Di Priest, Director, School Chaplaincy ACT
Second Sunday of Easter — 7 April 2013
John 20.19-30
Di Priest told us about the work of school chaplains in the ACT. In today's Gospel, the resurrected Jesus spoke to his disciples and said, "Peace be with you!". A power-filled greeting indeed! Then he breathed on them the breath of the Spirit.
Chaplains live out the peace of Christ and to share His peace in their school community.
Di shared this poem of hers about peace (reproduced with her permission):
Pictures of peace
Peace is not in forgetting
The shadows of the past give
Shape to the present
Burial is never an end
Peace is not in being busy
Worn striving and weary stumbling
Rushing to perceive the rules,
Seeking acceptance
Peace is not in remaining aloof
The lonely untouched life
Corrosive rust that renders us
Brittle and weak
Peace is not in the silent inactivity
That comes from lethargy
Surface sweetness and
Compromise
Peace is the suckled infant
Lying close to Gad's mother heart
Warm, secure ,
Held in an adoring gaze
Peace knows the Father's strength
Sovereign power
Present within the storm
Peace is yielding all
Brokenness, confusion
And imperfection
Seeing beauty in God's creation
Peace is a focus of energy
Meeting needs within needs
Nurturing fellowship
Peace is felt in laughter
Free movement towards wholeness
Delight, playful abandonment in the moment
Peace is God's perfect gift
Purpose, positive and
Pleasing when known
© Di Priest
School Chaplaincy ACT is the leading provider of School Chaplains in the Territory. Through positive and supportive relationships, School Chaplaincy ACT aims to help young people with everyday life issues, as well as the more critical ones like substance abuse, relationship issues, family breakdown, stress, anxiety and low self-esteem.
More than ever, our children and young people need positive role models and strong values. As adults, we want our kids to develop skills and strategies to break negative cycles in their lives.
School Chaplaincy ACT chaplains provide spiritual and emotional support to school communities. They are in the prevention and support business: helping students find a better way to deal with issues ranging from family breakdown and loneliness to drug abuse, stress and anxiety. They provide a listening ear and a caring presence for kids in crisis and those who just need a friend. They also provide support for staff and parents in school communities.