Faith
Places of Worship Excursion
The Year 11 General Religious Education Places of Worship Excursion was on Monday, 20 February.
Testimonials
Below students from the Year 11 General Religious Education class share their experiences of the day and lessons learned. Students visited the Perth Mosque and Perth Hebrew Centre (synagogue) located in Menora.
Visiting other places of worship allows students to learn about different religions and cultures firsthand. In addition, it provides an opportunity to gain insight into the beliefs, practices, and traditions of other faiths and communities, fostering empathy and understanding.
From this excursion, students can develop a better appreciation for diversity and learn to respect the beliefs of others, regardless of their religion. This can help reduce prejudice and discrimination while developing critical thinking skills by allowing them to analyse and reflect on their own beliefs and values compared to others. It can also encourage them to ask questions, challenge assumptions, and develop a more nuanced understanding of different religions.
In today's globalised world, it is increasingly essential for students to develop cultural competence. Visiting other places of worship can help students gain a deeper understanding of different cultures and ways of life, which can be helpful in their personal and professional lives.
Overall, visiting other places of worship can broaden students' horizons, promote cultural understanding and acceptance, and equip them with valuable skills and knowledge for the future.
Jonathan Draper:
The excursion on Islamic and Judaism was fascinating as we learned about other religions' key teachings, practices, leadership and customs for both faiths. I loved that we got to ask questions because they gave us a lot of information. But the most exciting thing I learnt about both religions is that it is very similar to Christianity in some way.
Both faiths have pillars, principles, and commandments that need to be followed, like Christianity. For example, Islam believes in Adam and Eve, Moses and Solomon, Virgen Mary, David and many others. Both religions believe in life after death, which is similar to Christianity. Overall I enjoyed the excursion as we spent time with friends and learned about new beliefs.
Robert Moschilla:
The religious places of worship excursion was a great experience, and I learned much from it. I learnt about two different places of worship, the mosque and the synagogue, and their corresponding religion. I found learning about Islam fascinating, especially how they sacrifice so much for their God by praying five times daily and fasting for one month every year. The synagogue was also very interesting. In addition, I enjoyed learning about the scroll carried through World War 1 and later found in a thrift shop. Overall, I had a blast on the excursion. I learned a lot of new information and enjoyed every second!
Ash Wednesday Mass
We gathered again as a Catholic school community on Wednesday to celebrate Ash Wednesday Mass. As we enter this season of Lent, how will we touch the lives of others and make a positive difference to another person.
Thank you to Fra Oscar for reminding us not what to give up, but how ‘we could take up’ doing good for others. To our Year 12 EMHC, the readers, Altar Servers and all staff who assisted, a sincere thanks.
As Mrs Stewart mentioned at Mass, please give generously to our Project Compassion appeal. Our aim is $30.00 per family.
Friday Community Mass
This morning we offered our Friday 8.00am Community Mass to the people of Syria and Turkiye suffering such devastation and heartache. We also prayed for the volunteers assisting in the rescue and clean-up.
As a Catholic School, we are also mindful that during his Sunday Angelus, Pope Francis appealed for help for all those suffering and killed by the devastating earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria as the death toll climbs toward 50,000.
We also prayed for those still suffering in Ukraine. Thank you to 12.4, 12.5 and 12.6 for hosting this Mass, to our Altar Servers and EMHC.
Once again, it is lovely to see many staff and parents supporting our students in their faith journey. Have a blessed and wonderful weekend!
