Plenty of reasons to rejoice at St Monica’s
Schools
St Monica’s Parish School at Walkerville celebrated 180 years of Catholic education in South Australia on the feast of its patron saint.
The school community was joined on August 27, the feast of St Monica, by representatives of the Sisters of St Joseph, the local parish and St Augustine’s Parish School Salisbury, St Martin’s Greenacres and Mary MacKillop College.
Rachael DeTullio, St Monica’s assistant principal Religious Identity and Learning, said the inspiration for the special celebration came from a gathering run earlier in the year by Catholic Education SA called Stories of Hope.
Rachael said after hearing religious orders share their stories about their communities and their contribution to Catholic education, Year 6 leaders from St Monica’s were challenged to think about “how will the story continue?”.
“Inspired by this, our Year 6s wanted to create a special day to celebrate our rich Josephite heritage and its strong links to Catholic education,” Rachael said.
“A collaborative project then unfolded, with every class from Reception to Year 6 exploring a different aspect of our history and story – from the life of Mary MacKillop to the past and present story of St Monica’s, and the values we inherit from the Josephites.
“Each class reflected on how these values will guide us into the future.”
The project came together on St Monica’s feast day with a display of artwork produced by each class, a morning tea attended by people connected to the school and 180 cupcakes to commemorate 180 years of Catholic education.
Fr Matthew Newman with Year 6 students at the feast day Mass.
The celebration concluded with a joyful feast day Mass, celebrated by Fr Matthew Newman.
“This celebration not only honoured the past but also encouraged our whole community to reflect on how we can continue to carry forward the story of faith, service, and learning,” Rachael said.
“As a school, we are proud to continue the story of Catholic education and the Josephite spirit in all that we do.”
The students’ video is now live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StMonicaWalkerville
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