Religious Education 

The Importance of Sacred Space

The last two years of remote learning have provided us with ways to connect and learn that we had never explored before. However, it was difficult to maintain authentic community and relationship. As students have returned to onsite learning this year we have been intentional in the experiences in which students are immersed, in order to support the connection and nurturing of relationships. Whilst members of our community have spent much of 2020 and 2021 in lockdown, so too have our facilities. To have our community together again, making use of the spaces that have been designed to support learning and wellbeing has been a joy to witness.

Our College Chapel has been a place of togetherness for generations of Kilbreda girls and continues to be a space that provides opportunity to rest and reflect. Many Religious Education classes have been making the most of the Chapel since the return to onsite learning. When we enter a sacred space we allow ourselves the opportunity to step out of the busyness of our world and instead, spend time in peaceful contemplation, reflecting on our connection with God.

It is a blessing to have such a space in the midst of our busy school community. A sacred space offers a sense of calm where we can counteract the storm of modern life and invites us to spend time reflecting on our personal and collective connection with spirituality and the divine. We know that God can be encountered all around us, and that this is not confined to a church or chapel, but having a space that is set apart as sacred space provides somewhere for people to intentionally connect with the divine.

Sacred spaces are important in our life, places that are set aside as holy and used for worship, prayer, meditation, and rituals. Spaces where we can listen to our hearts and the still small voice of God (1 Kings 19:12).

The College Chapel is a beautiful space, intimate and quiet, separated from the hustle and bustle of classrooms. Students and staff are encouraged to use this space to spend time in reflection and prayer. Sacred spaces are not, however, limited to specially constructed buildings. Most of us can probably identify several places that are sacred for us, places where we like to return to connect with the spirit, and places where we can just breathe. I encourage you in the busyness of today’s world to find the places that are sacred for you, find the place where you can connect with God and breathe.

Jane Ward

Assistant Principal:

Learning and Teaching