Faith and Mission

Year 7 - 11 Reflection Day

Friday 26 May was a special day for the College. We celebrated our annual Reflection Day based on our College theme, Courage. 

Through a range of activities and the insights from guest speakers, students and staff learnt more about speaking and acting in courageous ways. 

Year 7

The six Kildare Core Values of Justice, Wonder, Compassion, Hope, Courage and Hospitality were explored by each of the Year 7 homeroom classes. They worked in groups to brainstorm the core value they were given. They reflected and discussed how they could live out this core value. They then designed an art piece that reflected their ideas. These canvases will be displayed in their Homerooms for the remainder of the year.  

Their second activity involved focusing on inspirational quotes of courage to help them when times are tough. They were given jars to decorate and wrote positive affirmations that were placed in them. They wrote a personal reflection based on the quote they chose with a focus on courageous moments from their lives. Their final activity was to write a letter to their future selves which will be returned to them at the end of Year 12 in 2028! They reflected on what sort of legacy or mark they wanted to be remembered by when looking back at their time at Marian College. By writing such a letter, it would help them to start building on this goal and start living in the way they want to be remembered. It is hoped that it would also influence their day to day decisions in positive ways. The day ended with a contemplative liturgy where students from each homeroom shared symbolism and their personal reflections on the values explored throughout the day. 

Years 8 / 9

The students in Years 8 and 9 came together to hear the engaging story of Sam Clear’s journey of uniting humanity around the world. In December 2006, Sam set out on a walk that extended 15,500km from the eastern most point of Brazil, through South America, Central America and North America, across Siberia on theTrans-Siberian Railway and on foot again from Moscow to the western most point of Spain, all for the sake of Christian unity. What he discovered was life changing. Challenging moments made him seek the spiritual support of God and through his faith, he gained the courage and strength to step into the lives of those less fortunate than he. Sam shared stories that highlighted Catholic Social Teaching, particularly Preference for the Poor and Dignity for the Human Person. Following Sam’s talk, the Year 8 and 9 students reflected on his words of courage and determination through activities. The Year 9's designed and created an artistic calico square. These squares will be sewn together to make a montage of their personal learnings. 

Year 9 students, Azariah and Arianna reflected saying: A strong theme from today was to trust in God’s plan even if it seems hard at times. Sam’s stories were interesting and memorable and the whole day reminded us that God’s love is everywhere and within everything.

Year 8 student, Ruby reflected on her experience. She writes: The most important message that was taken from Sam Clear, our guest speaker from Walk4one, was Unity is love in action. Many students found his stories interesting because he talked about the problems he faced while walking around the world. They were fascinating to hear about. At first, we couldn’t believe that someone had walked 15,600km across the world, let alone juggling to learn nine different languages just to unite people in prayer. Many students in our Year 8 found his stories challenging to believe at first. However, he accompanied the events with solid evidence from his encounters. Reflection Day helped shape our faith through opportunities to pray. We heard strong messages about acting in courageous ways. For example, if Sam Clear can walk halfway across the world to unite people in prayer, we too can do great things. Today’s events have inspired us to dream beyond most of our teenage dreams. We can do anything we put our minds to. Courage can be shown in many different ways. To be courageous you have to step out of your comfort zone and take risks. Try to never give up until you reach the end.

Years 10 /11 

Their day began with a liturgy led by Taya, Pippa, Payton, Sylvia and Danelle. The use of reflective songs set the scene for focusing on the health and wellbeing of the whole person. When thinking of courage, it should be inclusive of student wellbeing in terms of mental health, physical health and spiritual health. They prayed for courage when reaching out for help when they feel overwhelmed, especially during assessment and exam periods. Their first guest speaker was Sr Margaret Fyfe csb, further developed the liturgical message of courage by encouraging students to “get out there and do what you want and don’t be afraid to try new things”  and “To speak your mind, get involved in your classroom and let your voice be heard.” Her talk followed up with spending quality time with peers and having a sense of relaxation and retreating for a day from academic studies. Students were challenged in getting to know themselves, getting involved and being heard. This meant exhibiting a mindset of not staying in a bubble but seeking new relationships and opportunities.

Their second inspirational guest speaker was Ron Murray. Ron is a Wamba Wamba man (Swan Hill area) living on Jaara country at Yapeen, near Castlemaine, in central Victoria . He is a cultural educator, storyteller, musician, didgeridoo maker and wood sculptor. https://www.wheelercentre.com/people/ron-murray/  Ron performed the didgeridoo and combined this with funny stories about animals and Aboriginal creation stories. He shared his entertaining narratives and explained the Voice to Parliament and why it’s an integral part of First Nations People’s journey in Australia’s history.

Senior students from Mannix reflected on Ron’s session and said: A favorite session of the day was listening to Ron Murray perform and speak about Aboriginal culture. We loved having an insight into his life as an Aboriginal man and experiencing his life through music. For example, the real history behind the didgeridoo and the name of the rabbit. We loved his playing of the didgeridoo and his explanation of the history behind significant factors in the Aboriginal Culture that impact us as Australians today. 

Mercy Seufatu reflected on the message of courage saying: I can teach other people about courage through comparing the feeling of regret and wondering ‘what if…’. instead of having the courage to say ‘yes’. Yes to risks, yes to meeting new people, yes to experiencing new places and not letting the barriers of fear hold us back.

Jaida from Yr 10 reflected on the day’s message saying that we can all find happiness through cultural music, such as that shared by Ron Murry.

Overall, students and staff had a great day retreating from the normal timetable to enjoy the stories and lessons our guest speakers shared through their presentations. 

We thank all the Year Level Level Leaders, Ms Borg, Ms Smith, Ms Gaudiano, Ms Scott, Ms Dixon and Ms Piccione, along with the many staff and students who helped plan our guest speakers and activities to ensure we all experienced memorable insights into Courage - Speaking and Acting with Integrity.

Bernadette Casey

Assistant to the Principal - Faith and Mission