Catholic Identity 

One of the Gospel Passages for SMOTA!

I know, I know.... you are wondering why I want to explain a passage to you, and I will admit it is from my point of view only... so take it as you will.

John 15:12-17 is arguably one of the most quoted...and misquoted gospel passages.

It reads:

 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.

But what does it mean?  In this Gospel passage we can see that Jesus telling his followers what love really looks like, and how they can live that out. 

In simple terms, saying: "love others the way I have loved you" , and that love is the sign of a real relationship with Jesus

But let's break it down further and to what it means for us as a school community....

At St Mary of the Angels, we bring these ancient words to life EVERY moment of EVERY day.

It reminds us of 'who we are'... That we have chosen to be together.

In John’s Gospel, Jesus shifts the paradigm of relationship: “You are my friends if you do what I command... You did not choose me but I chose you.”

As a school community under Armidale Catholic Schools, we are not just an institution or a workplace; we are a Christ-centred, inclusive learning community. 

'Who we are' is defined by the core principle of Fidelity in Relationships, which views connection not merely as a personal choice, but as a sacred bond nurtured through trust and mutual support.  Added to this is, we are a vital anchor in the community and world of our staff, families and of course.. our young people!

The scripture's emphasis on deep, meaningful relationships aligns with our commitment to building a positive relational climate. It is one of the focuses of the last two years Annual Improvement Plan.

In our school, this means that positive adult-student and student-peer relationships are highly visible and intentional, and consistently worked towards.  We are a community where every individual is known, chosen, and valued.

John 15 also establishes that true love is not a vague sentiment; it is a sacrificial, concrete action: “Love one another as I have loved you... Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for friends.”

We do this everyday through daily practice and our LWLW Behaviour Support Framework, which mirrors this scriptural's call to challenge the traditional "manage and discipline" model of schooling. 

Instead of viewing behaviour as something to be quantified and controlled through power, we ask: "Are we teaching care or control?" Is everyone at St Mary of the Angels having a better day because of my presence?

When a child struggles with unproductive behaviour, educators at St Mary of the Angels do not rely on punitive compliance. Instead, we focus on the impact of the behaviour on relationships and look for a teachable replacement behaviour. This is sacrificial, supportive love in action.  By putting aside the ease of strict punishment to spend time restoring the student to the learning team.

But why do we do it this way?

Jesus states that he appointed his followers to “go and bear fruit, fruit that will last,” defining this fruit as the visible results of living in his love.

Our Annual improvement plan is a roadmap for and towards fruitfulness.

In our AIP we explicitly map out how our daily work intends to bear this lasting fruit across three distinct pillars:

• Our Catholic Identity (Spiritual Fruit): We give life to Catholic Principles & Values (CPVs) within daily school experiences and reinvigorate our "Skilled Helpful Adults" (SHAs) to embed these values everywhere.
• Our Learning and Teaching (Academic Fruit): We ensure that students experience meaningful, worthwhile learning by embedding consistent practices across Literacy and Numeracy blocks, ensuring no student in our rural community is left behind.
• Our People (Wellbeing Fruit): We actively cultivate active Parish and school community relationships through "encounter invitations," ensuring the school community acts as a beacon of hope and support .

By grounding our school daily in the gospel values and our system goals, we truly are able to embody John's Gospel by ensuring that our size is our greatest strength: a place where sacrificial love, explicit character care, and deep relational fidelity form a protective sanctuary that empowers all of our students to realise a hope-filled future.

Dates not to forget!

Friday 26th June is the date for First Reconciliation. 

Sunday 28th June is First Communion.

 

Whole School Masses

We warmly invite families to join us in celebrating our whole school Masses with our young people. 

Upcoming Masses:

• Wk 10: Stage Three: Ordinary Time Friday Mass

   

We encourage parents, carers and parishioners to join us for these special celebrations!

Parish Mass Times

Please join our Parish to celebrate the Eucharist. Our Parish offers daily masses at 9:00am and two Mass times every weekend. 

Saturday - 5.00pm (now Winter has commenced)

Sunday - 9.00am

Sunday 24th May: Pentecost Sunday

Monday 25th May: Our Lady Help of Christians

Sunday 31st May: Most Holy Trinity