Reconciliation prayer space St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School, QLD
St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School fosters spirituality in students, giving them opportunities to explore their faith and the spirit of love through example, compassion, hope and charity. In recent years, prayer spaces have provided opportunities for St Margaret’s students of all ages to explore spirituality and faith in a creative and engaging way. School Chaplain, The Reverend Susan CrothersRobertson, said prayer spaces were an interactive environment where students could experience a practical, creative, reflective and inclusive space that helped them to express their own concerns, hopes, reflections or prayers. “In prayer spaces, students are encouraged to pray, reflect or think about things in their own lives, and to reflect about others, the world and their relationship with God,” Reverend Susan said. In May, coinciding with the start of National Reconciliation Week, St Margaret’s primary students in Pre-Prep to Year 6 were invited to participate in a Reconciliation Prayer Space – Dadirri. The concept for this Prayer Space was created by 20
Reverend Susan and St Aidan’s Chaplain, The Reverend Gillian Moses and is based on the story of Thomas Pamphlet who was a convict and a castaway on Moreton Bay. Thomas and fellow convicts escaped and were cared for by the Quandamooka people at Amity on Minjerribah (Stradbroke Island). If it were not for their care, the convicts would probably not have survived. Reverend Susan said she hoped students would gain a greater understanding and appreciation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and history through the themed Prayer Space. “Each station encouraged students to reflect and think about various aspects of their culture and at the same time touched on the story of the convict Pamphlet,” Reverend Susan said. Students journeyed through eight interactive and engaging prayer stations: Peace Fish, Message Sticks, Bark Canoe, Rainbow Serpent, Neighbours on this Red Earth, The Journey, Telling our Story, and Dreaming.
