College News

College News

MacKillop celebrates 20 years at Opening Mass

St Mary MacKillop College paused to reflect on its first 20 years at Tuesday’s Opening Mass, with several guests from the College’s past helping to celebrate its relatively short but rich history.

Guests included all three past principals of MacKillop – Sr Noelene Quinane, Moira Najdecki, and Rita Daniels – as well as several past students, visitors from other schools, parents, politicians, and representatives from Catholic Education. The presence of several members of the Sisters of St Joseph gave the College an opportunity to honour the contribution of the Josephites to MacKillop and other schools around Australia.

As students entered the Tuggeranong Basketball Stadium – one of few venues capable of holding the College community – a slideshow played with images from the first 20 years of MacKillop.

Although the College has only spent 20 years under the banner of MacKillop, its history goes back some 40 years to the foundation of Padua High School in 1978 – a history the College has honoured this year by naming Wanniassa the “Padua Campus” and Isabella the “St Peter’s Campus.” The College was fortunate to have representatives from both those schools in attendance at the Mass.

During Mass, the College presented its new Liturgical Theme for 2018, “Trust in God’s Providence.” These words were spoken by Mary MacKillop in 1874 and have provided inspiration for the College’s Providence Building, a new classroom block that honours the work of the Josephites and others who helped Mary MacKillop in her work to support and educate the poor and marginalised.

MacKillop also welcomed the new College Chaplain, Fr James Antony from the Corpus Christi Parish, who celebrated his first whole-College Mass since taking over from Fr Warrick Tonkin.

Coordination of the Mass was a real team effort, with teachers, support staff, and students taking up roles as musicians and ministers, as well as helping with the set up, running of the Mass, and the pack up.

Congratulations to all who were involved in making the Opening Mass such a momentous occasion!

Published
22 March, 2018

News Categories

Divider

News Categories

View MacKillop's news archive according to category.

Acknowledgement of Country

St Mary of the Cross MacKillop made the statement: “We are but travellers here, so while we are here we should do as much good as we can and live in peace with each other.”

With this in mind, the College respectfully acknowledges the Ngunnawal people who are the Traditional Custodians and First People of the land on which we gather each day. The College also pays its respects to the Elders past, present and emerging, and any other Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander peoples living and working in the MacKillop community.

MacKillop crest

© 2022 St Mary MacKillop College, Canberra. All rights reserved.

ABN 80 979 302 259

Contact Us


Phone: 02 6209 0100
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

PO Box 1211
Tuggeranong ACT 2901