Dean of Identity | Mr Charles Brauer
Why Mt Sion?
A place of belonging. A place of sharing. A place of hope. With utmost confidence and pride, I could use these very same phrases to describe the type of community each individual of our Terrace Family commits to nurturing and building. This strong communal aspiration follows a path established 2000 years ago - a path uniquely strengthened in 1802. A path affirmed this week at Terrace. This path is the path of Mt Sion.
Our Catholic tradition holds that Mt Sion (Hebrew ‘Zion’) was the upper room site of the Last Supper. Additionally, it is widely accepted that it was the gathering site for the very first Christians. This Jewish-Christian community was inspired by the Gospel and life of Jesus and determined to authentically follow the way of Jesus. In this place of gathering and reflection, the very first Christians found belonging, shared their hopes and fears and prayed for strength and courage to follow the way of Jesus despite being outcasts.
In 1802, Blessed Edmund Rice followed the path of Mt Sion by deliberately naming his first school in Waterford, Ireland ‘Mt Sion’. Interestingly, and quite deliberately, by naming his first school ‘Mt Sion’ Edmund Rice chose a Christian name for his school that is not especially Catholic. So why Mt Sion?
According to Associate Professor Denis McLaughlin, well-regarded Ricean scholar, Mt Sion was chosen by Edmund Rice to highlight the inclusivity of his model of education. By not choosing an exclusive Catholic name for his first school, he was proclaiming to Irish society that his school was open to all. Having said this, by its nature, Edmund’s Mt Sion was extraordinarily Catholic. Just as was the original Mt Sion for the first Christians, Edmund Rice’s schools have been, and continue to be, an experience of companionship, refuge, love and nourishment.
Our Terrace Mt. Sion was established in 1989 under the leadership of Br Tony White. This affirmed to our Terrace Family the College’s commitment to following the path of Mt Sion through building a community of belonging, sharing and hope for all, particularly our students. With the reopening of our renewed Mt Sion this week, we have renewed our commitment to the path of Mt Sion that was established 2000 years ago.
