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Mr Li, Rev Fathers, Sisters, Ladies and Gentlemen, Staff, Graduates and Students of St Louis Old Boys' College & Tung Chi College
It is my pleasant duty as Supervisor of our two colleges to welcome our Guest of Honour, Mr Li, and all of you to this year's Graduation Ceremony. We are sincerely and deeply grateful to you all, but especially to Mr Li, for sacrificing your own convenience in order to be with us this evening. It clearly shows the high value you place on education and your presence here is a source of comfort and encouragement to our present and future graduates.
We are living in uncertain times, but for those of us who have already completed ten or more lustra we can view them with a certain equanimity. For our graduates, however, it is not the same. They have to face the future with a sense of foreboding and trepidation which must be quite daunting. It is our task as educators to prepare them for that future so that regardless of what it holds in store for them they will not be found wanting.
The rapid and profound changes through which our society is passing have triggered problems and resulted in imbalances of such a nature and urgency as our society has never faced before. They are felt worldwide, but they have a special impact on us because of our peculiar historical situation. Those most affected by these problems and imbalances are the young. They are affected and suffer all the more as education, which is supposed to prepare and strengthen them for their role in society, has itself proved not sufficiently able to keep pace with the rapidly changing conditions and has lost some of its balance. It has failed to give that human and social training and preparedness which the situation in our times demands and which you have the right to receive.
Many of the problems confronting you today and the difficulties you experience in meeting their challenge are partly the result of our "sins of omission". We who are responsible for your education and training have to admit that in our ideas, approaches and practices we have all too often rested complacently satisfied in the false security of traditional forms and approaches. We have allowed ourselves to become part and instrument of an ailing society when we should have been visionaries and even revolutionaries in a positive and constructive manner. It would take too long to adequately deal with the social responsibility of the school, and in particular the Catholic school, and its internal organisation, on the occasion of a graduation ceremony. The subject itself is of fundamental importance since it is at the root of many of our problems. We are not here treating of this or that social problem demanding our attention, but rather of the school itself as a social problem and responsibility. Without an enlightened handling and a satisfactory solution of this problem it will be extremely difficult to fulfil the social mission of the school in helping you to develop a sense of social awareness and responsibility and to ready you for society's heavier burdens after you graduate.
The aim of all sound education in which the family, the school, the Church and society share is the formation of the human person with respect to his ultimate goal and simultaneously, with respect to the good of those societies of which, as a man, he is a member, and in whose responsibilities, as an adult, he will share. You should be trained to take part in social life, so that by proper instruction in necessary and useful skills, you can become actively involved in various community organisations, be ready for dialogue with others, and be willing to act energetically on behalf of the common good.
The social education of which I am speaking in this context aims at the fundamental social attitude which is the basis and prerequisite for all active involvement in any form of social life; social awareness, social responsibility, a sense of social justice, and the basic skills for responsible and constructive life in a community.
To impart this kind of education, it is important that we have classroom teaching of a sound social doctrine. This, however, by itself, is not sufficient. It is the sacred duty of every school to inculcate in their students sound and solid social principles. This teaching has to be done in frank and realistic openness to the actual social problems of the society in which you live. But unless this teaching is accompanied by the experience of a well-working and well-ordered community or society, and unless you are given therein a chance of practising the fundamental social virtues, the knowledge you receive will remain largely theoretical and little understood.
The family is the first school of those social virtues which every healthy society needs. It is through the family that you are gradually introduced into civic partnership with your fellowmen. This social education is achieved in the family as a school of social and civic attitudes. It is achieved not so much by teaching as by offering you, the children, the experience of living in a community, in an atmosphere of charity and mutual respect, of order and discipline, of the right balance between authority and freedom, of cooperation and joint responsibility.
It is for the school to continue building upon the foundation laid by the family. Of course the school is different from the family, and school life is different from family life, and that is as it should be. The difference will and must change and widen, and so must the structure of the community, as you advance in years, from kindergarten to university. The warm personal relationship within the family will and must, in the school, gradually change into a more objective one; but it is the same social virtues that are to be further developed, deepened and widened.
The task of making the school a kind of formative model of social life and social relationship, a practical training ground for social responsibility and action, fully open to the needs of contemporary society and of each country is our concern. Our question is not so much: what has the school to teach and to do, but rather: what must the school be, as a community and as part of the community of the people, in order to fulfil its social mission and to become, by itself and through its graduates a saving leaven in the human family.
To mound the school into such a formative community is by no means an easy task. We must be fully aware of the many difficulties arising from profound changes in our society, in the family and in school education. With good will, however, much can be done. With your cooperation and that of your family the task of the school will be lessened. You have serious responsibilities as students, responsibilities which cannot be delegated to others and which only you can bear. You are the future and what that future will be will depend, in large measure, on what you are now. You must hasten to make up for past omissions and deficiencies and channel the tremendous energies of your youth towards an effective and constructive "revolution" which will lead to a better world in which the dignity and integrity of the human person is preserved and human society is renewed.
