Academic Mass Speech
Term 1 2016
Cassidy Wood
There are so many adjectives that can be used to describe
women. Compassionate, generous, bold, driven, confident,
creative, eloquent, and many more. I think one of the most simple
and common adjectives to describe women, however, is
“beautiful”. There are so many levels to being beautiful, and I can’t
even begin to scratch the surface on the vast topic of what it
means to see beauty. I think the best I can do is refer to Kahlil
Gibran’s “The Prophet” wherein he speaks to us of Beauty and
says the following:
Beauty is not a need but an ecstasy.
It is not a mouth thirsting nor an empty hand stretched forth,
But rather a heart inflamed and a soul enchanted.
…
Beauty is life when life unveils her holy face.
But you are life and you are the veil.
Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in the mirror.
But you are eternity and you are the mirror.
Good morning Sacred Heart and guests. Today is our first
opportunity to meet as an entire school in 2016. This Academic
Mass celebrates St. Angela Merici’s Feast Day that occurred
yesterday on the 27th of January. St. Angela strived to attain
education for girls by founding The Ursuline Order in the early
1500s – the foundation of gender equality in Catholic education,
and furthermore what led to Sacred Heart College becoming a coeducational school. I admire St. Angela, from a young leader’s
point of view, because she strongly believed in selfless service –
as she said, “Reflect that in reality, you have a greater need to
serve than they have of your service.” Could we please take an
attitude to pray our prayer for St. Angela Merici. In the name of
The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit.
St. Angela, you were not afraid to change. You did not let
stereotypes keep you from serving. Help us to overcome our fear
of change in order to follow God’s call, and allow others to follow
theirs. Amen.
Now of course I’ve felt so many positive influences from all the
women in my life – be it family members, friends, teachers, or even
school acquaintances. It’s impossible for me to focus on one
particular instance when I felt a woman so positively impacted my
life, because I feel as though these miracles of empowerment
happen each and every day. One of my most liberating moments I
have felt as a young woman in this school, however, was when the
LLC of 2015 organized talks about sexual harassment, at which all
the girls of the high school – from Grade 7 all the way through to
Matric – sat in a massive circle and spoke freely about very
personal matters. I found there to be a beautifully welcoming and
comforting mood between all the girls. I think it takes an incredibly
special school environment to be able to speak so freely in front of
so many girls about any important personal issues, knowing that
there will be no judgment passed on whatever you have to say.
The sense of unity I felt in that hour or so, to me, epitomizes the
exact sense of unity Sacred Heart has strived to achieve.
I want to re-iterate how lucky we are to have the privileged and
equal education we receive in Sacred Heart. I know studying in a
co-ed school has helped me to grow in confidence and strength as
a woman while being so integrated with both other females and
males. I think it’s also important to note, though, that education is
not the only measure of how invaluable a woman is. This little
thought summarizes how I feel about wisdom:
Being "smart" is a gift and an ability.
Being "clever" is a gift and the ability to manage being "smart".
Being "intelligent" is a gift and the ability to know what to do with
being "smart" and "clever".
Being "wise" is a gift and the ability to find the harmony in being all
the other three.
What I’m trying to express with this little thought in this context is
that sometimes the wisest people in this world are those with
untamed minds.
In closing, I’d like you all to please think of a time, or a few times,
when a woman in your life has inspired you to feel beautiful – both
inside and out. As you think of this, I’ll repeat something I said in a
reflection last year that I don’t think people can’t be reminded of
enough: Of course you’re stunning - but that’s not for me to say,
it’s for you to feel.