Catholic Identity
“St Brendan’s is a Catholic School embracing our diverse Community with faith and courage in the spirit of the Mercy Tradition.”
(St Brendan’s Primary School Shepparton Identity Statement)
Welcome to Saint Brendan’s
Catholic Primary School
Our Catholic identity is at the heart of all we do at our school, St Brendan’s. Our faith guides every decision, including how we engage with our students, our parents and guardians and our local community. The culture at St Brendan’s is shaped by our school Charism and this comes from our founding orders, the Sisters of Mercy and our Patron Saint, St Brendan the Navigator. Throughout the year, I will be sharing work completed by the students each fortnight that unpacks and celebrates the students understanding of our school charism.
The charism within a Catholic school, is an extraordinary gifted to us by the Holy Spirit for the good of the church and the world, and it is reflected in how the students, teachers and families live out the Gospel. It is a gift from God that enables us to make sense of life and motivates us to live life fully. It touches the very core of our existence and colours everything that we do.
Guided by our school moto, with Faith and Courage, we are called to keep Jesus central in all we do, including how we treat others with respect and dignity, acting with gentleness, kindness and compassion.
Our school Identity Statement encapsulates in one phrase the essence of our School Community and the connection to our charism. It proclaims simply and clearly what we are about, embracing students and their families from all walks of life, with Christ’s teachings at the core, our FAITH and to have COURAGE like Saint Brendan and Catherine McAuley, when facing life’s challenges, whatever they might be in order to promote the development of each student here at St Brendan.
Our School Charism
What are some of the signs and symbols of our school charism here at St Brendan’s?
(Work shared by our students through posters, Y charts, illustrations, and labels)
Our new school theme for 2025.
‘We Are Pilgrims Of Hope!’
(Celebrating the Jubilee Year for the Holy Catholic Church)
This year, the students of St Brendan’s will embrace our new school theme, ‘We are Pilgrims of Hope’. As we celebrate a Jubilee Year in the Church we are encourage to embrace this new theme and engage in dialogue with our students, families and one another in how we can be active ‘PILGRIMS OF HOPE’, recognising that everyone is loved by God, striving to act with justice and forgiveness.
As a Catholic school, the celebration of faith is active and visible. Our children engage daily in prayer and reflection, and regularly participate in the celebration of liturgies and masses. Our parish priest, Father Joe Taylor and our newly appointed assistant priest, Father Adi play an important part in nurturing the faith of our students at St Brendan’s, through our participation in weekday Masses, whole school Masses and Feast Days, our parish Sacramental program and Assembly visits.
We create daily opportunities for our children to listen to gospel stories and understand the teachings of Jesus. Religious Education not only empowers our children to learn about the biblical stories but how these stories can guide them in their daily lives; in their interactions with others and in their care for the world in which they live. We want our children to become productive citizens who can engage with others with respect, compassion and with justice.
In Bishop Shane’s Christmas message to us all, he mentioned…
‘Pilgrim’s of Hope’… It’s a simple message, and one that we need…We are surrounded by so many events that undermine hope. Wars continue in Ukraine and the Holy Land, violence has now spilled over into Lebanon, and there is terrible suffering for the civilian populations in all these places, with injuries and deaths, homes destroyed, residents displaced, and severe shortages of food and medical help.
This suffering is felt around the world, with protests calling for political action, and direct threats to many Jewish communities, including this month’s shameful arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue. In political and social life, there seems to be a growing fragmentation, anger and distrust, which makes cooperation and constructive action ever more difficult. We are fortunate that this is less pronounced in Australia than in some parts of the world, but there are concerning signs here too.
So a Jubilee of Hope is very timely. Even without joining the crowds in Rome, each of us can celebrate a jubilee of hope. In our families and communities, we can look for the signs of hope and inspiration around us, and take time to celebrate them and show our appreciation.
(Bishop Shane-2024 Christmas Message)
Therefore, as modern day ‘Pilgrims of Hope’ we encourage our students to embrace the Catholic traditions of our school and embark on their own FAITH PILGRIMAGE guided by the light of Christ in order to help themselves, others and our common home, mother earth!
Staff Prayer-First week back
(during our first gathering as a whole staff community)
As a staff, our teachers welcomed in the new school year last week, with our first gathering focusing on the Jubilee Year, ‘Pilgrims of Hope’. Our staff all contributed to a reflection on how we can be active ‘Pilgrims of Hope’
Pilgrims of Hope: (Staff responses)
- working towards a successful, faith filled school
- connecting our school community and St. Brendan’s Parish together in God’s love.
- inspiring all children to learn something new.
- connecting with others through kindness and compassion during times of change.
Opening School Mass
Please join us for our OPENING SCHOOL MASS, 28th February at 10.15am as we launch our new school theme, ‘We Are Pilgrims of Hope’ and prepare our hearts for the coming of the new school year.
Catholic Identity Dates for Term 1
(Please note, if dates and times change, parents will be notified in advance. Thank you)
As we begin to prepare for our 2025 Sacramental Program, I would like to extend a whole school congratulations to our Sacramental coordinator, Jessamy Doyle and her family on the safe arrival of their baby girl, Heidi Doyle.
Jess is the parent of Laura Doyle in Year 2 and now a proud mum of three beautiful children. We wish Jess and her husband, Brenton a life time of love and happiness as they enjoy this wonderful addition to their beautiful family.
Jess will continue to work in her role as our Parish Sacramental co-ordinator, working from home and the Parish office in 2025.
If you have any queries regarding the sacramental Program, feel free to make contact with the St Brendan’s Parish Office 58212633. or contact Jess direct through her e-mail
Shepparton.sacramental@sandhurst.catholic.org.au
Please note the 2025 Sacramental dates listed below
Kind Regards,
Leanne Pellegrino (Catholic Identity Leader)