At school we endeavour to give you social training and also to provide you with ample opportunities to take upon yourselves personal and social responsibilities according to your age and growth. You must become more and more aware that you, too, are responsible for others and for the whole school community. The scope for extra-curricular activities we provide plays an important role in this regard. The activities provided whether in sports, arts, research or any other field, foster the spirit of cooperation, free initiative, submission to order and rules and help potential leaders to develop. They also offer opportunities to cooperate and compete with similar groups in other schools. In taking part in these activities you must keep your eyes and hearts open to the problems and needs of the people around you.
The school, however, cannot fulfil its social mission if it is not truly a part of the society in which it exists. In this respect we endeavour to structure the school in such a manner that it fits into society and we are careful that its administration respects the just laws and customs of our government. There are times, however, when this becomes difficult to achieve because of the "system" in vogue. The relationship between administration and staff must be such as to set an example of how a healthy society should work. Today, when the ideas of democracy, freedom and personal responsibility are stressed so forcefully, this relationship will, in many ways, have to be different from what it was in the past.
The school community comprises chiefly teachers and students. The extent to which you will be helped to develop basic social attitudes and social virtues will depend greatly on the functioning of this community and the relationship between teachers and students. It has to be a relationship in which mutual respect, shared responsibility, the right balance between authority and freedom, between guidance and personal initiative are exemplified and experienced.
The teacher meets you first of all in the classroom. He has to teach his subject and teach it well. He should, however, do it in such a way that the class in front of him is not considered a faceless mass, but a group of living persons, each of whom needs special attention, encouragement and sincere interest. He must not be satisfied with just pouring out specialised knowledge into the heads of his students in a utilitarian manner, but he must teach his subject as an integral part of universal truth. He must teach his students in such a way that with and through the pursuit of knowledge man himself is cultivated so that there results a growth in his ability to wonder, to understand, to contemplate, to make personal judgements and to develop a religious, moral and social sense. The eagerness to acquire knowledge must grow and deepen into sincere love for truth and the whole truth. As far as the subject suggests and allows, the teacher should help the student to see its relevance to human and social life.
In the classroom and in your studies, you must not remain passively on the receiving end, but you must actively cooperate and be responsible partners in the search for truth. Youth is a time both of temptation and hesitation. But a young person through all these temptations and hesitations becomes "someone" because he finds his own way.
To be able to change structures it is necessary above all to change hearts. Peace is born in the human heart and it dies in the human heart.
If you want to be guaranteed a future rich in possibilities and hopes, take advantage of the benefits offered you by your parents and teachers. Shun mediocrity, and you will make no small contribution to the development of your school and your city.
In times of darkness, do not seek an escape. Have the courage to resist the dealers in deception who make capital of your hunger for happiness and who make you pay dearly for a moment of "artificial paradise" – a whiff of smoke, a bout of drinking or drugs. What claims to be a shortcut to happiness leads nowhere. It turns you away from that intelligent self-discipline which builds up the person. Have the courage not to take the easy path: have the courage to reverse you direction when you discover you are on the wrong road. Know how to lend a helping hand to those of your companions who are haunted by despair when the darkness of the world is too cruel for them.
Only conversion of heart can assure a change of structures to lead to a new and better world. To put one's trust in violent means in the hope of restoring more justice is to become the victim of a fatal illusion. Violence beget's violence and degrades man. Some of you may be tempted to take flight from responsibility: in the fantasy world of drugs, in short-lived sexual relationships, in indifference, in cynicism and even in violence.
Be on your guard against the fraud of a world that wants to exploit or misdirect your energetic and powerful quest for happiness and meaning. Open your hearts and your consciences to the one who knows you better than you know yourselves. Talk to him. Deepen your knowledge of the word of the living God by reading and meditating on the Scriptures.
Love rejoices in the truth. Seek out the truth where it is really to be found. If necessary be resolved to go against the current of popular opinion and propaganda slogans. Do not be afraid of the love that places clear demands on people. These demands, as you find them in the constant teaching we give, are capable of making your love a true love. The Apostle says: "Young people, you are strong," all that is needed is that "the word of God abide in you? Then you will succeed in getting at the hidden workings of evil, and you will gradually succeed in changing the world, transforming it, making it more human, more fraternal, and at the same time more of God.
Conscience is the most important dimension of time and history. For history is written not only by the events which happen from outside. It is written first of all from within. It is the history of human consciences, of moral victories and defeats. This is that interior treasure whereby man goes beyond himself in the direction of eternity.
It is my hope that youth will provide you with a sturdy basis of sound principles, and that your conscience will reach that mature clear-sightedness which will enable each of you to remain always a person of conscience, a person of principles, a person who inspires trust.
Remember that Jesus in the Gospel asked us not to set ourselves up as judges. You rightly expect your elders to accept you with tolerance and to respect you for what you are. You must do the same for them.
Let me conclude by thanking the teaching, administrative, and ancillary staffs for a job well-done. Keep it up. Our congratulations are also due to our Graduates and Prize winners for their hard work and good behaviour. Finally thanks to you parents for the confidence you placed in us by entrusting your children to our care. May God bless and reward you all.
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