Embrace the flame, follow the footsteps.

Article by Alana Clark, 2024 College Captain.

In December 2023 the four College Captains attended a student leadership conference in Sydney at Saint Ignatius College Riverview. It was there we learnt more about our Jesuit lindage and gained inspiration for our 2024 College Motto.?

The 2024 College theme is:

‘Embrace the Flames, Follow the Footsteps’.?

In essence this means we all have individuality and passion that we must enthusiastically and willingly accept to use in our journey of service we are called along.?

Everyone's individual fire and passion joins the collective flame of the College, and Jesuit, Community. Go forth into the world and set it ablaze with your gifts and talents.?

The Flame itself is symbolic of an internal passion, what the individual is called to do, their purpose. The heat and persistent intensity of fire can be scary, even overwhelming. But, like fire, gifts and talents are powerful. Embracing the flame means to embrace and accept all the parts of the individual, to become a true and powerful person, disregarding negativity and any possibility of regret. The footsteps of Saint Ignatius of Loyola commonly inspire our Jesuit Community.?

To follow in the footsteps is to be motivated by the challenges endeavoured by those before us. The paths may appear lonely, frightening and filled with questioning doubts of ‘why should I even bother?’ But once you embrace your light, you can see the surrounding community and comfort in the footsteps of your mentors, friends, parents and community who have carved a path for you to take and make your own, which you can then fuel and encourage others to embrace their own gift.?

Myself, Curtis, Zoe and Thomas wish to celebrate the gifts and talents of people in our Saint Ignatius Community by starting a collection of articles of people, demonstrating their desire to embrace the flame and follow the footsteps of St Ignatius of Loyola.

My story of striving to embrace the flame and follows the footsteps lies in my longing to authentically connect and care for others. I feel called down a path of humanitarian work, it gives me an intangible sense of fulfilment I cannot find elsewhere.?

Most recently I was inspired by my experience with the JACSA Timor Leste Immersion, and travelled back to Timor Leste late January 2024. I felt as if there was a piece of me left behind in the country, something calling me to return. I stayed in the residency at the Railco Mission with four Jesuit Priests, one Jesuit Brother, two French Missionaries, a German software engineer and my lovely mother. The days consisted of teaching English, cooking on the feeding program and attending the medical clinic. There was an element of peace that I found within myself, a new awareness and sense of grounding and gratitude that allowed me to learn about the value in connection and community.