Catholic Education Week provides a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the strengths and achievements of our 38 Catholic schools as well as the people who contribute to Catholic Education Tasmania’s ongoing success.

Our Catholic Education Week celebrations at Holy Rosary Catholic School commenced last week with a Liturgy for students from our school. This Liturgy was led by Mrs Libby Piesse and co-celebrated with Lara Preddy and Izzie Tuttle from Grade 6. This whole school gathering provided a unique opportunity for students and staff from Holy Rosary to gather together in celebration of our faith. Key members of the community who celebrated alongside our staff and students included our Prep Classes who performed “Yes Mary” as we commenced our liturgy and representatives from Grade 3 who introduced our slideshow on St Mary of the Cross MacKillop.

On the following day, Thursday, the celebrations continued for CET school and students who celebrated the Southern Catholic Schools Education Week Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral. Our school and vice captains attended, alongside our Sacramental Candidates, Mrs Susan McGann and Mrs Libby Piesse. Those who gathered at this Mass shared stories, songs and prayers for St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. We would especially like to congratulate Anna Tran (Grade 5) who read the prayers of intercession in front of the whole congregation whilst Lara Preddy and Izzie Tuttle were amongst the altar servers assisting Rev Fr Shammi Perera, Vicar General, Father Suresh and Father Delaney.

We extend a special thanks to the students and staff who make these events possible.

We also thank all our families and students who contributed funds to our Pyjama Day on Wednesday where we raised funds for the Archbishops Samaritan Fund.

Mary MacKillop was a young Australian woman who dedicated her life to teaching. With Fr Tenison Woods, Mary reached out to the children of poor people in Penola in South Australia. Mary founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart in 1866. These women continue Mary’s ministry of teaching.

Several of our Catholic schools in Tasmania have had Sisters of St Joseph ministering in them. Mary set up schools in Australia and New Zealand as well as houses to help young and elderly women. 

Mary is Australia’s first official saint. She was canonised as Saint Mary of the Cross at a Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI in St Peter’s Square in the Vatican on 17th October 2010.

In his general audience talk Thursday, June 28th, Pope Francis called St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, “an extraordinary religious sister” who dedicated her life to “the intellectual and religious formation of the poor in rural Australia.” The Pope said that an essential part of St Mary MacKillop’s zeal for sharing the Gospel was her dedication to caring for the poor and marginalised. “This is very important,” he said. Along “the path to holiness, which is the Christian path, the poor and the marginalised are the protagonists , and a person cannot move forward in holiness if he or she does not also devote himself or herself to them in one way or another.

In Prep we read the book The Potato People. We worked together with our Grade 4 buddies to create Potato People. 

In Religion we have been talking about how we are all unique and how we are all special. Here are some of the things that make us special and unique.

I am special because my special talents are go-karting and soccer - Charlie S.

I am special because of the TV characters I like and my special T-Shirts - Evelyn C.

I am special when it is my Birthday - Verity.

I am special because I found the best spot in the universe - Hamish.

I am special because I am loved - Toby.

I am special because I’m funny – Koby. 

My special talent is going on the monkey bars – Layla. 

My special talent is jumping on my scooter – Violet.

My special talent is skating on my skate board – Rogan. 

My special talent is swimming - Matilda S.

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