Mission & Catholic Identity News
Year 11 Retreat
From February 6-8, all Year 11 students at St. Peter’s College went on retreat.
To make this possible, the following staff spent 2 nights, 3 days away from family and friends. Many thanks to the staff who joined me on retreat:
Molly Fitzgerald, Nicole Green, Paul Gyulavary, Arlette Ramnuth, Cameron Ross, Jean Paul Antoine, Kate Bracegirlde, Clare Ziino, Roger Hampson, Ian Ellwood, Jeremy Howe, Louise Mansfield, Bernie McDermott, Jo Lortan, David Stretch, Pam Fox, George Bassett and Clifford Franz.
Special thanks to Elouise Johnson, Barry Fisher and David Fini who took on a leadership role at the retreat with organisation.
A Catholic school retreat experience is one of our ‘point of difference’ to other education sectors. They are an essential element of what we are as a Catholic place of learning. The aim of the Year 11 Retreat was for staff and students to have a chance to deepen within themselves the realisation and appreciation, as an individual, and therefore as a person of value to others and a person loved by God. To help the student become more aware of and confident in their personal strengths and abilities and thus to deepen their own level of self-acceptance. And to encourage each student to respond to others as persons, to reach out to others in friendship and to work at building a community based on the message of Jesus.
Our motto for 2019 – Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid - was a continual theme through all sessions and activities.
Opening School Masses
On Tuesday, 12 February we celebrated our Opening School Masses. Cranbourne Campus celebrated Mass with Fr Antony in the morning then Clyde North celebrated their Opening Mass with Fr Denis in the afternoon. A running theme through the Masses was our 2019 motto; ‘Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid’ from Matthew 14:26-28. We were privileged to have our Religious Education class Madjitil Moorna, which specialises in liturgical music lead our Masses. They were brilliant! Another special part of this Mass was the new staff blessing and giving of St. Peter’s College badges to new staff.
African-Australians Rising - The birth of the Casey Titans
I am very privileged to work alongside Mr Deng Chuor, our Pastoral Associate. He is doing amazing work in our school community. This is just a snapshot from an article, written recently about him.
The Channel Seven news reporter stares down the barrel of the camera, he is about to deliver a segment that will go down in solidarity or infamy — depending on who you talk to.
“Barely a week goes by that they’re not in the news.” the reporter begins, standing in front of a graphic depicting a frightened-looking elderly lady. Next to her is a black man, his eyes looming out of a hooded jacket, holding a hand-gun. In the middle of the graphic it reads in large writing — “AFRICAN GANGS”.
The reporter continues, “African gangs running riot, terrorising, robbing, wreaking havoc.”
Deng Chuor is sitting in his living room in Melbourne’s east, watching the broadcast in disbelief. He begins to research African gangs in Melbourne and comes across the “Apex gang”. Alarmed by what he reads, Deng figures that those in the Apex gang were merely disillusioned youths in need of help and direction.
With this intent in mind, Deng begins to make phone calls to his friends in the South Sudanese-Australian community — do any of them know anyone in this Apex gang? Nobody knows anything. In fact, the general consensus is that the Apex gang does not even exist.
African-Australian youths, particularly those in the South Sudanese community, have been headline news in recent years. Last July, former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull labelled Sudanese gangs “a real concern”, and Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said people in Melbourne were “afraid to go out to dinner” because of “gang violence.”
This ongoing narrative irked Deng and it was for this reason that he decided to approach St. Peter’s College in Cranbourne West to help out its large population of African-Australian students.
In the autumn of last year, St. Peter’s College, alongside Deng, decided to install basketball rings in the school gymnasium and begin the Casey Titans basketball program. Initially 10 students showed up. Six months later, there are over 50 — most of them from the South Sudanese-Australian community.
Mr Matt Williams
Deputy Principal - Mission & Catholic Identity