Identity News

Student House Leaders Initiative - Footy Colours Day

Our student House Leaders for Brophy, Butler, Foley and Jordan created an initiative to build House spirit by wearing your footy colours to school day, to launch the 2023 preloved footy boot drive on Wednesday 29 March. House points will be allocated for the donations to see which House collects the most. The footy boots will be donated to Lachie’s Legacy. The college came alive with colour as students and staff shared their team's colours wearing a jumper, scarf, or beanie and making a gold coin donation to support Opening the Doors Foundation which as a FIRE Carrier school we support. They provide educational opportunities for local First Nations youth. It’s is a House Challenge so be sure to put your old out grown boots in your House colour bin at Reception at both campuses.

Koling Wada-Ngal
Koorie Cultural Walk – Tuesday March 28

St Joseph’s College First Nations Student group, Koling Wada-Ngal, was lucky enough to head out onto Country with Uncle Norm Stanley for a day of Cultural learning. The group walked a portion of the Koorie Cultural Walk along the Point Addis coastline. At regular intervals, the students stopped to listen and learn from Uncle Norm, who shared a deeply engaging and connected knowledge of the history and environment of the area. Students learned about the traditional seasons of Wadawurrung Country, while also gaining various insights about flora, fauna, cultural burning and the changing landscape that they walked through.

We’d like to express our gratitude to Uncle Norm for his generosity on the day. The students took a lot away from the experience and loved spending time out on Wadawurrung Land.

Ben McDowall
First Nations Student Coordinator

Holy Week Liturgy

As a Catholic School in the Edmund Rice tradition we gather each year in the last week of Term 1 as a community to live out an aspect of our Gospel and Spirituality Touchstone through the lens of one of the days of Holy Week. During this season of Lent, we have been invited to spend time reflecting on Jesus' life. The focus this year will was on the Passion of Christ. The story of his arrest, trial and journey to the cross. We reflected on his passage to eternal life, through the stations of the cross. We conclude the term this year leading directly into the major days of Holy Week when we journey with Christ to his triumphant resurrection, signifying the victory of good over evil. The Stations of the Cross are a beautiful expression of the core of our faith, which is that Jesus embraced the dramas of every human life, our triumphs and failures, our joys and sorrows. In the Stations, we remember how the Lord is with us, especially when we seem to be stuck and have lost the way forward. He walks with us, trips with us when we stumble, and helps us to our feet again.

We thank Janine McLean and Belinda Milverton who supported our College leaders and Year 10 Drama students who reverently re-created the stations of the cross for our community along with the vocal ensemble who will closed our liturgy today.

As people of faith we live in hope, not fear and with God’s mercy, love and compassion we can overcome anything at all that life has install for us. Know that all of our families will be welcomed to attend the Holy Week and Easter Sunday Mass celebrations at our local Parish Churches across the Geelong region or where your family may be holidaying. Look up your local Catholic Church’s website or Facebook page for Holy Week and Easter Mass times. May our St Joseph’s community be blessed as we celebrate Easter with loved ones, united in hope, love and renewed faith.

Archdiocese of Melbourne’s Pilgrimage to World Youth Day Lisbon 2023

We congratulate Year 12 students Ethan Withers and George Cotter along with staff member Natasha Scanlan who have been sponsored to attend the Archdiocese of Melbourne’s pilgrimage to World Youth Day in Lisbon 2023. On these 14 fun-filled days from 28 July – 9 August 2023, they will join young people from Melbourne to journey to Fatima to visit the sacred shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. They will then travel to Lisbon to participate in the major events of World Youth Day including the Papal Welcome, catechesis, youth festivals, and the final pilgrim walk and vigil with Pope Francis and millions of other young Catholics. Congratulations also to our Religious Education Coordinator Charlie Purdy, who has been selected to attend an Emerging Leaders Program where Participants will explore how to share their knowledge, understanding and life-changing experiences with and for the benefit of their respective communities upon their return. Starting in Rome, emerging leaders in Catholic education, health and social services will be engaged in a rich learning environment to develop their leadership identity through self-reflection and spiritual discernment, immersed in the rich historical context and surrounds of the Vatican City. Following a retreat experience in Assisi, participants will travel to Lisbon to join the WYD events. We pray in thanks for them as they take part in preparing for this formative experience.

Mary Malone
Director of Identity