As you may remember the three tenets of the Carmelite ethos are Contemplation, Community and Service. These are not just some fluffy words we place on our letterhead and in PowerPoint presentations, they are words steeped in over eight hundred years of tradition. The words were first initiated on a small mountain in Israel called Mt. Carmel by a group of hermits who devoted their lives to Jesus and the community they served. These were people understood what it truly meant to live in community. A community founded on unconditional love, trust, faith, justice, respect, empathy, compassion and mercy. Eight hundred years later, I have the joy every day of seeing these values lived out by students, parents and staff at Whitefriars whose words and actions enhance and grow the Carmelite culture of Contemplation, Community and Service.