Religious Education/ Faith Development

Mission: Religious Education and Faith Development

De La Salle College, like all Lasallian schools, was set up for the human and Christian education of youth, especially the poor. Therefore, religious education is at the heart of the Lasallian school. Each person is made in the image and likeness of God, and so we are called to reflect the life of God who, as Trinity, lives to love. We live out the fullness of our human nature when we go out to others in self-sacrificing love. These high sounding words are begun in a very real way in the relationships between students and teachers. John Baptist De La Salle wanted the Brothers to foster relationships which “are a letter which Christ dictates to you, which you write each day in their hearts, not with ink, but by the Spirit of the living God”. As teachers, we have our mission — to help young people realize the goodness that is inside them, and the fullness of life to which they are called. Part of that fullness of Christian life is in helping those in need — in the classroom, in the yard, by donating money or goods to Sacred Heart Mission and the like. The reason that De La Salle has such a fabulous reputation for being generous, such as on Mission Action Day, is due to the corporate effort of all staff. I would like to thank all the Religious Education staff for their teamwork, and for the way they give of themselves in caring for our young men, and the hours of hard work they put into providing creative and engaging lessons. Being a religious educator has its moments of grace and challenge, not all of them being in a classroom. In a very real sense, religious education is the backdrop of the life of the College, be it in the yard, in class, in an assembly, on the sporting field or in one of our whole school liturgies. Religious Education classes provide our young people with an opportunity to explore the world in their search for meaning. Religious educators cannot provide all the answers, but we are privileged to journey with young people in their search, knowing that if they search with open hearts, God will find them. In recent years, leading up to mid-August, the young men have been encouraged to bring food items to donate to those in need. The response has been very generous. The food items collected on the Kinnoull campus have gone to the Malvern Emergency Food Bank, while those from the Tiverton campus have gone to the Sacred Heart Mission in St Kilda. The excellent amount of goods donated has been due to the hard work of staff, such as Mary Finn on the Tiverton campus, and Mr Graeme Lawler, Luke McShane and the St Vincent de Paul group on the Kinnoull campus. The goods are presented at the Social Justice Mass. Our celebrant was Fr Peter Matheson, Old Collegian and the Parish Priest of Sacred Heart Mission. He gave a homily and then invited representatives from those going to India, PNG, the Philippines and Sacred Heart Mission to come to the microphone and speak. Aided by Ms Cindy Frost, the choir and the musicians, this year’s Mass was a marvellous celebration. The Mass and the collection are a good opportunity to remember what Jesus said, as we heard in the Gospel and put into practice: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.” (Luke 4: 18).

Mr Patrick Jurd Director of Mission