17 staff from Tenison Woods Catholic Primary School at Richmond embarked on a two day retreat to the historical town of Penola in the recent school break. Walking in the footsteps of Saint Mary MacKillop and Father Julian Tenison Woods, the staff immersed themselves in the story of these two remarkable people. The pilgrimage took the group to Woods Sculpture Park, Tenison Woods Tree, the Mary MacKillop Interpretive Centre, St Joseph’s Church and The Stable School Park.
The impact Mary MacKillop and Julian Tension Woods had on Catholic Education in South Australia is extraordinary; with Penola being the inspiration and birthplace for Catholic Education in South Australia and the Josephite order. Marcia Burgess, Assistant Principal Religious Identity and Mission, commented on the inspiration of the journey,
“Penola is an exceptionally special place and walking on the same soil as Australia’s first saint is an experience which truly nurtures the soul and deepens one’s faith. As a Josephite school, the retreat gave staff an opportunity to understand, reflect on and be inspired by the charism of Mary MacKillop and Julian Tenison Woods in a deep and personal way”, she said.
Staff expressed their thanks to Sr Sue McGuiness, Claire Larkin, Margaret Muller and the team of volunteer cooks from the interpretive centre who made the retreat experience positively memorable.
In All Things Love.
To learn more about Tenison Woods School please visit their website
Four Catholic schools across South Australia have been awarded $6.34 million in grants for capital works to improve learning spaces, increase opportunities for disadvantaged students and cater for more diverse learning needs.
The State Government grants — $6.34 million for Catholic schools and $6.38 million for independent schools — are for building projects to commence over the next year.
Introduced in 2018 to ensure all students have access to a first-class education, the latest funding under the scheme has been approved for four projects at Catholic schools and 103 smaller projects at independent schools.
