Exploring Faith & Culture through the Year 9 Reflection Day
Over the past two Fridays, our Year 9 students have embarked on a powerful journey of understanding, visiting three significant places of worship in Perth – the Perth Hindu Temple, the Perth Hebrew Congregation and Saint Mary’s Cathedral.
The excursion was a chance for our students to deepen their understanding of three faiths, Hinduism, Judaism and Catholicism, through firsthand experiences and conversations with spiritual leaders.
Listening and Learning
At each site, students were warmly welcomed by leaders of the faith communities who generously shared their beliefs, rituals and ways of life. These encounters helped break down stereotypes and facilitated understanding.
- At the Perth Hindu Temple, students learned about traditions, the symbolism of deities and the importance of meditation and prayer in daily life.
- At the Perth Hebrew Congregation, the focus was on Jewish history, religious practices and the significance of community and tradition.
- At Saint Mary’s Cathedral, students explored the architecture, art and sacred spaces of our own Catholic tradition, while also considering how faith shapes our identity and values.
Fostering Respect and Empathy
The Year 9 Reflection Day is designed to support the Religious Education curriculum and aligns with our College’s commitment our Mercy values.
Our students were encouraged to develop a broader worldview, greater respect and deeper empathy for people of different faiths. These are essential skills in today’s multicultural world and form part of our mission to educate young Mercy women.
Student Growth in Action
Throughout the experience, students demonstrated key attributes from our Connecting Learning to Life framework, including:
- Respect – shown through attentive listening and open-minded curiosity.
- Compassion – in their thoughtful reflections and responses.
- Curiosity – in the insightful questions posed to faith leaders.
- Emotional Intelligence – in recognising how different beliefs can shape people’s experiences of the world.
We are proud of the way our Year 9 students embraced the experience and the maturity they showed throughout the two days.
- CatholicSchoolsPerth, CulturalUnderstanding, Featured, InterfaithEducation, MercyValues, PerthFaithCommunities, ReligiousEducation, SantaMariaCollege, StudentExcursions, Year9ReflectionDay
Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation. Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world. Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD. We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.
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