January's promise...

A message from Vice President Fr Anthony Casamento csma.

Recently I read a poem by the Canadian poet, Catherine Pulsifer entitled January’s Promise. There is a beautiful stanza in the poem that reads:

January’s a time to start anew,
A chance to build, a chance to pursue.
With hope as our guide, we boldly face,
The triumphs ahead, each step embraced.

When I read these words, I was given a new way of thinking about January: a fresh start and the hope of a brighter future. When you read the full poem, you soon realise that it encourages us to let go of last year’s challenges and embrace the clean slate before us. It inspires us to take the lessons we’ve learned, set goals with purpose, and move forward with hope and determination. It’s a reminder that each January brings a chance to reflect, reset, and begin again with optimism and unity.

So, welcome to 2025 as this new academic year unfolds. My wish is that the familiar signposts of this season and its new challenges are a comfort and a catalyst to many new beginnings for you, and for ACU. If you are new to ACU I extend an open invitation to come and introduce yourself to myself and our team of campus pastoral associates. I, for one, will be looking to each of our interactions, our gatherings, our celebrations, and your accomplishments as signs of this life-giving hope – the promise that January brings.