A Season for Everything
The Ven Gillian Rookyard Archdeacon – Ministry Wellbeing and Development, Training in Ministry, Training Incumbents
In Western Australia, the changing of seasons is often more subtle than the neat divisions marked on calendars elsewhere. We notice it not so much by falling leaves or snow, but by shifts in light, in temperature, in the feel of the air. A different breeze arrives. The evenings lengthen or shorten. The land quietly signals that something is changing, even if it is not immediately dramatic.
The writer of Ecclesiastes captures this gentle, faithful rhythm of life with words that continue to resonate deeply: ‘For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven’ (Ecclesiastes 3:1). These words do not rush us. They remind us that change is neither accidental nor chaotic, but part of the pattern of God’s ongoing work in the world - and in us.
As people of faith, we are invited to pay attention to these seasons: to recognise when it is time to plant and to nurture, when it is time to wait, and when it is time to rejoice in growth that has quietly taken root. Discernment, like the seasons themselves, often unfolds gradually.
It feels clear that the College is entering a new season. There is a palpable sense of movement and renewal that many have remarked upon. More people are present on site - students, staff, clergy, and visitors -bringing with them energy, questions, and hope. There is a noticeable cheerfulness in the atmosphere, a sense that this is a place where people are glad to gather.
This new season is also marked by community. We see it in the many opportunities for learning that draw people together, and in the shared rhythms of prayer that shape our common life. Teaching and formation sit alongside worship and conversation, reminding us that growth in faith is always both intellectual and spiritual, personal and communal.
None of this happens by accident. Like the changing seasons of our Western Australian landscape, it is the result of attentive care, faithful commitment, and openness to what God is doing among us now.
As we step further into this season, may we have the wisdom to notice it, the gratitude to celebrate it, and the patience to trust that, in God’s time, it will bear good fruit - for the College, for the Diocese, for the Church, and for all who pass through this place.