“The only way to make a difference with a boy is to give him powerful experiences that speak to his inner life, that speak to his soul and let him know that he is entitled to have the full range of human experience…. We have never met a boy who didn’t crave his parents’ love and others’ acceptance and who didn’t feel crippled by their absence or redeemed by their abundance. Strong and healthy boys are made strong by acceptance and affirmation of their humanity. We all have the chance to do that every day, every time we are in the presence of a boy and we have a chance to say to him, ‘I recognize you. You are a boy – full of life, full of dreams, full of feeling.’ (Raising Cain, pg271)
At St John’s we recognize that you have given us an opportunity to share in your primary responsibility of growing your sons into young men. In this regard 2012 sees the continuation of the Wilderness Rites of Passage Journey – iHlane -‐ for our LIV boys. It was wonderful to have so many of you at the parents’ briefing on Tue 8th May. Please make special note of the Journey dates 23/24 Nov -‐ 7th December 2012 to ensure you do not make holiday plans involving your sons before they return.
As explained last Tuesday, the “Beloved Sons” workshops will be part of this process. This program comprises of two workshops for boys and their fathers / father figures and then a workshop for moms / mother figures on the eve of the boys return from their Wilderness Journey experience (this date is still being finalized as it is determened by the kind of transport we will be using to and from KZN). The dates for the father & son workshops are: Friday 25th May:17h30 – 21h00 and Friday 22nd June: 17h30 – 21h00 (please note the changes in time from the school diary). The dress for these events is casual. A light snack and refreshments will be provided on each occasion. We are sensitive to the fact that some boys may not be accompanied by either their father or a significant father figure. Therefore each boy’s Housemaster and/or Tutor will be present. No boy will be excluded from the discussions and interactions with a mature male role model. Hence these workshops are compulsory for all LIV boys.
Please ensure that you have the dates of these two workshops diarized. This is a very important time in both your and your son’s life. He would benefit greatly from you being able to be present at all of these workshops. We do understand that unavoidable clashes of priorities and commitments occur. Please inform us if you are unable to participate. Please would you follow the following link and complete the details requested ASAP:
http://r.sjc.co.za/belovedsons
Full details of the Wilderness Journey itself, ie. cost, kit, transport, health and safety will be mailed in the near future. Do not hesitate to contact me, with any concerns you may have. We look forward to thisjourney with you.
Kind regards
Fr Jaques Pretorius
SCHOOL CHAPLAIN
