Heritage and History Trinity College’s rich history began in 1894, when Bishop Matthew Gibney and Brother Ambrose Treacy founded Christian Brothers’ College (CBC) at 1 St Georges Terrace in Perth. In 1962 staff and students were relocated to the College‘s present East Perth location, situated on the banks of the Swan River and the school was renamed Trinity College. Trinity College owes much of its current success to the tremendous work of the Christian Brothers who have modelled their life and work on their founder Blessed Edmund Rice.
Motto Our motto, In Nomine Domini – In the Name of the Lord – calls us to our fundamental task; to enable each of our students to fully realise his spiritual, academic, social, cultural and athletic potential, thereby enabling him to become a force for good in society. The motto In Nomine Domini is taken from Psalm 123: Adjutorium nostrum In Nomine Domini qui fecit coelum et terram – Our Help is in the name of the Lord who made Heaven and the earth.
Coat of Arms (Crest) The College Coat of Arms was formally approved by the College Council in 1962. The new Arms present in bold outline the three golden crowns upon the royal blue background as symbolic of the dedication of the College to the three Divine Persons of the Blessed Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Crowns are arranged in the form of an equilateral triangle to emphasise the unity and equality of the Divine Persons. The Cross is the Cross of our salvation, the sign of a Christian School. While the Marian symbol signifies the devotion of the Order and its schools to the Blessed Mother of God. This symbol was taken from the arms of Bishop Gibney, Founder of Christian Brothers’ College, Terrace.
Our Vision To be the leader of boys’ education and in the formation of young men for others.
Our Mission To offer innovative learning opportunities in a safe and nurturing environment which empowers our young men to live out Gospel values and be followers of Christ in the modern world.
Our Ambitions SPIRIT OF FAITH
to be a proud faith community where gospel values are known, lived and celebrated.
SPIRIT OF EXCELLENCE
to provide engaging teaching and learning practices that support wellbeing and inspire personal excellence amongst students to reach their full potential.
SPIRIT OF SERVICE
to form young men with the ‘TC Spirit’ who are authentic, active and outstanding role models in their outreach.
SPIRIT OF COMMUNITY
to be an inclusive and welcoming community that supports wellbeing and learning for every student.
SPIRIT OF STEWARDSHIP to seek a real commitment to providing accessibility for all and to building a sustainable future.
Our Mantra To be “Men for Others.” The phrase “Men for Others” was used by Fr. Pedro Arrupe, Superior General of the Jesuits, in an address to High School alumni at Valencia Spain in 1973. It was adopted by Trinity College to remind our students to live a life of service: a life where love is expressed more by deeds than by words, demonstrated through companionship with and compassion for those in need.
Catholic Identity Trinity College as Catholic Community aspires to be a proud faith community where gospel values are known, lived and celebrated, we do this by aspiring to reflect the Edmund Rice Touchstones in all we do.
Discipleship Faith Education needs to be the first priority in a Catholic school. The College’s activities of preevangelisation, primary proclamation, catechesis and spiritual formation seek to ensure our young people have a personal encounter with Christ, develop an enduring relationship with God and the Church, and have a genuine engagement in Christian life. College and class liturgies, school and class prayer, the College’s Retreat program, Christian Service and Immersion programs are of paramount significance.
Edmund Rice Touchstones The four Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA) Touchstones challenge the Trinity College community to strive for authenticity as a member of Edmund Rice Communities.
Inclusive Community Trinity College aspires to be a community that is accepting and welcoming, fostering right relationships and committed to the common good.
Our Vision Inclusive Community A Catholic school in the Edmund Rice tradition: •
Provides pastoral care that nurtures the dignity of each person as uniquely reflecting the image of God;
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Welcomes and values all members of the school community regardless of religion, race, disability, gender, sexual orientation or economic situation;
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Works in partnership with the local Catholic community and Church in serving the broader mission of the whole Church;
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Acknowledges the services and contribution of the Christian Brothers and works in partnership with Edmund Rice Ministries in furthering the Charism;
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Acknowledges the traditional ownership and cultural heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia, and welcomes them into its community.
Present Practice •
At Trinity College, inclusive education provides equity and consideration for those students from a variety of backgrounds and the Mary Rice Centre offers support both in the classroom and beyond for differently abled students.
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Relate closely with families in the building of partnerships based on faith and mutual respect and which encourage family participation in the school’s mission and life.
