our heroes, in their exemplary dedication to help the poor and underprivileged and also in educating them.

To learn more about how AVI celebrates these stories, please contact Mr. Paul Choong, Tel: 67659074.

from CHIJ Katong Convent (Secondary):

The school celebrates the life and works of Blessed Nicolas Barre, founder of the IJ Sisters.

To learn more about how CHIJ Katong Convent conducts these, please contact Ms Lam Ai-Leen, Tel: 64486433.

from CHIJ Our Lady Queen of Peace:

The school adopted a patron – Our Lady Queen of Peace – and changed its name in June 2007 to reflect the adoption. The school shares the qualities and virtues of Our Lady Queen of Peace with the pupils and staff in the hope they will emulate her.

To learn more about how CHIJ Our Lady Queen of Peace celebrates the life of Our Lady, please contact Mrs Clare Lewis, Tel: 67691529.

from Maris Stella High:

The school celebrates the Marist Teacher of the Year and Marist Student of the Year.

To learn more about how Maris Stella High School celebrates these heroes, please contact: Mr Paul Kwok Weng Yee, kwok_weng_yee@moe.edu.sg

from Marymount Convent:

Every teacher and student is a hero because it is expected that they will live their lives based on the LIGHT values of the school. In this way, each is a hero for another.

To learn more about how Marymount Convent conducts these, please contact Ms Angela Tan, Angela_TAN@moe.gov.sg

from Monfort Junior:

The lives of Jesus and St Louis Marie de Monfort are shared with the students.

To learn more about how Montfort Junior celebrates the lives of Jesus and St Louis, please contact Mr James Chng, Tel: 65101593

from SJI Institution International:

As part of the Religious Education Programme, students are asked to write about the heroes in their lives. They are also introduced to the lives of St John Baptist de la Salle and other inspiring men and women.

To learn more about how St Joseph’s International conducts these, please contact The Brother President, broughton@sji.moe.edu.sg



from SJI Institution Junior:

The school celebrates the physical presence of Br Edmund and Br Michael in the school. Many old boys who are currently studying in SJI or St Patrick’s visit are an inspiration to the younger boys. Stories in the school’s annuals of old boys who have answered God’s calling to become priests and brothers are also shared.

To learn more about how St Joseph’s Institution Junior conducts these, please contact Mr David Ching, ching_kin_hin@moe.gov.sg

Learning about Catholic schools and Catholic Education (3)

The final document in our series on "Learning about Catholic schools and Catholic Education" is "The Religious Dimension of Education in a Catholic School." It was published in 1998.

The document begins by recognizing that not all students in Catholic schools are members of the Catholic Church or Christians. Our Catholic schools in Singapore have a similar profile. While it advocates that the religious freedom and the personal conscience of individual students and their families must be respected, it reminds us that a Catholic school cannot relinquish its own freedom to proclaim the Gospel and to offer a formation based on the values to be found in a Christian education.

You may read the document by clicking the photograph above.

photo: cjc rugby players in action /courtesy of Catholic JuniorsCollege