Faith and Mission
Welcome back to all students, families and staff at Marian College. It was such a delight to see our students returning on Jan 31 and getting back into the swing of school life so quickly.
Over the past couple of weeks, the creativeness of our Religious Education teams have brought to life the charism of St Brigid and Nano Nagle through various units of work. The age old saying’ it takes a village to raise a child’ is very present here at the College when it comes to offering our students experiences that enable them to build upon the foundations of their faith. The Inspirational Māori Proverb speaks to this whole heartedly.
A Whakataukī is a Māori proverb with unknown origins. Whakataukī have an important role in Māori culture. Whakataukī is often used as a motivational tool and can be used in speeches or everyday conversations. They can include poetic language and always aim to teach principles or have an underlying meaning.
Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari kē he toa takitini
My success should not be bestowed onto me alone, it was not individual success but the success of a collective
This whakatauki acknowledges team effort, that one’s success is due to the support and
contribution of many. Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a community / a
team to enable an individual’s success. It’s a good whakatauki to use when wanting to acknowledge the support of many.
Source: Inspiring Communities - Local Wisdom. Whakatauki Information Sheet.
Reflecting on this insightful whakatauki given to me by Whaea Jenny-May, our Senior Community Leader, I thought it would be the perfect springboard into sharing some of the enlightening work our students and staff have been learning about and celebrating in Religious Education lessons throughout the term.
Term 1
Year 7
Our Year 7 Students settled in well as they embarked on the journey of secondary school. Lots of learning has already taken place, both academically and socially. But to truly be inspired and feel part of the Marian Community, they have had to reflect on what it is to be part of Kildare Ministries and be educated at a Brigidine School.
They have been given opportunities to learn, understand, explore and become aware of who St Brigid was, where she came from and the qualities she possessed. Students have been familiarised with her symbolism, the people associated with her charism and the stories that have helped shape the Marian community and its Catholic Identity.
Ms Mandy Borg
Year 8
In Religious Education the students have completed a Saint investigation with a partner, presenting their findings as a short oral presentation to the class. We discussed the qualities of saints and how we can be inspired by the way they handled their challenges with faith and holiness. We also discussed how we, in our modern world can aspire to having the saints as role models and intercessors for our own needs and challenges.
This leads the students into exploring the Genesis Creation stories. They will learn about the ‘7 Days of Creation’ and ‘Adam & Eve’ noting similarities and differences in order to understand these Creation stories in the Catholic Tradition. They will also look at the role of humanity in caring for Creation.
Ms Mary Attard
Year 9/10
Does the Bible Really Say That?
This Religious Education elective seeks to challenge students thinking about things they think the Bible says by exploring the different genres and styles of writing, and then looking more closely at a specific verses and books in order to understand who wrote it (author), why they wrote it (context), who they wrote it for (audience) and what they wanted the readers to feel/think/do (purpose).
During Step Up, in the lead up to Christmas, the 2024 class explored some of the Christmas traditions and beliefs we think have their origin in the Bible. For example, did you know that the Bible does not say there were Three Wise Men? It says there were three gifts! The three gifts may have been delivered by a delegation of Wise Men (and Women!) - a group present if you will! It is the gifts and what they represent that is the important part of the passage, not the number of people that came to give them.
The class also investigated what the Bible says about angels and how they are described. Then we made 'Biblically Accurate Angels" for our Christmas Trees!
Ms Kellie Illichmann
Awaken the Spirit
Students in this Religious Education elective joined the Science class ‘Our Planet Earth’ to delve into the beautiful world of Marine Biology. Their focus was to observe the magnificent natural world of marine habitats and experience God’s gift of creation to us as stewards of this creation.
Ms Bernadette Casey
Faith in Action
On Shrove Tuesday, the Year 9/10 Faith in Action classes organized a pancake sale as part of their elective focusing on translating faith into meaningful service. This initiative not only commemorated the tradition of indulgence before the fasting period of Lent but also exemplified our commitment to justice in action, a core focus of this elective. All funds raised from the pancake sale will be directed to Caritas, showcasing our students' dedication to making a positive impact through their actions.
Ms Carley Thorpe
Year 12 Living Justice Living Peace
Students in Year 12 Religious Education have been tasked with interviewing an inspirational woman. Some of the interviews were recorded and presented to the class, whereas others invited their inspirational women into the classroom to share their stories with the whole class. Listening to the reasons students have chosen particular women, has been inspirational in itself. They have chosen mothers, aunties, family friends, staff at Marian College, grandmothers etc.
One student reflected saying, ‘It is amazing to see that all these inspirational women have something in common; they have all had challenges to overcome, and the way they overcame their situation was to have hope, faith and a positive mindset.’
Thank you to all the inspirational women who have shared their life stories.
Ms Bernadette Casey
Kildare Ministries New Staff Induction
This year, six of our staff attended the Kildare Ministries New Staff and New Leaders Induction Day on Wednesday 21 February. This was an opportunity for Ms Amanda Zalac, Ms Maree van Engelen, Ms Cindy Tran, Ms Maddison Merrified, Ms Sari Raccuglia-Putri and Ms Jacqueline Byard to get to know each other a little more, share their aspirations for working at Marian College in their 2024 roles and to network with staff at other Kildare Ministries schools.
The day was pleasant, enjoyable and relaxing. Our presenter, Renee Oberin has a wealth of knowledge and I loved hearing her passion as she shared the history of Kildare Ministries. I loved listening to other people share about their "significant item" ...... all personal and with great meaning, memories and importance in their lives. It was also a lovely way to connect with other staff members that I work with at Marian. It was a great opportunity to gather together given we work in different spaces across the College. Ms Maree van Engelen
We all brought a "touchstone" which was symbolic of an important moment in our lives or a part of our identity. The Marian staff presented a range of symbols including photos, jewellery and even some crochet. After sharing our touchstones, we had a deeper understanding of each other and were able to strengthen our relationships through making connections with our stories. We also had the opportunity to dive deeper into the value of Hope and the works of Faith and Mission at Kildare Education Ministries.
Ms Amanda Zalac
This was a lovely day. Many teachers, Learning Support Officers and other staff from our community gathered to reflect together. The highlight for me was sharing stories related to our ‘touchstone’ objects. Hearing everyone's stories of what their touchstone object meant to them formed rich connections within the group. Stories and memories of family, friends, love, tradition and hope were shared and as they were shared, you could feel the compassion in the room and this experience united us all together as humans and Christians. For me personally it strengthened my bond to Jesus, God, to the Brigidine Spirit and Kildare Ministries community.
Ms Sari Raccuglia-Putri
I thought that the day was a wonderful way to delve a little bit further into the identity of Kildare Ministries and come together with fellow new staff members as we begin our journeys as members of the Marian community. We participated in inclusive and engaging activities throughout the day that allowed staff members the opportunity to form connections through sharing stories and experiences with one another. Maddison
The day was a wonderful welcome to the work that is done in the Kildare Ministries schools. It was great to meet and talk to teachers from the other schools and to hear some of the history of the organisation. We spent time together telling our own stories through sharing a symbol that we had been asked to bring. We also spoke about the mission and vision of Kildare Ministries.
Ms Jacqueline Byard
Ms Bernadette Casey
Assistant to the Principal - Faith