How the Fr John Neil OP Award inspires me to become a better educator

It was on a late Wednesday afternoon; I had just finished work, hurried into my car and whipped out my phone to join an online Zoom meeting with the student leaders of the University of Notre Dame Australia. As I joined the meeting on a shaky iPhone camera, unsure of what to expect, Bella (President of the university’s Student Association) made the surprise announcement that I had been nominated by the student community at Notre Dame to be the 2021 recipient of the Fr John Neil OP Award. I recently accepted the award at SAUNDA’s Annual Ball, and I addressed the Notre Dame student community as the recipient of the Fr John Neil OP Award. This short reflection is the fruit of my contemplation on the life of Fr John, namely, how his example has been a source of marvellous insight into the kind of educator that God can make me.

When I commenced my first semester of study at Notre Dame in 2019, I would always see this strangely dressed priest in an all-white religious habit interacting with students on our campus courtyard. To me, what was most strange about this priest was not his dress, but rather how he always appeared to be animated by a spirit of joy, always present and available for the students. I recall his mere presence alone creating such a sense of peace and calm as I would dash across the courtyard to my classes. While making my way to class one day, I saw pamphlets dotted around campus advertising a film-screening: a documentary on the life of Fr John. On each pamphlet was a photograph of Fr John who I recognised to be that strangely dressed priest on our campus courtyard. I was quite curious to learn more, so I decided to attend the film-screening—this became a decision that would profoundly influence my understanding of what it means to be a genuine Catholic educator.

The documentary sketched the life and achievements of Fr John throughout his years as a teacher, school principal and leader in education. The Church teaches that “the entire effort of the Catholic teacher is oriented toward an integral formation of each student.”[1] In other words, the genuine Catholic educator must be concerned about the harmonious development of the whole human person—every student’s spiritual, moral, physical, academic and artistic growth. Since conduct is always much more important than speech, the Church teaches that “the more completely an educator can give concrete witness to the model of the ideal person that is being presented to the students, the more this ideal will be believed and imitated.”[2] In other words, through the testimony of a life resplendent in faith, hope, and charity, the genuine Catholic educator can present the ideal of Christian holiness—the life of Jesus Christ—as “something reasonable and worthy of being lived, something concrete and realisable.”[3] Thus, “direct and personal contact between teachers and students becomes especially significant” as a “privileged opportunity for giving witness” to the Church’s universal call to personal holiness.[4] By watching the documentary on the life of Fr John, I ultimately learned that this strangely dressed priest was an educator who loved much; he modelled his entire life on the person of Jesus Christ whom he loved the most; he lived the Gospel and allowed the Law of Love to transform his heart.

Fr John’s example has had a huge influence on my educator journey, so receiving the 2021 Fr John Neil OP Award in a certain sense really inspires me to build upon his legacy, namely, to build up the Body of Christ on earth. As an educator, I hope to grow in my fidelity to the teachings of the Catholic Church so as to be a window by which many souls can encounter the love of God and experience a glimpse of Heaven.

I am very grateful to the student community at Notre Dame who nominated me to be the recipient of the Fr John Neil OP Award. I am more so very blessed to have encountered Fr John whilst he was still alive. To my friends and colleagues who would like to learn more about the work of this humble Dominican priest, there is a documentary on the life of Fr John that can be watched on: https://vimeo.com/361563256/4aa9da06a7?fbclid=IwAR2S86wp5aQHyZG17Wv25TjYTv33GnhY59xUtQqB4IAwjHs5C7iozcecKfE

My hope is that Fr John always intercedes for our educational community at Notre Dame as he watches us from high above in Heaven. Fr John Neill OP – Requiescat in pace

“To do what is just,

to show constant love,

and live in humble fellowship with our God.”

(Micah 6:8)

References

[1] The Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education, “Lay Catholics in schools: Witnesses to faith, 15 October, 1982,” accessed June 13, 2022, sec. 28. [2] Ibid, sec. 32. [3] Ibid. [4] Ibid, 33.