Campus Ministry

Campus Ministry

THE MISSION OF CAMPUS MINISTRY

We, Campus Ministry at Trinity College, as part of the Body of Christ, are called to glorify God in all aspects of our lives.

We are called to create and foster an environment where all can develop an understanding and awareness of and a personal relationship with God, who dwells in and around our neighbour and us.

In this environment we strive to provide opportunities for spiritual growth and the building of community.

Through our worship, prayer, service, study and reflection and even our leisure activities, we reach out to our campus community, the greater Perth community and the world.

Within the Trinity community, we hope to engender a commitment to life-long spiritual growth, to realise the deepening of a love relationship with God and to instil an understanding of the interconnectedness of our human family, a family characterised by mercy and divine justice, by peace, love and joy. Ibegan 2007 with nine of our Year 12 students, Mr Michael Slacksmith and Brother Rob Callen in Calcutta, where we were participating in the Trinity Pilgrimage Through India. These young people’s generous spirit in giving up so much of their summer holidays to spend Mr Leo Murray time reaching out to the poor, Director of Campus Ministry reflected the magnanimous attitude of our students that we witness in Campus Ministry and Christian Service. On returning to Trinity the pilgrims shared their experiences with fellow students and inspired many others to take up the challenge. There was an impressive response in the number of applications for the 2008 Pilgrimage. A selection committee decided on criteria and interviewed twenty eight excellent applicants from whom nine were selected – a difficult choice. The class of 2007 responded enthusiastically to all the opportunities for leadership that we presented them with. Before classes resumed this year, twelve Year 12 students completed their preparation for the Quest Retreat for which they trained the Year 11 Peer Ministers. Twenty five Year 12 students volunteered to be Special Ministers of the Eucharist, a role where they publicly gave witness to their commitment to Jesus present in the Blessed Sacrament and their desire to share this gift. As participants and leaders they gave impressive witness to their faith in our bookend Retreats – Kairos and Quest. Students took time out to reflect on God present in their life in our other retreats also. Year 12 on the Tabgha Retreat, paused to ponder on what God is calling them to at this important stage. On the Encounter Retreat, Year 11 reflected on their experience of reaching out to others in their extended experience of Christian Service. Year 10, at a time of decisions about their future, experienced the Risen Jesus in the Emmaus Retreat. The Galilee Retreat was an opportunity for Year 9s to walk with Jesus by the banks of the Swan – some got more wet than others. Every term with Fr Michael McMahon we celebrated a Mass with each Year group, sometimes with an extra focus for example, inducting the Special Ministers of the Eucharist at the first Year 12 Mass and celebrating special moments in the life of our school community with the Mass of the Holy Spirit to begin the Academic Year, Ash Wednesday introducing Lent and renewing our commitment to caring for others, the Feast Day of Edmund Rice and Graduation Mass to farewell our Year 12s. In all these activities students participated enthusiastically as Altar Servers, Lectors, Ushers and with Liturgical Music. A special source of joy was celebrating Baptism within Mass with students who decided to join our Catholic Faith Community during the year. We are impressed with the obvious commitment of students and staff in making all these events happen.