Becoming Salt and Light
Blessing & Opening: Building Extension and Development at MacKillop College
Today is a significant moment in the history of MacKillop College as the new facilities to provide for the extension of the College to Year 12 are blessed and opened.
What has become know as Project 23 was the commitment of three of our southern Colleges – MacKillop, St Virgil’s and St Aloysius to provide for students completing their secondary education. It was to commence, this year, in 2023.
This expansion of the provision of Catholic education in the south of Tasmania has been marked by great co-operation among all schools affected, including Primary Schools, and by an enthusiasm to provide the best for students.
I note that MacKillop College is confident that as the only Catholic College offering education from years 7-12 on the Eastern shore, that there will continue to be a noticeable increase in enrolments. The College predicts that it can grow to 900+ students by 2025.
The College is now challenged to ensure that it can provide the staffing, infrastructure and buildings to meet this need. It looks to the future with confidence.
I note that the College has expanded its provision of VET pathways in areas like food technology teaching spaces and a new commercial kitchen, and a barista training cafe. It offers facilities to foster the visual arts and digital technology.
There are more learning spaces and a library. All of which ensure that students will have great spaces to advance their education.
I congratulate the college on its achievement in developing these new facilities so quickly. Today we ask God’s blessing upon these facilities and upon all who will use them.
Catholic education is about the formation of the whole person. We sometimes hear it described as “integral education”.
At the heart of this approach is the understanding of the nature of the human person and the intention of God for human life.
Humanity exists because God is a god of love, and love creates. God has authored human life with such a dignity that the psalmist comments, “You have made us little less than a god” (Ps 8:5).
It is true because we have been created in the image and likeness of God. And our greatest attribute as human beings is found in our capacity to love.
A Catholic school promotes the full human flourishing of each student, knowing that the spiritual dimension of life animates all the dimensions of the human person.
A person who embraces the spiritual through a relationship with God becomes an important witness to what it means to be fully human.
As we heard in the Gospel reading today, Jesus calls on his disciples to be salt of the earth and light of the world. The person of faith who has allowed God to fashion their inner self is truly able to flavour life as salt flavours food and is able to shine, reflecting divine truth, good and beauty.
I pray that MacKillop College will enable its students not only to succeed in their educational endeavour but also be so grounded in a living faith that they will truly flourish as human beings and make a real contribution to human society. They will be salt and light.
Archbishop Julian Porteous
Thursday, 31 August 2023