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As a community, Trinity acknowledges the traditional ownership and cultural heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia. The College’s Reconciliation Plan (RAP) articulates our vision for reconciliation to enable each of our students to realise his spiritual, academic, social, cultural and sporting potential, and to assist him to become a man for others.
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We aim to achieve this by celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and families within our school community, alongside their cultures, histories, connections to Country, spirituality, stories, and traditions.
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The program has a strong focus on giving back to the community. Students perform at NAIDOC celebrations across Western Australian as well as key events on the Catholic calendar.
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Staff and students are educated in the history and traditions of the College and the Edmund Rice charism through their induction.
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The Sustain Our Swan project in Year 7 reminds students of the College’s significant location on the foreshore of the Swan River and reinforces the spiritual importance of this land and our role in respecting this environment. This project involves a number of community groups such as ECO Action, SERCUL, Bindi Bindi Dreaming and Kanyana among other groups and reminds students for the need to be stewards of this Earth. The Trinity College Environment Committee (TCEC) furthers this good work and fosters social responsibility.
Aspirations Encouraging and heeding of student stewardship of College grounds and resources. Greater acknowledgement and celebration of the many cultures that make up our College community.
Liberating Education Trinity College aspires to open hearts and minds through quality teaching and learning experiences, so that through critical reflection and engagement each person is hope filled and free to build a better world for all.
Our Vision Liberating Education A Catholic school in the Edmund Rice tradition: •
Encourages all members of the school community to work to the best of their ability, to become the person that each is created to be and to strive for equity and excellence;
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Provides an holistic education integrating faith with culture and learning, while instilling an appreciation of the need to strive for the greater good of all society;
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Enables students to experience and value critical awareness of justice and peace issues through the curriculum, service and solidarity learning, environmental practices and the culture of the school.
Present Practice •
Vision for Learning - Catholic Education is based on Christ-centred and child-focused learning. The inter-relatedness of human knowledge means that all Learning Areas explicitly or implicitly teach about God and religious values and questions. Trinity College aspires to help students to reflect critically on the contribution religious understandings can make within each Learning Area.
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An integrated approach to curriculum planning, teaching and learning is a major emphasis within the Catholic education tradition, which calls for the integration of faith, life and culture. Learning to integrate faith, life and culture will enable children and young adults to develop a Gospel vision of the Australian and global communities. This integration of faith, life and culture is possible when schools integrate the truths and values of the Gospel in educationally appropriate ways into everything students learn and experience.
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At Trinity College, Religious Education relates the knowledge and understanding of the Catholic faith to students’ real-life situations and experiences. Religious Education presents Catholic beliefs and practices in the context of the Christian Promise of Salvation and the questions and aspirations of the human heart only God can satisfy completely. Religious Education staff are committed Catholics and give active Christian witness to Catholic beliefs.
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Our Spirits of Faith, Excellence, Service, Community and Stewardship are a daily reminder of how we should approach our teaching and formation of the young men in the care of Trinity College.
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Employ teaching staff as far as possible who are practicing Catholics and who have a clear understanding and commitment to the Catholic ethos and are witnesses to the Gospel. Maintain the Catholic Identity of Trinity College by engaging staff in specific leadership formation programs.
Aspirations Encourage attendance at EREA Core Formation and CEWA Formation Programs for existing middle leaders. Completion of formation programs, as appropriate, desirable criteria for middle leader positions. Curriculum introduction of an elective with a focus on justice advocacy.
Gospel Spirituality At Trinity College, we invite people into the story of Jesus and strive to make his message of compassion, justice and peace a living reality within our community.
Our Vision Gospel Spirituality A Catholic school in the Edmund Rice tradition: •
Lives and grows as a faith-sharing community by fostering personal relationships with God through Jesus Christ;
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Celebrates the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as a Eucharistic community committed to the service of those in need;
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Nurtures and encourages the spiritual growth of each person through reflection, prayer, symbols, sacred stories, rituals and sacraments;
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Provides religious education in line with Diocesan guidelines, mandated by the Bishops and faith formation experiences as fundamental components of a Catholic School curriculum;
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Provides formation opportunities for its members in the mystery of God in all creation, the spirit of Jesus, the charism of Blessed Edmund Rice, the inspiration of the Christian Brothers, their own sacred story and their call to mission;
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Recognises and acts upon the central place of the Gospel commitment to the marginalised, through a preferential option for the poor.
