GOSPEL SPIRITUALITY Identity & Faith ___________________________Pages

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 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

Fr Joseph Panackal Australian Catholic Youth Festival - Opening Mass with Bishop Peter Comensoli Representing Melbourne at ACYF

night reassured and impressed by the way our students were able to speak up and share insights about their life. The night is fun too! It is full of activities and conversations that make them smile. They enjoy a unique gift – dedicated time with each other in the midst of the special inclusive community atmosphere that we have at St Joseph’s College.

FAITH DEVELOPMENT

Late last year, when many of us looked to the future filled with hope and the prospect of new beginnings, it would have seemed inconceivable to entertain the thought of what has actually transpired. Now, as we enter the final period of 2020, we understand more than ever the importance of nurturing our faith and belonging to strong faith communities. Early in the year, we were blessed to have gathered as a school community with Bishop Mark Edwards to celebrate our College Commencement Mass at the Edmund Rice Campus. Following his experience of attending the Australian Catholic Youth Festival in Perth, Conor Killury began our mass describing how the festival reignited his relationship with Jesus and empowered him to advocate faith in the world today. Conor’s story, along with Bishop Mark’s homily, encouraged us all to ‘Listen to what the Spirit is saying’ (Rev 2:7), a theme that would stay with us through the challenges we were to face. In February, our Year 9 students, along with many special guests, gathered to celebrate their opening Mass and to mark the official opening of the Westcourt Gymnasium. Fr Joseph Panackal, from St Mary’s Parish, celebrated the Mass. Westcourt Captain Sol Bowtell, along with many other student leaders, represented the Year 9’s wonderfully and contributed to a truly reverent occasion. Although all of our Renewal programs were impacted by COVID-19 restrictions, we were able to redesign them to fit into smaller class-based experiences. With a focus on having the ‘Courage to Care,’ the captains in Year 8 recorded a video montage and a liturgy from home that featured in the renewal presentation. It was very disappointing to have to cancel the Year 12 Renewal camps this year, and despite reshaping the central renewal experience into a full day at school, we were unable to deliver it with the second round of COVID-19 lockdowns. Importantly, we spent Term 4 Touchstone classes encouraging reflection and gratitude by reminding them about love for themselves and their family. Using innovation and creativity, Sascha Wheelwright and Zakary Ekberg interviewed our guest speaker on Zoom about his experiences of homelessness. This interview was an element of the Renewal presentation delivered to the Year 10 students centered on Social Justice. This was followed by St Joseph’s very first inter-class liturgy via Zoom in Term 4.

Powerful. Important to hear the Year 8 boys and great to chat openly to other dads. I got a perspective of what being a dad is like. Me and my dad had a good chat. I enjoyed sharing thoughts with my dad and having a good chinwag. Good to share information about who my dad is and share positive experiences.

I really connected with my father. I really enjoyed having quality time with my dad. It really helped deepen my connection with my dad.

Just as for Edmund Rice, a loving Father and caring educator and for us, precious moments are experienced in our ordinary encounters as we have discovered during our times of various restrictions in lockdown. Here we get a glimpse of the extraordinary that we can store in our hearts and share at any time. Through these moments, may we stay connected with our loving Creator, and give generously from what we have for the good of others. May we, in each of our own classrooms and families continue to enjoy times prayerful quiet, resilience and resolve learned over the year of 2020. May we all take fresh courage and ‘Live Jesus in our hearts, forever.’

Mary Malone, Acting Director of Identity

Belinda Milverton, Faith Development Coordinator

Westcourt Gym Opening Father and Son Time & Space Event