In the true spirit of the Brigidine Sisters who founded our College in 1886, St Joseph’s College is a welcoming and hope-filled school that promotes excellence and equity, so that all students can aspire to become creative and critical thinkers who act with strength and kindliness in the Gospel tradition. Our beautiful historic buildings house a Catholic learning community that is courageous in implementing learning programs that are designed to engage and excite 21st century thinkers.
The College believes that a sense of belonging builds confidence and connection. Our vertical pastoral care House system connects students across all year levels providing them with mentoring and leadership opportunities, whilst providing emotional and spiritual support from peers and dedicated staff, who have a special interest in their holistic development.
Our College motto ‘Strength and Kindliness’ is inherited from Bishop Daniel Delany of Kildare (Ireland), who founded the order of the Sisters of Saint Brigid in 1807.
Saint Brigid, who lived in Ireland in the fifth century, was a woman of great initiative and faith, and her sense of compassion, social justice and generosity were legendary.
In recent years the Brigidine Sisters and the Presentation Sisters have formed Kildare Ministries to carry on the works inspired by both Bishop Daniel Delany and the founder of the Presentation Sisters, Nano Nagle.
Consequently, these Kildare Ministries core values are our hallmarks:
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Wonder
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Courage
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Justice
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Hope
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Compassion
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Hospitality
Our Values
St Joseph’s College is a Kildare Education Ministries Catholic secondary school in the Brigidine tradition.
Our Mission
Our mission is to challenge and empower students to be creative and critical thinkers who act with strength and kindliness in the Gospel tradition.
Our Vision
We envision an inclusive Catholic Learning community where all people are valued, where all creation is sacred, where the pursuit of personal excellence is paramount, and where our core values of wonder, courage, justice, hope, compassion and hospitality are our hallmarks.
Our Core Values
Catholic Identity
Our College operates within the multicultural and multi-faith environment of contemporary rural Australian society.
We are proud of our Catholic heritage, and believe we are specially called to live out and promote the Gospel within our community.
We invite students, staff and families to encounter the mystery of God in community, as a life-giving way to experience meaning, joy, fulfilment and peace in our lives.
Jesus Christ is at the centre of all our endeavours; we seek to make Christ known and loved and to bear witness to his teachings in our daily lives and actions.
We strive to work in active partnership with our local parish, whole school community, Kildare Education Ministries and Catholic Education – Sandhurst.
Faith Development
At St Joseph’s College we believe a holistic education must attend to the faith development needs of students, staff and community. Our Faith Team facilitates many enrichment activities for our student body and we have a close relationship with our local parishes in Echuca, Moama and surrounds. Our local parish priests are a regular presence in the school.
FAITH TEAM
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College Leader – Faith & Community: Lee Pethybridge
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Living Justice, Living Peace Leader: Brooke O’Brien
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Sustainability Leader: Jacquie James
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Student Voice and Agency: Brooke O'Brien and Brock Kennedy
At St Joseph’s the expression of faith is an integral component of our daily routines and practice, and while you may be able to readily identify the explicit opportunities listed below, we believe it is the way our staff and students bear witness to their faith in everyday actions that most strongly communicates our strengths as a Catholic community.
Liturgical Celebrations
The Eucharist is celebrated at the College at various key points throughout the year, in addition to other shared experiences of prayer and music.
We celebrate Mass in House groups and in year levels in our College Chapel and at St Mary’s Church in Echuca. Each Mass is prepared and celebrated for groups of students in their House groups.
Retreat Days and Camps
At each year level, renewal and reflection activities appropriate to the age and development of the students are planned to provide special opportunities for discussion, reflection, interaction and celebration. Each of these components is integrated into the web of St Joseph’s faith development program.
