Catholic Identity and Mission

Mr John Ryan - Deputy Principal

In May 1961, Pope John XXIII released his encyclical Mater Et Magistra. Primarily the encyclical addressed Christianity and social progress. This was a response to reading the signs of the times and paragraph 236 outlined our social responsibility perfectly. 

 

Look or See

Judge

Act or Do

 

To Look:           In the first instance, one reviews the situation in front of them

To Judge:         Form an educated opinion using the principles of the Gospel

To Act:              Decide how to implement these Christian principles to the situation 

 

As we approach the Feast day of Mary of the Cross MacKillop, we can see in Mary MacKillop’s writings similarity with the words of John XXIII. 

 

1 “Believe in the whisperings of God to your own heart” calls us to the focus of

See and Do are reflected in Mary’s famous quote “Never see a need without doing something about it.”

 

2 “See a need ……” involves two background perspectives, one historical and the other contemporary. In the Footsteps of Mary describes a specific story or era in Mary’s life that deepens understanding of the unit theme. We also See the need by investigating further the work of Mary MacKillop through acts of social justice at school, at home and in the community.

 

3 ….. doing something about it” also involves two approaches, both calls to Act. One is curriculum based in the classroom and the other is an opportunity to engage our students further with a suggested awareness raising.

 

This year our College cannot run the annual Walkathon in August. We will celebrate the tenth anniversary of Mary MacKillop’s canonisation in October, by organising a Walkathon styled activity within the College grounds. More information will be released about this in the coming weeks. 

 

Our annual Feast day mass will be replaced with a liturgy to be streamed into all College classrooms on Friday morning August 7. 

 

Inspired by Australia’s first saint, we are working to transform lives with dignity and love.