Each year, the college community at MacKillop choose a theme to both highlight and strengthen a characteristic of the Catholic ethos. It is an adage woven through the college’s curriculum and designed to prepare students for a future beyond the college.
The theme for 2023, supported by Mary MacKillop’s words “Find happiness in making others happy,” is United in Service. It is an important reminder that acts of service are essential to our connection to God and each other, as it allows us to focus on the needs of others. For the MacKillop community, this year, it is a call to action.
As Pope Francis explained at World Youth Day in Panama, in helping those who are suffering, young people can find “a strength that can change the world. It is a revolution that can overturn the powerful forces at work in our world. It is the ‘revolution’ of service“.
MacKillop College truly is United in Service, with both teachers and students striving to help each other achieve success in all areas, including academically, spiritually, culturally and socially. The theme is used as a framework for student-led exploration, discussion and to raise an awareness of current political and social issues. Students are provided with guidance to become advocates for causes they believe in. Extracurricular clubs, including HarMack (a group focused on world harmony and social justice) and EcoMack (an environmental and sustainability group) work to make sure students’ efforts can contribute to the betterment and preservation of the local community.
TheVCE Vocational Major pathway puts an emphasis on charity and community outreach. Students get hands-on philanthropic experience with multiple projects aimed at raising funds, volunteering for local services, and collecting and donatingdomestic essentials for St Vincent de Paul Society.
The annual theme is designed to complement the school motto, ‘Celebrating all life; Challenging all people; Dreaming the new day.’ Students and staff live and learn for a brighter, more inclusive future, striving to follow in Mary MacKillop’s footstep.
