Veritas and Unity

Becky and I had the unique opportunity to be invited to a special event here in Sydney. On Tuesday the 13th of June we both went to Santa Sabina (a private school in Strathfield) for a Veritas Dinner. This post is a rundown of that experience along with a short post about something really cool that St. Lucy's does. 

Santa Sabina

Veritas

Truth. The motto of many institutions is Veritas. The search for truth is something that we all undertake at some point in life. Honestly, in my humble opinion, we are always looking for our own truth. I know I currently am.

The Veritas dinner is an event that happens roughly four times a year at Santa Sabina College in Strathfield, NSW. The attendees are all people who are connected to the Dominican Sisters of Eastern Australia and the Solomon Islands and their guests. The sisters invited Becky and I to come and join them.

When I asked my host mom Helen what a Veritas dinner was like she described it as a gathering of friends of the Dominicans where they explore friendship and an 'issue' over dinner and wine. When you go to them you'll see people that may not be around as much as usual but will come to the dinner to reconnect and gather.

The placemat at my table

The topic for this dinner was climate change (an extremely relevant topic). Along with the invitation to the dinner, a reading is provided that relates to the topic. When you arrive at the dinner there is a period of mingling where appetizers are served and everyone spends time talking to others. I got to meet some people that were from around the world that all have some connection to the Santa Sabina community or the Sisters.

As dinner begins ( a potluck of sorts) everyone draws a name from a bowl and you are randomly assigned to a table. This time the tables were named after environmentalists in the Pacific. Dinner starts with a hymn sung by everyone in attendance and then conversation and eating commenced. The people at my table were extremely kind and welcoming. It was funny because Becky and I were the youngest two people at the dinner by several years.

It was interesting being an American at a dinner on climate change with a group of Australians. I'm not going to speak about my political leanings on this blog, but as a chemistry major, not 'believing' in science doesn't really make sense to me. I enjoyed hearing what others thought about the current policies on climate change and what duty we have as members of the global society in lessening the effects of climate change. 

My table name (look her up, she's pretty amazing!)

The conversation was stimulating and definitely a conversation that I wouldn't have had the opportunity to have elsewhere. I felt extremely welcome, the food was filling and the dessert was delicious! I just want to thank the Sisters for having us! I am extremely grateful to have the opportunity.

St. Lucy's and Knox School

A quick bit about St. Lucy's here! So the oval (our equivalent of a field where you play for recess) backs up to the gates of two different schools. On Wednesdays, there is a super special opportunity that is for the year 4, 5 and 6 children.

The students from Knox and the other school come to St. Lucy's to play! The boys from Knox enjoy it just as much as the kids from St. Lucy's do. The way all of the kids play together like there is no difference between them (just the way it should be). It is my understanding that the boys from Knox got a lesson explaining the fact that the students at St. Lucy's have disabilities and may sometimes need a little bit more TLC.

I love that the schools create this environment of fun and unity for the kids. Just a quick shout out to them all! I love seeing the joy and laughter and genuine friendships made. That's all for now!

Go Friars!