Dear Holy Cross Parents and Carers,

My son, Edward, is in Year 12 at St Andrew’s Catholic College. Recently he attended the ‘Year 12 Retreat’ and came home full of joy, invigorated by the experiences he had shared, clutching a bundle of memorabilia carefully archived by his Junior School teachers. We pawed over the memories they generated, then disappeared down a ‘worm hole’ together, emerging with the following pearl of wisdom gifted to him by his Year 2 teacher:

There’s something so special about the Irish way of speaking blessings. Their words aren’t just wishes, they feel like gifts wrapped in poetry, warmth, and a deep sense of love. This simple blessing carries such a lovely message: hope, kindness, and a gentle wish for goodness to come your way. The blessing prompted me to think about graciousness, a quality we don’t often name but one that shapes so much of the kind of people we want our children to become.

But graciousness isn’t just about good manners - though I’m always grateful for a well-timed please and thank you - it’s deeper than that.  Graciousness is a quality of the heart marked by generosity of spirit, instinctive kindness, and the ability to truly see and care for others especially when it’s not convenient.

One of my favourite stories shared by my grandmother captures this spirit. It’s the story of a little boy in hospital nervously holding onto his one-eyed teddy bear before an operation. When a nurse went to take the bear, the surgeon gently stopped her and said, “Leave teddy there; he needs attention too”. When the child regained consciousness, teddy was snuggled against the pillow, and across his missing eye was the neatest bandage a skilled surgeon could devise. It was a small act, but it’s quiet, thoughtful, heart-led impact was enormous. This act of kindness teaches children that their worries matter, that care comes in many forms, and that love often shows itself in the smallest of gestures. In our faith tradition, we might say it’s a way of recognising the image of God in every person.

At Holy Cross School, we strive to model grace daily: to correct with patience; laugh with kindness; listen with care; and, respond with calmness, so that our students can learn how to be gracious, and how to carry grace into the world without us having to say the word.

Graciousness is, in many ways, God’s compassion made visible. It’s not showy or loud, it doesn’t demand attention, it just leaves a lasting mark on hearts, in homes, and within our community.

So, let’s keep modelling grace for our children. Let’s teach them to speak with kindness, treat others well, act with empathy, care deeply, carry themselves with quiet dignity, and live with hearts that are open to others.

Let me leave you with one more Irish blessing to carry through your week because they’re hard to resist:

Fondest regards