Faith and Mission
Year 10 Reflection from the Excursion to Frontyard and St Patrick’s Cathedral
The Year 10 Religious Education excursion to St Patrick's Cathedral and Frontyard Youth Services on Monday the 24th of October served to expand our understanding of social justice. Our ventures into both environments gave each of us an insightful experience, allowing us to reflect upon the historical beauties of a cathedral and the hard-knock reality that a handful of many young Australians have to endure.
Frontyard in particular garnered the most attention from many Year 10 students as well as myself. Frontyard Youth Services are catered towards young individuals between 12 to 24 years old who are disengaged, at risk of, or experiencing homelessness in Melbourne’s CBD. This community service provides a safe and inviting drop-in centre, offering individuals that walk inside the doors accommodation, family support, legal assistance and more.
During the Frontyard talk, our speaker Melinda gave all of us a brief but straightforward overview of Australia’s homeless statistics. Listening to her presentation, Melinda told us that according to the latest census, over 6,000 young Victorians don’t have a place to call their own. By hearing this, many of us were appalled to hear the harsh reality that many people our age experience. Throughout the talk, we students were able to engage in the conversation and understand the reasons behind the lead-up to homelessness. Overall, our experience with Frontyard Youth Services was certainly beneficial for our current study of social justice and offered a great practical understanding to the reality of homelessness.
Patricia
The positive things about the excursion yesterday is that the cathedral was such a peaceful and quiet place to visit and also look around. Frontyard was a good place that provides stuff for the homeless and support. The stories we heard about one of the young homeless people was shocking - their life has been hard for them.
Anisha
Visiting St Paul's Cathedral was an engaging experience for us to relax and reflect. The Cathedral's architecture, water fountains and statues were gorgeous and an enjoyable visit.
Ruth
On Monday, the Year 10 cohort went to the city to expand our knowledge and learn new things about the Catholic faith. Our group first went to the St. Patrick's athedral where we marvelled at the various elaborate decorations and rich history. The cohort then visited the ‘Front Yard’ organisation. We learnt about the stories of people who lived in unfortunate circumstances which led them to seeking help, through this, our understanding of the Catholic Social Teaching of preferential option for the poor was further developed. Teachers and students were able to connect, participate and engage in this program. Overall this experience was enriching and a welcomed change in the everyday school routine.
Leanne, Isabella & Sylvia
It was a good experience to walk around the cathedral, as this gave me the opportunity to look at the significant aspects of it. I liked how we could visit the place whilst a service wasn't running as this allowed some personal reflections when we were walking around.
Melina
The excursion to the city was a great day as we were able to get out of the classroom and do something different. St. Patrick's Cathedral was beautiful and it was great to just walk around and look at all the breathtaking artwork, especially the colourful and detailed stained glass.
Taylor
The visit to the cathedral was the highlight of the day for many. Arched structures, beautiful stained windows, and the antic, gothic architecture of the building were spectacular. The many chapels were interesting as the windows contained visual stories and sacred clothing. These elements created a pensive and spiritual atmosphere for some, but for others, was simply a picturesque place.
Ha-Vy
The excursion to St. Patrick’s Cathedral was an enlightening and beautiful experience for
myself and many other students. Walking around such a sentimental space allowed students to understand the Catholic faith further in a spiritual and historical setting. I myself am not catholic, but through this excursion, I have been able to embrace the religion, and I was able to feel at peace with myself as I walked through the quiet and warm space.
Tayla
Visiting St Patrick's Cathedral was indeed an ethereal and illuminating experience. From the colourful and radiant stained glass, its gigantic bronzed doors, Neo-gothic architecture, and a gorgeous altar, it was as if it was animated. You have to see it to understand this glorious experience as it is inexplicable, to Indulge in the house of God, where Christians come to worship.
Cindy
Bernadette Casey
Assistant to the Principal - Faith and Mission