BIS Correspondent
WADALA, JUNE 21, 2011: The commencement of the new academic year began with the Principal, Fr. Bernard Fernandes, welcoming both the staff and the students after their well deserved summer break.
To the students he said that a fresh new syllabus, a fresh new outlook, a fresh new challenge awaited them. He asked them to prepare themselves to overcome all the obstacles that they may come across in their academics for the new scholastic year.
He also wished all the tehing staff and the students, a serene and fruitful year ahead.
A prayer service was organized on June 16 to usher in the New Academic Year and also to welcome and introduce to the students, the new members of the Management Team the Rector – Fr. Godfrey De Sa, and the Assistant Parish Priest – Fr. Vivian D’Souza who would also be the student counselor.
In his message to the students Fr. Godfrey reminded the students that success doesn’t come easy and gave them an excellent example of the eagle that lives for seventy years. In order to reach this age, the eagle must make a hard decision. In its Fortieth year its long and flexible talons can no longer grab prey which serves as food. Its long and sharp beak becomes bent. It's old-aged and heavy wings, due to their thick feathers, stick to its chest and make it difficult to fly. Then, the eagle is left with only two options: DIE or go through a painful process of CHANGE that lasts hundred and fifty days. The process requires that the eagle fly to a mountain top and sit on its nest. There the eagle knocks its beak against a rock until it plucks it out. It awaits the growth of a new beak with the help of which the eagle plucks out its talons. With the growth of new talons, the eagle plucks its old-aged feathers. And after five months, the eagle takes its famous flight of rebirth and lives for thirty additional years. Fr. Godfrey left us with a beautiful thought. He said, many times, in order to survive we have to start a change process. We sometimes need to get rid of old memories, habits and other past traditions. Only when freed from past burdens, can we take advantage of the present.
A beautiful insight indeed to begin the new academic year!