From the Principal
You are all people who have chosen to either work in or send your children to a Catholic school. The 'why' of Catholic schooling is a really interesting question. When they were established in Australia, Catholic schools were almost like fortresses where the Catholic faith was passed on, no other faiths were allowed in, and there was a closed community. Built by Catholics for Catholics.
Next week is Catholic Education Week. It is celebrated annually in Week 3 of Term 3, and is an opportunity for all 309 Catholic schools in Queensland to celebrate and promote their distinctive mission and ethos. That word 'distinctive' is really important, because it speaks of the difference between all different Catholic schools in the country - inspired as they are by different saints, religious orders and teachings.
The present-day Catholic school seeks an open dialogue with the wider community, invites people of all faiths or no faiths, and encourages children to see faith as an attractive option rather than as a ritual to be learned but sometimes not fully understood.
When you look into the reasons for choosing a Catholic school given by different schools and Diocese, the rhetoric around Catholic schooling can read like uninspiring marketing soundbites. I sometimes find myself in the same boat - feeling like a salesman pitching to a tough crowd. I really believe in the value of what we offer at Mary MacKillop though. Not just the broad headline of 'A Catholic Education'. Rather, a conscious focus on how, like St Mary MacKillop, we bring our young people to fullness of life and fullness of dignity.
When we consider the challenges that they will eventually face and the at times overwhelming pressures of the contemporary world, there can be no greater goal.
Chris Gabbett
College Principal