Present Practice •
Praying as a Faith Community - offering varied forms of prayerful experiences help students, staff and the community build a relationship with God to help live out the Gospel message of Jesus. The College offers a number of opportunities to celebrate Mass and Liturgies. Whole School Masses, Senior School Cohort Masses, Junior School Masses and Friday 8.00am Community Mass. In addition, each day of the school year commences with prayer.
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Retreats nurture and encourage the spiritual growth of each person through reflection, prayer, symbols, sacred stories, rituals and sacraments. Students from Years 6-12 participate in a Retreat. Staff involvement is important for each retreat as it evangelises and develops Christian witness.
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Christian Service - through experiences of prayer and active service students are invited to reflect on how the gospel message can have an impact on their daily lives. Students across all year groups participate in Christian Service experiences. Students and staff are offered additional Christian Service experiences through an array of opportunities such as Soup Patrol, Wheelchairs for Kids, and Edmund Rice Camp for Kids. Every second year, staff participate in a Christian Service day.
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Symbols and icons serve as a reminder of our commitment to Gospel values. The Book of Intentions
and Book of Remembrance in the College Chapel enable all members of our community to be active in prayer. Icons such as our EREA touchstones and crucifixes are displayed in each classroom and in office spaces and remind us of the messages of faith, compassion, justice and peace. Honour boards in the College Chapel honour the Old Boys who lost their life in military service. •
Through ministerial roles students give witness to gospel values, this is evident in; Faith Prefects, Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist, Altar Servers, Cadre, Peer Ministers and Senior Mentors Student Leadership helps to create the faith community of Trinity College.
Aspirations Create a tile on SEQTA devoted to prayer and reflection. Continue to promote EMHC training for staff. Display an Edmund Rice icon in each classroom. Allocate term touchstone as a regular Prayer of Faithful in Masses. Remove crucifixes for safe keeping at the conclusion at each year due to maintenance. Re-install at commencement of year – PCG Teacher collects a cross and places on the wall of PCG classroom and remainder to be put up by maintenance staff. A new sculpture of Blessed Edmund Rice in the College grounds or current statue to receive a make over. Investigate ways to further promote prayer in the Junior School.
Justice and Solidarity Trinity College is committed to justice and peace for all, grounded in a spirituality of action and reflection that calls us to stand in solidarity with those who are marginalised and the earth itself.
Our Vision Justice and Solidarity A Catholic school in the edmund Rice tradition: •
Develops a curriculum that integrates themes of justice and peace, underpinned by Catholic Social Teaching;
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Adopts prophetic stances in the light of Gospel practices and is involved in advocacy for just causes;
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Promotes participation in service and solidarity learning programs in partnership with those on the margins;
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Seeks to provide opportunities for involvement in immersion programs in which students and staff form relationships, work with and learn from those on the margins, leading to mutual transformation;
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Is committed to working with, and walking alongside the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia;
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To actively developing global partnerships and to promote an integral ecology;
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Recognises that its members are part of a global community and actively supports the development of all humanity;
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Nurtures a culture of critical reflection and prayerful discernment in justice and peace issues.
Present Practice •
As a Catholic school in the Edmund Rice tradition, Trinity develops a curriculum that integrates themes of justice and peace, underpinned by Catholic Social Teaching. The Religious Education Curriculum, particularly in senior years, introduces the concepts of Catholic Social Teaching and the role religion plays in society.
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The College adopts prophetic stances in the light of Gospel practices and is involved in advocacy for just causes. It is committed to working with and walking alongside the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia, advocating justice and promoting reconciliation.
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Student groups have focused on programs of advocacy for causes, students have been involved in initiatives such as mental health (2021 Justice and Advocacy Program), environmental sustainability (TCEC), Catholic Earthcare Seminar, International Women’s Day Breakfast, Pink Sock Day, Well Being Week and RAP (Reconciliation Action Plan).
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Trinity College promotes participation in service and solidarity learning programs in partnership with those on the margins.
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Christian Service programs at each year level encourage students to identify the needs of others and to respond in practical ways to those needs. Students are given opportunities to serve others
by being placed with agencies which respond to the needs of people on the margins, whether they be younger students with special needs, elderly people, homeless people, refugees, or the environment. •
As a results of the Christian Service program, ongoing relationships are developed with community groups which work with people on the margins.
