CONGRATULATIONS Exciting news from our Reverend Justine

CONGRATULATIONS JUSTINE

OUR OWN REVEREND JUSTINE RICHMOND WAS ORDAINED AT ST BONIFACE CATHEDRAL ON 6 MARCH 2021.

We are so proud of Justine here at GMAS so we shone the spotlight in her direction to share and showcase her amazing passion for life and helping others.

Justine tell us about your career?

After graduating university, I worked for the Commonwealth Bank. One of my jobs in the Bank was to do promotional panels for job vacancies and helping young people find a position that suited their skills and gifts.

My family ran a commercial laundry in Busselton for 15 years, it was during this time that our connections with GMAS began. Our children started at GMAS on the day the school opened in 2003. I began teaching Italian at GMAS in 2006. Ten years later I took on the role of Christian and Religious Studies Teacher, having begun to study a Graduate Diploma in Chaplaincy in 2014. It was at this point that I began to discern the call to ordained ministry. I was ordained a deacon in November 2019.

What are your fondest moments at GMAS?

I love my interactions with the students and staff. I teach so many students there are very few that leave this school in Year 12 whom I have not taught. The pastoral nature of my job and being able to share the highs and lows of life with the students is a huge privilege. One of the things that brings me great joy working in the secondary school is talking to kids about their passions and helping them find the right pathway.

What is a typical day like for you?

I wake early and prepare for my day in a very mindful and prayerful way. My school days are full, with teaching, organising things for chapel, meeting with students or staff. After school, I sometimes have meetings, otherwise I will prepare for the next day or do some study. My evenings are less eventful, cooking and sharing an evening meal with the family, and I tend to fall asleep quite early. The church has a custom of saying daily offices, and I say prayers at the end of the day, as well as at the beginning.

What role do you play in your community?

I have been a Board member of Saint Mary’s Community Care for 15 years, and very involved in a local children’s charity called BUZ, which runs social and emotional well-being programs in schools. I am also involved with the GMAS Sustainability Committee and our diocesan Sustainable Living Working Party. I am passionate about caring for God’s creation and simple living.

“If I start the day calmly and with God, it sustains me for the day ahead. I am always amazed at what I can achieve if I put myself in that space every morning.”