The community spirit is alive and well at St. Brigid’s. Since starting my new role at the school, I have been impressed with how welcoming staff, parents and students have been as well as their connection and commitment to fostering a Catholic community. There are great opportunities to celebrate and participate in our Catholic faith through the Religious Education program, the House system including regular Mentor Masses, the Rosary each Tuesday morning and Alpha which fosters and promotes young students to share their faith in a fun environment. These opportunities allow us to ‘Inflame our hearts and minds in Christ’ empowering students and staff to be committed to faith, charity, and life learning by leading lives as disciples of Jesus. Faith formation of the members of the school is Christ centred and is intentional, ongoing and reflective process that focuses on the growth of individuals and communities from their lived experiences and capabilities for mission and service in the Church and the world.
It is amazing that our school community embraces and is committed to the St Brigid, College prayer. This demonstrates an understanding that Christ is at the centre of everything we do and that we ‘ensure that our world is a better place for our having lived’. This theme was explored at the recent Year 10 & 11 leadership camp, where our elected leaders for 2025 gathered to develop and foster their leadership skills to build upon the great work of the current student leadership team. The student’s energy and enthusiasm to make a difference was evident, as well as their ability to work together as a team to explore and develop new initiatives and ideas to build on the strength of the College.
The Parable of the Sower Mark 4:2-9 frames the key principles underpinning formation and so guides the ways formation for mission is understood and implemented in Catholic schools. In the parable Jesus said, ‘other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing’. This reminds us of the important role we have as educators to provide the nutrients to foster the spiritual development of our students in partnership with their care givers. We water the seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise and lay foundations that will need further development. Often, we will not know the positive impact we have had on students and this development can often flourish years after a student leaves school.
Damien Tomsett
Assistant Principal, Evangelisation and Catechesis
