Dean of Identity | Mr Charles Brauer

Prophetic by name and nature

A key phrase that is synonymous with driving Edmund Rice education is “making a difference”. Running parallel to this phrase is another phrase that always stands out to me – “making a prophetic difference”. Are we to be the prophets of today forecasting the future of our world?  Sounds a little too supernatural for me. However, by challenging our thinking a little and reorientating our thinking around “prophetic difference” we a drawn closer to understanding this concept as extraordinarily powerful. To make a “prophetic” difference, one has to have courageous conviction with going against the grain of social norms and expectations. Furthermore, in our Catholic context, one is challenged to be counter-cultural in light of the Gospel.  To keep it simple, while borrowing a phrase from the Prophet Micah, one is called to “act justly, love tenderly and to walk humbly with God.”  

This week marked the final Year 9 Camp and Micah retreat, which is the last time boys journey out to Maroon Dam with their House groups.  

The Year 9 students participate in a variety of activities on camp that further develop a range of skills.  Teamwork, leadership and self confidence are crucial skills in developing young men, taught tactfully by Mr Toby Gowland and the GTOEC staff.  

Broken into House groups, Years 7, 8 and 9 camps are followed by retreats.  The House Dean and other members of the Campus Ministry team meet the boys on Thursday afternoon at the GTOEC to conclude the week with retreat.  The Year 9 retreat theme is 'Micah'.  The Prophet Micah is known best for challenging others to “act justly, love tenderly and to walk humbly with God.”  

Micah’s virtues sound great, but have little meaning for Year 9s if not put into proper context and made applicable to teenage life.  Through a variety of activities, we try to illustrate the connection to Micah’s virtues through awareness of self, awareness of others and awareness of God in our everyday life.  We challenge the boys to apply this awareness in practical ways that aim to develop humility.  

We recognise that making an effort to have this type of awareness is uncommon among teenage boys.  However, it is in developing such humility that we know leads to the growth of truly wise young men.