Musical tickets
Sign up to our pre-event mailing list for this year's
exciting College Musical.
*Tickets available until sold out.
Sign up to our pre-event mailing list for this year's
exciting College Musical.
*Tickets available until sold out.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel,
in faith and trust,
we place ourselves under your care.
For our college community
we ask courage, wisdom and guidance.
Mary, our good mother,
help us to follow your example,
so that, by what we say or do,
we may walk in truth at all times.
With your support may we strive to live the dream of Marcellin Champagnat:
"to make Jesus known and loved."
Amen
Our Lady of Mount Carmel .... Pray for us
Saint Marcellin Champagnat ... Pray for us
Saint Mary of the Cross Mackillop .... Pray for us
And let us always remember .... To pray for one another.
Prayer is at the center of life at the College. It is infused in the Religious Education curriculum and forms a vital part of the day-to-day life of the students and staff. St Paul reminds us that “God asked us to pray”, and it is a time for each of us to open our hearts to God, to share our thoughts and to think about others. Prayer can be communal or private, and there are different opportunities offered to the staff and students so as to enrich their “friendship with God”.
All our prayers have a purpose, and this is reflected in the manner in which we conclude our prayers and celebrations, we state
Our Lady of Mount Carmel … pray for us
St Marcellin Champagnat … pray for us
St Mary of the Cross … pray for us
and let us always remember to pray for one another.
As a community we begin each week with Monday Morning Reflection and Prayer. This comprises quotes for motivation from the Pope or Saints, connection to Sunday mass readings and Liturgical focus, then culminates with the reciting of the College prayer together. This Reflection and Prayer is led by the College Leaders and then by the different Year Groups on a roster basis.
To further enhance the beginning of the day, there are daily prayers, which are part of morning Pastoral class or subject lessons.
Rosary - students and staff gather at the Mary statue every friday recess and prayer together. There are monthly Rosary challenges held in May and August.
Taize - This prayer style originated in Taizer, France in the 1940’s. Its a simple style that uses song as its base. The Youth Ministry Team has adapted and formed its own Taize program, and the College is blessed to so many talented singers. Once a term in the College Chapel, there is an opportunity to experience Taize prayer.
Each Year Group gathers together each fortnight. These gatherings begin with prayer and they incorporate the liturgical season or Marist characteristics that have been assigned to them, or other religious themes such as Saints. Teachers and students take turns at designing and presenting prayer.
Each week the staff begin with a communal prayer. It is planned around the liturgical seasons or special themes. It provides staff with a time for reflection, action and prayer.
Each year the staff gather as a community to focus upon the core area of spirituality. We are blessed to have the Marist Faith Formation Team or the Diocese of Wollongong Spiritual Team leading the staff through large group and individual activities that help them to deepen their relationship with God.
Throughout the year, to mark important events in the Church’s liturgical year, or the House Patrons. Term 1 is Murray House, Term 2 is Howard House, Term 3 is Mackillop and Term 4 is Avila House. Other themes are Mothers and Fathers Day, All Souls Day, and Re-connectors.
Throughout the year we have the joy of celebrating the Sacrament of the Eucharist Students help to prepare and lead the Mass through Altar Serving, reading and bringing up the gifts during Mass. On different occasions parents and guardians are invited to join us for Mass.
Our Main celebrations are the Opening College mass, Our Lady of Mount Carmel feast day Mass, Champagnat Day mass, Year 12 Graduation Mass, and Concluding of the School Year.
Youth Ministry at Mount Carmel Catholic College aims to draw students into the life and mission of the broader Catholic church community. Central to the religious life of the College is the person of Jesus Christ who came among us ‘as one who serves’ (Luke 22.27). Our Catholic College is committed to reaching out to help those in need, through charitable outreach initiatives. All outreach activities connect to the person of Jesus Christ and to the sacraments, especially the Eucharist. Drawing on the Catholic Social Teaching of the Church, we have a deep commitment to supporting a range of charitable organisations, families and individuals in need. It is through events such as Caritas, St Vincent de Paul and the College’s Champagnat Day festivities that we offer such support.
The College works in collaboration with Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong (CEDoW) and the Office of the Bishop (OOB) to provide internal and external faith-formation opportunities for students.
Each year, Year 11 students are appointed as Youth Ministry Leaders (YMLs) to promote, organise and facilitate Youth Ministry initiatives. These initiatives encourage students to experience Jesus, and have opportunities to apply a Catholic lens when determining ethical responses to contemporary societal issues.
There are other opportunities for young people to experience this Ministry, and these are beyond the College. Wollongong Catholic Education Office, and the Office of the Bishop facilitate Live Twilight Retreats and the Diocesan Catholic Youth Festival for students in Year 9 to 12, wherein students experience plenaries, workshops and worship sessions.
“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and the teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”
Ephesians 4:11-13
Ephesians provides us with a specific direction, that we are meant to be of service to others, so that we can become more like Christ. As such the scripture underpins the reasoning of the different activities that the students and staff can undertake on behalf of the College.
One unique offering is for students in Year 10. They are trained to be Student Catechists. These Year 10 Catechists work alongside the adult catechists from Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish and once a week they visit the local state primary schools of St Andrews and Robert Townsen.
Each week, with the support of the other catechists, they plan and then present scripture lessons for the students of different year groups.
We know they make an impact on these students, as the new students to the College make a point of saying that they had a certain Year 10 catechist visit and teach them while they were in Year 6.
Social Justice at Mount Carmel is infused into the Religious Education curriculum as well the Youth Ministry Program and core College celebrations such as Champagnat Day. It is based on a model of building awareness, being inspired through reflection and then empowered to take action.
In living out the mission of the College, it is recognised that we should echo the tenderness and steadfastness of Jesus Christ and the courage of St Marcellin Champagnat and St Teresa of Avila. Members of the school community are called to demonstrate a passion for justice in the Church and society and be educated not only about justice but how to live justly so as to live the College motto “Ite in Veritate.”
We are guided by Sacred Scripture when Jesus said,
'I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me. Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'
Matthew 25:35-6,40
Through the offerings at the College, both curricular and co-curricular, it is intended that members of the College community are provided with the chance to:
The values that underpin our social justice efforts at Mount Carmel Catholic College are taken from the characteristics of the Marist Brothers and the Carmelites:
It is recognised that the individual can contribute to a just society through their personal interactions with others.
At the College, we take opportunities to visit the nearby church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel for class prayers, class mass, or receiving reconciliation. There are opportunities for students to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation at the College in the Chapel. This generally coincides with the season of Lent. This has been an initiative of the Youth Ministry Leaders or YML’s.
From time to time, students miss out on completing their Catholic sacraments. In particular the sacraments of Reconciliation, Holy Communion, and Confirmation.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation restores life to the soul through forgiveness of our sins after baptism. Through Reconciliation, we come to God to receive healing in our lives and in our relationships.
Eucharist is a Christian community celebration and one of the three Sacraments of Initiation.
Confirmation is one of the Holy Sacraments. It is a process that begins at Baptism. Through this sacrament, Christians are strengthened by the Holy Spirit to use and develop their gifts to love and serve God and others in our everyday lives.
We are very fortunate to work with the office at Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish and assist students to be able to complete their sacraments and to become full members of their catholic community.
Because of the spirit that is part of Mount Carmel, sometimes a student will decide to be baptised. Again we work with the Parish for the student to gain access to the preparation classes.
