Immaculata Mission Schools

“It’s 10 days with the most amazing people you’ll ever meet” is how Tasmanian Olivia Burdick describes her experience of the 10-day Immaculata Mission School.

Held annually in January, the Mission School is run by the Immaculata Community, who are based in Franklin, Tasmania, and is open to all young people aged 15 to 35.

Featuring talks on the faith, music, prayer and adoration, food and fellowship, the Mission School is an opportunity to grow closer to God, learn more about the Catholic faith and encounter hundreds of other young people on the same journey.

For Olivia, who is studying medicine at UTAS in Hobart, the experience of the Mission Schools has been life-changing. Raised in a practicing Catholic family, she said she was ‘disconnected’ from her faith.

“It was important to me – but not really. It was just another thing that you did,” Olivia said.

“Mission School really helped me to see God as a person and as someone that I could approach and go to for help, and support, and love,” she said.

“Part of the reason [Mission School] was so good for me, was that it wasn’t just my parents saying it, and it wasn’t just my parish saying it, it was hundreds my age from around Australia.”

18-year-old Hamish Powell, of Kingston, attended Mission School for the first time in 2019.

“I learnt so much that really made me go deeper, made me realise why I’m on my journey, why I’m a Christian, why I’m a Catholic.”

Immaculata Long-term Mission School

The five-month Immaculata Long-term Mission School attracts young adults who are wish to take part in an intensive formation program of prayer, community life, faith formation and mission.

The program operates from the Huon Valley town of Franklin and run by the Sisters of the Immaculata.

For 23 year old participant Antonina Pasztetnik from Melbourne, the beauty and peace of the location was a surprise.

“I really like how you can look out the window and see the river and the mountains,” she said.
Miss Pasztetnik, who left a job as a tax accountant in Melbourne’s CBD to undertake the Mission School, says she hopes to gain a deeper love for God and life-long friends, as well as possibly discerning her vocation and growing in her faith.

She says she’s excited by the opportunity to take part in the daily prayer of the school, which involves Eucharistic adoration, daily Mass and the rosary.

“I think that’s an integral part of being Catholic, so just being able to be grounded in that, and to be able to communicate with God.”

James Petrie, also a participant, was working as a primary school teacher in Sydney.

“I felt a strong desire to work specifically for God and His Church, and I felt that this would be a great opportunity to do that,” the 32 year old said.

“I hope to get a greater sense of what it is that God wants for my life … to grow in holiness and in love for others,” he said.

Each year’s mission school is different and each young person has a unique gift to bring to the body of Christ, according to Mother Mary Therese Ramsden of the Sisters of the Immaculata.

“I want them to discover what that gift is so they can help build up the body of Christ, and also be built up themselves and discover the gift of who they are.”

She says she wants the participants to “fall in love with Jesus so that they can be witness to that love in the world”.

“I want them to experience Jesus, and that can only happen through prayer, because this is where we actually learn to talk to God and have a real relationship with Him,” she said.

As well as daily prayer, classes on different topics of the Catholic faith are held for the participants throughout the week. They will also learn to serve in various ministries including running youth groups, and a 10-day mission school for young adults in January.
“You want them to be authentic witnesses, and you want them to learn about their Catholic faith, to know their faith, so they can love their faith and so that they can bring their faith to others,” Mother Mary Therese said.

Participants hail from Australia and prior to COVID, from across the world.