Catholic Identity & Mission News

Our Core Strengths

At St. Peter’s College, we think one of our core strengths is that we are a multi-cultural and multi-faith community (we are ‘pluralist’). I emphasise this when I have the opportunity to conduct enrolment interviews for the College. These interviews serve a number of purposes to gain more information about the applicant and to be able to share with them, important information about us before an offer of enrolment is made.

The relationships between College, parents, and most importantly, students are paramount to students achieving success, and so knowing what each party stands for and ‘brings to the table’ at St. Peter’s College is vital if things are to go well. At interview, I talk about our Catholic identity – our Mission as a Catholic school, our love of our patron saint St Peter (who much to our relief isn’t ‘Peter Perfect’) and our school motto, ‘Be not afraid’. The word ‘Catholic’ means universal and that’s a key reason why our community isn’t all Catholic by faith, or even religious for that matter, This is in fact a strength of our College.  

We are enlivened and challenged through our differences, and see diversity as a strength. In the Second Reading at last Sunday’s Mass, our own patron St Peter proclaimed this truth: ‘The truth I have now come to realise is that God does not have favourites’ (Acts 10:34)! For us to be true to our Mission to proclaim and promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we must be a community that is welcoming and inclusive, and allow the Spirit to work among us so that we are faithful to the command of Jesus to love one another, as He loved us. It is in that way that we build the Kingdom of God.  

To that end, I feel privileged to work with a group of staff who volunteer their time and talents to be members of our College Mission and Identity Team. This is a team that focuses on meeting and extending the spiritual dimensions of both staff and students at the College. We accept that there are people in our community who want the ‘fruits, but not the roots’ of a Catholic education but we remain energised in looking to provide opportunities for faith exploration and development. 

Among other things, the Mission and Identity team looks for ways to maximise liturgical experiences in the College, students reflection days and retreats, and the Staff Spirituality Day which will be held in Term 3. There are also Twilight Theology sessions being offered in late Term 2 and then into Term 3, and further ‘Catholic 101’ initiatives being planned for parents and the wider school community. All of this takes time, but it is so heartening that there is enthusiasm, energy and expertise in this voluntary team – Jean-Paul Antoine, Laura Appleby, Greg Nelson, April Hampson, Naomi Edwards, Tishan Lokuge, Nigel Patawaran, Elouise Johnson, David Fini and Matthew Hocking. I extend thanks to each of these talented team members and encourage parents, students or friends of the College to contact me if you have any requests or suggestions for ways that our work on this team could enhance your experience of our pluralist Catholic community. 

Fiona McKenna

Deputy Principal - Catholic Identity & Mission