Our Faith
St Mary’s Catholic School prides itself on a tradition of strong, Catholic identity. The school preserves and fosters an understanding and practice of our Catholic tradition through formal religion lessons, the integration of Christian values into other subject areas and the encouragement to live full Christian lives. Liturgy and prayer is fundamental to St Mary’s sense of Catholic community.
The students’ spiritual development is a shared responsibility between the parish priest, principal, religious education co-ordinator, staff and parents. Students from Kindergarten to Year 10 participate in Religious Education classes based on the Diocesan program.
Our close proximity to St Patrick’s Church provides numerous opportunities for students at St Mary’s to participate in liturgical events celebrated during the year. These events include the beginning of the school year, Lent, St Patrick’s Day, Easter, Advent, NAIDOC Week, Mercy Day, the Year 10 Graduation Mass and other days of significance. Parents are welcome to attend school masses, liturgies and special religious ceremonies as they occur.
The prayer focus in the foyer of the school features a cross and reflects our Aboriginal history. Examples of prayer experiences are: our School Prayer, class prayer throughout the day and at assemblies, prayer focus tables in each room, staff prayer, prayer before meetings and the teaching of specific formal Catholic prayers in every grade.