Newsletter

On Thursday, 6 June, we watched as world leaders gathered on the shores of Northern France to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the seaborne invasion of Europe during World War II. Operation Neptune, part of the greater Operation Overlord, commenced on 6 June 1944 and was to be the greatest logistical military exercise ever carried out. The supreme commander was an American, the next three commanders on the ground were British, the third largest army was Canadian, and troops from over 30 nations were involved on the Allied side alone. During the 77 days of the campaign, the average daily casualty rate was over 6,600. Winston Churchill, the British wartime Prime Minister, allayed the fears of the American President, who believed that the invasion was almost too large to manage well. Churchill's response was a lesson to us all:

• Success is about preparation.
• Imagine all scenarios and find a solution.
• Work as a team and have confidence in your planning.
• Leave no stone unturned.
• Believe in success.
• Never give in.

These lessons of D-Day are as relevant in our daily lives and our studies as they were then. We may not be facing the barbed wire, the land mines, and the ferocious enemy that were faced on the beaches of Normandy, but we can learn that success and achievement are linked to preparation, courage, and hard work. The lessons of 80 years ago still echo soundly today.

Pilgrimage of Solidarity

I share with you a letter to the Clergy and Laity of the Archdiocese, where Archbishop Peter Comensoli has shared that over the past fortnight he visited “the Holy Lands of Israel, the Palestinian Territories, and Lebanon on a pilgrimage of solidarity.”