Religious Dimensions at Gleeson College
Gleeson College, in association with the local parishes of St David's Tea Tree Gully and Holy Trinity, and Para Hills Modbury Catholic Parish, have established a relationship which drew together the educational and parish programs of faith development and provided vital links between the Catholic Church and Gleeson College.
As a community of faith, the Gleeson College community believes that God is active through each individual person, and that by coming to better understand life, we can discover how God is acting in our lives. Living within a "Faith-filled Community" is evidenced through our College values.
CSYMA
At Gleeson College we believe that young people are not only the future of the Church, but are an extremely important part of the contemporary Church. As integral components of today's Church, students at Gleeson College are provided with opportunities to minister to each other and to people in the wider community. In this way they are able to broaden their view of religion and what it means to be Catholic.
CSYMA students at Gleeson College facilitate relationships with students by acting as role models. It is hoped that through participation in various activities throughout their College life, the influence of these role models will have an impact in positively influencing the lives of younger people.
Retreats
All students in each year level participate in annual Retreats. These are facilitated by teachers and CSYMA leaders and enable students to reflect on their lives and explore the presence of faith at a deeper level. Retreats are generally linked to scripture through themes and include various activities.
The Year 11 and 12 Retreats encompass three-day experiences. This allows students to reflect on their faith away from their everyday routines. Students are encouraged to consider their relationship with God and to explore the potential of Jesus Christ as a central part of their lives. Teachers and Youth leaders share their own stories to encourage students to reflect on the important parts of their own lives. Senior Retreats are generally a highlight of each student's time at Gleeson College.
Social Justice: Faith in Action
Students are welcome to participate in numerous activities offered at Gleeson College, enabling them to answer the "call to serve". Opportunities are provided where the College community is able to collaboratively support initiatives which serve to develop the qualities of giving "With One Heart". These activities provide students, staff and the wider community the opportunity to follow in the shadow of the cross as we fight injustices in our world, as Jesus did.
Membership with the CSYMA has inspired a number of Gleeson College students to organise numerous activities throughout the year in their service of mission. This group provides students with a forum in which they can collaborate with other students from other Catholic schools nationwide and develop further relationships in their mission to serve others.
Community Outreach
All Gleeson College students participate in a week of Community Service during Year 11. This is organised to extend relationships within the local community. We are grateful to the numerous local organizations who accept the offer of support from our students, allowing students to experience immersion in activities giving back to the community. This reflects our College value of "Service to Others" and provides a basis for extending into the community through "Life-long learning".
Compassion as a College value is clearly evidenced by the amount of money and goods that are collected through various activities, for example participation in the Relay for Life, Winter Appeal and the collection of goods for Christmas Hampers in order to help our wider community.
We continue to serve and support Caritas Australia through Project Compassion events and our annual Gleeson Day. Caritas Australia is important to the identity of Gleeson College as our patron, Archbishop James Gleeson, established Caritas Australia and encouraged its support of local and overseas communities.
Gleeson College recognises the importance of allowing students to "serve others" and continually strives to provide meaningful opportunities with a diversity of programs to ensure that this is achieved.
