Heads of House 

Why ANZAC Day Matters for Our Girls: A Franciscan Perspective

Each year, on April 25th,  Australians pause to honour the courage and sacrifice of those who served in our armed forces. ANZAC Day is a deeply significant national event—but in a Franciscan Catholic school community, it also becomes a moment of spiritual reflection and values-based learning.

For our students, ANZAC Day is more than a history lesson. It is an opportunity to reflect on what it means to live with compassion, courage, and a commitment to peace—qualities we see not only in the stories of soldiers and nurses, but also in the quiet endurance of families and communities who lived through times of war.

The Franciscan tradition, rooted in the life of St Francis of Assisi, calls us to be peacemakers and to respect the dignity of every person. In this light, ANZAC Day becomes a sacred time to honour those who gave of themselves in service to others, and to ask how we might follow that example in our own lives.

For our young women, exploring the contributions of women in wartime—nurses, volunteers, codebreakers, and peacebuilders—helps expand their understanding of leadership and service. These stories show that courage can take many forms, and that every act of compassion matters.

Through prayer, classroom discussion, and liturgy, students are encouraged to connect remembrance with action—to not only honour the past, but to shape a future guided by justice, humility, and hope.

As parents, your role in supporting these reflections cannot be understated. Family conversations can bring history to life and help your daughter explore what ANZAC Day means in a personal and spiritual sense. Here are some discussion starters to share at home:

Family Discussion Questions

• What does "service" mean to you, and how can we serve others in our everyday lives?
• How do the values of the ANZACs—like courage and sacrifice—connect with our Franciscan values?
• Why is it important to remember the stories of women during wartime?
• What do you think peace means today, and how can we help create it?
• How can we honour ANZAC Day in a meaningful way as a family?

By remembering the past with reverence and reflecting through a Franciscan lens, we guide our young women to become thoughtful, compassionate citizens of peace.

From the Heads of House team.