St Joseph’s Catholic College provides a safe, caring and supportive environment in which each student is shaped by her relationship with Jesus in the Catholic tradition and is inspired by St Mary of the Cross MacKillop to make a difference in the world.
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Retreats and Reflection Days
Youth Ministry
St Joseph’s offers Year 10 students the opportunity to study “Principles of Youth Ministry” as a part of the CSYMA Program.
Students from this class have the option to form a Senior Youth Ministry Team supported by the college Youth Ministry Coordinator.
This student team is active in ministry in the school and parish community over the course of two years.
Retreat Program
Each year St Joseph’s runs a Retreat or Reflection Day for every Year group in the college. These aim to assist students to grow in their relationship with God and to discern practical ways they, as young people, can live as followers of Jesus in our world.
Year 7 Reflection Day
In the Year 7 Reflection Day, students are introduced to the MacKillop charism of the college through a visit to Mary MacKillop Place in North Sydney.
Year 8 Reflection Day
Abounding with talent and enthusiasm students from the Youth Ministry Class prepare and run the Year 8 Reflection Day. Students use games, drama, small groups, music, film and personal testimony to spread a positive Christian message to these younger students.
Year 9 Reflection Day
The Sydney Youth Mission Team ran a fast paced day for our Year 9 students each year that help them to consider the impact of their behaviour and choices upon others. The message of the day is communicated through games, drama, personal talks and charades. The day concludes with the opportunity for the students to say a special personal prayer in a sacred space.
Year 10 Reflection Day
The Year 10 Reflection Day focuses on Social Justice and our role as Christians in a global community. Our presenter is Sam Clear. He is a brilliant storyteller who shares with us his incredible 29,000 km journey, 18,000 km on foot, which was a prayer for Christian unity in love. This took him a year and a half to walk from Brazil through South America, North America, across Russia, down through Europe and ending on the Camino at Cape Finisterre. It is an inspiring and empowering presentation reflection day for our students.
Year 11 Reflection Day
Each year our Year 11 Retreat is facilitated by Chris Doyle. Chris is a talented and engaging presenter who uses music to encourage students to reflect upon their lives and their relationships and to build the sense of community amongst the year group. The retreat experience includes a powerful Sacrament of Reconciliation Liturgy and celebration of Eucharist.
Year 12 Reflection Day
The Year 12 Retreat provides students the much needed time and space to step outside the business and stress of their lives and to reflect upon their lives and their future within the context of their life as a young Christian woman.
Social Justice and Ministry Opportunities
The college offers our students a huge range of opportunity to engage in Social Justice and ministry.
Here are a few…
- Volunteering at St Vincent De Paul breakfasts at Woy Woy and with the Vinnie’s Night Patrol Van in Sydney. Both these services provide a mobile outreach service offering refreshments and friendly faces to people on the street. They engage with people by offering friendship, support, and compassion. Volunteers provide warm drinks, something to eat, warm clothing as required, and friendly conversation.
- Catechist’s Assistants. Each year students from Year 10 offer their service as assistants to the catechists at East Gosford Public School. Our students commit themselves to this service for a period of 12 months and do wonderful work with the children from Kindergarten through to Year 3.
- India Service Trip. Each year eight Year 11 students travel to Mumbai in India to support children living in orphanages and in very poor districts around the orphanage. The team of students prpeare craft, dram and sport activities for the children and in organising fundraising at school to help support the children.
- Kimberley Western Australia Service Trip. Each year eight Year 11 students are selected to represent the college to volunteer for a week at a small Catholic school of primarily Indigenous children in Warmun. Warmun is a remote Aboriginal community in the East Kimberley. The land consists of rugged sand and limestone hills, eucalypt woodlands and sweeping savannah grasslands out of which arise mighty boab trees. Warmun is situated alongside the highway that connects the towns of Kununurra and Halls Creek. Our students are assigned to particular classes and work very closely with the students, helping out however they can. The experience of forming friendships with the children in the Warmun community is a life changing experience.
