Dear Parents, Caregivers and Friends of St Mary’s School,

On Friday I was just settling down for my weekly dose of humour by watching the Graham Norton show. However when I turned on the T.V. I wasn’t greeted by scenes of humour but rather by the scenes of devastation of the earthquake and Tsunami that was happening in Japan.

As the extent of this devastating event transpired, we watched open mouthed at the scale of devastation. Visions of seven metre high walls of water travelling at 800 kilometers per hour, cars, trucks, and boats thrown around like match box toys and fire burning with such heat all that the firemen could do was water down the surrounding buildings in a vain attempt to stop the fire spreading. This was before there had been a mention of nuclear power stations and their cores melting down.

After the devastation that had been inflicted to Christchurch, we as a nation, can sympathise with the Japanese people as they battle these cataclysmic events. The loss of life will be severe. As Christians we need to remember the people of Japan in our prayers but also to keep in the forefront of our mind that most important of our schools Mercy Values -’Compassion’.

Have a happy and safe week.

Mike Brosnahan