A Soulful Story by The Reverend Malcolm Woolrich, Chaplain, Peninsula Grammar School, Vic
From Legal Work to Gods Work
I was an unlikely contender to enter ministry as an ordained school chaplain. In my youth, none of my immediate or extended family identified as Christians; they did not attend church. I did have the advantage of attending an Anglican school and being introduced to the gospel story and singing hymns. It was a Christian mathematics teacher in my senior school years who would spend inordinate time talking about God when he should have been teaching mathematics. As a result, I became an average mathematician, but with a fledgling conviction that Jesus was relevant and mattered. I was confirmed at 16 and started to attend a local church.
I progressed to law studies and later became a solicitor with my own practice. My legal experience was a stepping stone to my later religious vocation. As a lawyer, I learnt the importance of words and their interpretation; much of that vocation had a pastoral element, as I sought to care for people with legal problems. I had an active lay role in my local church, particularly in children’s ministry.
I started to study theology part-time and slowly realised that God was encouraging me to consider a vocation in Christian ministry. I sensed he was at work when someone unexpectedly wanted to buy my legal practice, enabling me to undertake full-time study in theology and education.
I feel that chaplaincy has a pivotal role to play in furthering God’s kingdom. Very few young people today have a solid grounding in the Christian message, so it should not be surprising that they do not respond to a message which they have never heard. It is a privilege to share the Good News in schools and to care for young people and staff.