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Parents participate through writing comments in their son’s journal, which demonstrate their understanding of the program and the learnings of their sons.
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Staff are similarly provided with an opportunity to be involved on a bi-annual basis with a day of Christian Service in the community. Staff volunteer with Red Cross Soup Patrol and Edmund Rice Camps.
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As a Catholic school in the Edmund Rice tradition, Trinity College seeks to provide opportunities for involvement in immersion programs in which students and staff form relationships, work with and learn from those on the margins, leading to mutual transformation.
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The Kimberley Immersion provides a group of Year 11 students and several staff members with experiences of living and working in isolated Aboriginal communities and developing an understanding of the challenges faced by Aboriginal people living in this situation and in an urban setting. It leads to acknowledgement of the importance of Aboriginal culture, language and connection to the land, and a growing respect for the people who live in these communities. The contribution made by our students is also valued by the communities. The relationships built between these communities and the College continues to grow with each visit.
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The Indian Pilgrimage (bi-annual) usually provides a group of Year 11 students and several staff members with experiences of living and working with communities in India, which serve some of the poorest people. Through active service at MITHRA (Chenai), Jagruti High School (Gujarat) and with Missionaries of Charity (Kolkata), the pilgrims develop understanding and respect for Indian Culture, and discover the joy of serving people on the margins of society.
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Trinity College is committed to promoting an integral ecology through demonstrating a deep reverence for the earth as both God’s work and our home, promoting ecojustice and working towards a sustainable and regenerative future for all creation. Staff encourage students to recognise that its members are part of a global community and actively supports the development of all humanity. Engaging with Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion resources allows staff and students to recognise these needs.
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True to its traditions, Trinity endeavours to nurture a culture of critical reflection and prayerful discernment in justice and peace issues. We are committed to justice and peace for all, grounded in a spirituality of action and reflection that calls us to stand in solidarity with those who are marginalised and the earth itself. Promoting the College mantra, Men for Others.
Aspirations Connection between faith and advocacy. Clear direct plans for advocacy focus across the College in specific areas. Although preparation for service is thorough, reflective practice at each level to ensure that students are making the connections between their actions and their Faith needs to remain a focus. Journals provide some scope for this but follow up is required.
Review Due to COVID-19, we have not been able to travel to India and our connection to the communities could be lost if we do not communicate more regularly and share that with our College community. Fundraising for these important missions in India depends on our ability to connect with their stories. The Kimberley Immersion has been strengthened by the change to back-to-back visits to communities and it may be worthwhile to continue with annual visits.
“Love cannot remain by itself - it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action, and that action is service.” Mother Theresa
Acknowledgements Popes and Councils Vatican Council II, Gravissimum Educationis: Declaration on Christian Education (1965) http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decl_19651028_gravissimum-educationis_en.html Pope Francis, Veritatis Gaudium: Apostolic Constitution on Ecclesiastical Universities and Faculties (2017 http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_constitutions/documents/papa-francesco_costituzione-ap_20171208_veritatis-gaudium.html Pope Francis, Fratelli Tutti: Encyclical on Fraternity and Social Friendship (2020) http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20201003_enciclica-fratelli-tutti.html
Congregation for Catholic Education The Religious Dimension of Education in a Catholic School: Guidelines for Reflection and Renewal (1988) http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccatheduc/documents/rc_con_ccatheduc_doc_19880407_ catholic-school_en.html http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccatheduc/documents/rc_con_ccatheduc_doc_20070908_ educare-insieme_en.html Religious Education in Schools (2009) http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccatheduc/documents/rc_con_ccatheduc_doc_20090505_ circ-insegn-relig_en.html Educating Today and Tomorrow: A Renewing Passion (2014) http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccatheduc/documents/rc_con_ccatheduc_doc_20140407_ educare-oggi-e-domani_en.html
Other Catholic Education Commission of Western Australia, Professional Development Evangelisation Planning (2021) Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, The Application of the Apostolic Constitution Ex Corde Ecclesiæ in Australia (2007) https://www.catholic.org.au/acbc-media/downloads/ad-limina/bishops-1/handbook-1/2236-ex-corde-ecclesiae-australia/file Catholic Education Commission of Western Australia, Mandate 2009-2015 (2009) https://www.cewa.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Bishops-Mandate-2009-2015.pdf