July Jubilee Begins

Cnr Marshall and Boom, Belgravia, Johannesburg [t] (011) 614 6943 • [f ] (011) 614 8780 or (011) 624 3124 head@dominican.co.za

www.dominican.co.za dominicanconventschool dcsbelgravia

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p TRUTH IN OUR HEARTS Veritas, the Latin word for truth, is embroidered on the school badge that rests above every student's heart.

In the year 1216, Pope Honorius III officially founded the religious Order of Preachers (OP), also

known as the Dominican Order. The mission of this Order of Preachers was to share with others the truth about the God whom we contem-plate in our hearts. It is unlikely that anyone living in Europe at the time could have expected the global footprint of the Dominican Priests, Sisters and Brothers 800 years later.

Closer to home, the Congrega-tion of the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena of King Wil-liam’s Town was founded in 1877 by Mother Mauritia Tiefenboeck and her companions from Augs-

burg, Germany. The Sisters went on to found many schools in South Africa that opened their doors to all children and were outspoken at the injustice of apartheid South Africa.

On 30 July 2016, the Dominican schools of South Africa will mark the Jubilee anniversary of the Do-minican Order with a special Mass at St. Dominic's in Boksburg. This will be followed by workshops on a wide range of topics that celebrate the liturgy, music, and traditions of South African Dominican schools.

On 1 October, Dominican Con-vent School will host a Dominical cultural festival that aims to praise, bless, and preach truth through the visual and performing arts.

Throughout the Jubilee month, we will share more about the history and charism of the Dominican Order.

ETHOS

“In every human person there is a hunger for truth and for goodness, which is essentially our fundamental desire for God, who is truth and the good.

—CHARISM OF THE DOMINICAN ORDER

2–10 July Mid-Term Break

Monday, 11 July07:30 School Re-pens

High School Exams ContinueAXIS Leadership Summit at Wits

Tuesday, 12 JulyIP Exams BeginCreative Arts Practical Week

Wednesday, 13 July07:40 SAESC Meeting at Wits

Thursday, 14 JulySchool Mass (Readings – Grade 6D)SAESC Meeting at Wits

Friday, 15 JulySAESC Meeting at Wits High School Exams End

How often does the pursuit of Truth govern our thoughts, actions, and decisions? Are we motivated by a desire to live a life of Truth?

I believe these questions are par-ticularly relevant for us in a soci-ety where "truth" is increasingly defined by loudness, orthodoxy and the use of extreme language—even violence—as evidence of a perspective's validity. Social media and ubiquitous internet connectiv-ity have both amplified and pro-liferated these messages of "truth." For many— particularly young people—this has led to society polarising people who are guided by moral relativism or people who are guided by a moral code that is considered absolute and not open to interpretation. Both positions can undermine the creation of society founded upon justice, filled

with compassion, and dedicated to the advancement of the com-mon good.

The search for Truth in a sea of conflicting belief systems and moral ambivalence is not new. At Jesus' trial, Pontius Pilate, on the outskirts of a Roman Empire that encompassed vastly different geography, religions, and cultures, asked the famous question, "Truth, What is that?"

Christ declared that He came into the world to testify to the Truth. For Christians, Truth ref lects that which is consistent with the will of God. This then should be our pursuit as individuals and as a com-munity, as we try and live a life that ref lects God's will. A will in which Truth, honesty, and integrity ultimately define who we are.

St Dominic, the founder of the Dominican Order who's 800th jubilee we celebrate this year, made the word of God accessible to the people of Europe who could not read and write. These men and women were being taken advan-tage of by those who abused their power, status, and education for personal gain. St Dominic's work to educate people about God broke the systems of graft and corruption around him. His work also brought people closer to God.

In this month where we celebrate our Dominican heritage, let us strive to live as St Dominic did, and seek, speak, and live the Truth.

graham howarthExecutive Headmaster

Mr Graham Howarth, Headmaster ¡ Mrs Dalene Rostovsky, Head of Primary School Mrs Rosalia Motha, HS RE Co-ordinator ¡ Mr Sidrick Moore, Director of Boarding ¡ Mrs Kathleen Whitaker, Director of AdminParent Council queries to: head@dominican.co.za

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Upcoming Events

30 DAYS DOMINICAN ORDER 800TH BIRTHDAY COUNTDOWN

Seek, Speak, Live the TruthFROM THE HEADMASTER'S DESK