Returning to Trinity in a new role

No students at Trinity were around two decades ago to remember Mr James Harricks as a History teacher at Summer Hill, but plenty of staff were and this time they’re welcoming him back as Senior Chaplain. 

Coming back to the School in Term 3 of 2023, Mr Harricks has been finding his feet and settling into the rhythm of the School – something that he’s never strayed too far from in the time since leaving the staff in 2000, with his sons enrolled at Trinity from 2015 and his own five-year experience on the School Council prior to his appointment as Senior Chaplain. 

Clearly, there’s something that keeps drawing him back into Trinity life. He even credits his time at Trinity in the History department as one that ignited his passion for School Chaplaincy, setting him on a new career trajectory. 

“From my earliest experiences at Trinity, I was convinced of the importance of School Chaplaincy – the opportunities to engage boys and adults of all ages in the big questions of life are endless,” he says.  “I left Trinity in 2000 with the express purpose of pursuing School Chaplaincy after completing my theological education. There have been a few detours, so it has been a bit longer than I anticipated!” 

Since leaving Trinity over 20 years ago, Mr Harricks has followed the passion he found for Chaplaincy and other pastoral care positions, often in leadership roles at different churches across Sydney and Adelaide. 

After all this time, the chaplaincy still draws him in and he says the opportunity to serve as Chaplain at Trinity was just too good of an offer to pass up. 

“One of the great attractions for me about School Chaplaincy is that there is no such thing as an average day. There are just so many opportunities to engage with such a wide variety of people from such a breadth of cultures and life experiences; life is never dull!” 

From here, Mr Harricks is excited to see how this new role opens up new opportunities for him within the Trinity community as he interacts with students, their families, the staff team and the wider local community. 

“I love Trinity,” he says. “I love our vision to provide a thoroughly Christian education in mind, body, and spirit. To be a part of this learning community is a great privilege.

“Trinity is a place where we long for everyone to be valued and respected. Not everyone personally shares the Christian faith, but there is a respect towards the Christian foundations and vision for the School. I enjoy being a part of seeing this vision work itself out in practice across our different campuses and with different ages and stages of students, staff and the wider community.”

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