GOSPEL SPIRITUALITY
Identity & Faith At St Joseph’s College, we are committed to nurturing the educational, spiritual and emotional wellbeing of our students. Our Identity Team have banded together throughout the year to make our College values of Compassion, Innovation and Integrity come alive in the actions and words of our community through the enactment of our Edmund Rice Touchstones of Inclusive Community, Gospel Spirituality, Liberating Education and Justice and Solidarity. During a year of great challenges, as a community, we have been grateful for the ability we have had to support one another to be able to teach and learn remotely. This enabled us to stay connected and positive as we strived to keep peace in our homes while embracing new and innovative ways to learn. We have had to create a liberating education for all to access. Our remote Edmund Rice Day Liturgy this year explored a theme, which helped us to look out our window with hope to see those most in need in our community. We pray that in each of our own families and communities, may we be open to the spirit of Blessed Edmund moving in our midst to bring simplicity, humour, humility and warmth to the relationships we share as we reflect on the year of 2020. One of the important goals of the EREA was to lead and encourage schools in our network to promote and engage with reconciliation through the Narragunnawali RAP process. As one of our St Joseph’s strategic goals, we developed a working party lead by Deputy Principal, Michelle Brodrick in partnership with Reconciliation Australia to create our own RAP, which supports inclusive practice in schools for all students and staff walking the journey towards reconciliation. We have some great reconciliation practice happening in our school in which we need to continue to celebrate and share within our community as we continue to implement our Reconciliation Action Plan throughout 2021 and beyond. The dream of our Westcourt Gym came alive on 21 February when members of our community gathered at the Commencement Mass to officially, bless and open it, officiated by Fr Joseph Panackal. It also had great significance as we celebrated the commencement of our 85th year as St Joseph’s College. This year our Easter Liturgy took on a different format, as we met remotely in our Religious Education Classes to celebrate the new life and hope that Jesus rising to new life on Easter Sunday gifts us. We were reminded that the sacred is to be found in everyday actions of how we live compassionately with those in our households and those loved ones we can reach out to in our digital world. We prayed for God to Fr Joseph Panackal
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hear our voices and the prayers of our hearts as an online community of St Joseph’s College. To explore ways to be guided to see the most life-giving ways open to us, to be respectful and supportive of one another online and to those we live with. Our Inclusive Touchstone Prefect Student Leaders, Oliver Henry and Lachlan Shoemaker shared a video message with our community, emphasising, our Inclusive Community Touchstone of how they will share with our Waterford students how we at St Joseph’s College have developed a culture of respect and acceptance of all. The importance of the language we use, the attitudes we display and the values we honour in welcoming all and embracing difference. Student Advocacy - ERA for Change Representatives from our Justice and Solidarity and Gospel Spirituality Student Leaders joined in with students from twenty other EREA schools nationally participate in the ERA for Change Advocacy Launch Day to explore the theme ‘Laudato Si- Care for our Common Home’. ‘Laudato Si’ teaches us that, everything is connected. During this extraordinary moment, Catholics everywhere are uniting to reflect, pray, and prepare for a better future together. Not only was it a great opportunity to develop our advocacy and leadership skills, it also allowed for collaboration of ideas between students from schools across Australia. For me, this day also reaffirmed the amazing job that the community of St Joseph’s does, highlighting that St Joseph’s is definitely a model and leading Edmund Rice school and we are very lucky to be a part of it. Lachlan Kelly, ERA for Change VIC Representative Annual Father and Son Time and Space for ‘Stepping Up’ Event In March, we were pleased to welcome Bill Jennings and his Time and Space Team to be a part of the successful Year 8 Father/Mentor and Son evening. These events can only run when we have the support of our student leaders and helpers who step up to gain service-learning hours. Bill noticed their helpful and positive attitude, his team and many parents have also commented on their participation. The dads, grandfathers, older brothers or uncles of our students gather on this annual Year 8 event night for the boys as they witness them discussing what it means to them to be a dad or mentor and the importance of showing their son what ‘stepping up’ to be a good man is. Fathers emerged from the
Australian Catholic Youth Festival - Opening Mass with Bishop Peter Comensoli
Representing Melbourne at ACYF
