By Emilie Ng
DONNA Hamid skipped school to bask in the sunshine over Brisbane city last week, but received no threats of detention or expulsion.
The San Sisto College, Carina, student was among thousands of students who swapped school for a ticket to the city’s first festival acclaiming Catholic education.
Brisbane Catholic Education hosted the inaugural three-day festival to launch Catholic Education Week in the Brisbane archdiocese.
The festival featured education activities organised by students for students, a market space, stage acts, musical interludes and opportunities to discover the fruits of Catholic education.
Students were also given a guided tour of St Stephen’s Cathedral and the original Pugin Chapel, now dedicated to Australia’s first saint, Mary of the Cross.
St Stephen’s Cathedral dean Fr David Pascoe walks through his precinct each day but said the festival brought “new life” to the city’s famous lunch hub.
“It was the perfect use for the cathedral precinct,” he said.
“It brought them not only into the heart of our city, but into the heart of the Church in the archdiocese.”
Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge said he was “thrilled” to see young people bringing the Cathedral grounds to life.
“It is exciting to see the cathedral grounds come alive with joy and laughter,” he said.
“It reminds me of the great European piazzas and how they brought people together.”
Recipients of the annual 2015 Spirit of Catholic Education Awards were also honoured during the festival.
Queensland Governor Paul de Jersey presented awards to the eight winners, which included St Eugene College, Burpengary, principal Jim Midgley and Assisi Catholic College, Upper Coomera, principal Dora Luxton.
Minister for Education Kate Jones also attended the launch event and joined Catholic school students in a Q&A panel forum.
The Q&A was facilitated by former ABC radio host Madonna King and the topic for the discussion was “Social Media – More harm than good? How would Jesus use social media?”
Queensland Catholic Education Commission acting executive director Mandy Anderson said Catholic Education Week was a special opportunity to celebrate the distinctive educational ethos of Catholic schools and share the great things they were doing with their local communities.
