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We are delighted to have been recognised as the state winner of the Quality Catholic Education (QCE) Awards in the Catholic Identity category for our ‘Year of St Joseph Project’.

The Catholic Identity category award, which is judged by Catholic Education Western Australia (CEWA), acknowledges projects and initiatives that demonstrate contemporary models of Christ-centred leadership and focus on inspiring all in the school community to actively live the Gospel. The award, which was presented by Minister for Education and Training, Mrs Sue Ellery, recognised Lumen Christi College’s Year of St Joseph project as an outstanding Catholic Identity initiative.

The College’s Year of St Joseph project was created to mark the Catholic Church’s Year of St Joseph, which runs from December 2020 – December 2021. Lumen Christi College set out to provide its staff, students, parents and wider community with a range of opportunities to celebrate and learn from St Joseph.

The creation of a community-wide collage of St Joseph, featuring the faces of fathers, grandfathers and father-figures in the school community, was a major project of the year. Students and staff submitted photographs of their father, grandfather or father-figure along with a sentence about that person which detailed their love and appreciation. The collage was presented at Lumen Christi’s College’s Fathers’ Day service as a large print, on cards and as an interactive video.

Celebrating the Year of St Joseph gave students and staff the opportunity to recognise the valuable contribution of the fathers and father-figures in their lives. It was touching to read the comments that students and staff submitted along with the photograph of their father. There were expressions of gratitude, admiration and love”, said Assistant Deputy Principal of Mission, Ms Caroline Watson.

Throughout the year, the College also hosted a series of talks that explored the character of St Joseph which were open to the community. Many of the years’ prayers and reflections at the College were also focussed on and inspired by St Joseph. The College is also in the process of creating a fathering group which aims to give fathers at the College an opportunity to gather and connect with one another, inspired by St Joseph.

“Events such as the Year of St Joseph give us the opportunity to explore aspects of our Catholic faith in new and different ways”, said Ms Watson.

“Through the talk series we were blessed to have Natalie Thomas from the Centre for Faith Enrichment and Fr Patrick Toohey break open the life and characteristics of St Joseph in order to understand the import role he played in the life of Jesus”.

Lumen Christi College was also awarded a Merit Award in the Community category of the QCE Awards for their Reconciliation Week activities.

You can view our Year of St Joseph Fathers’ Day collage here. A video, created by CEWA for the QCE Awards Ceremony is also available to view here.

Lumen Christi College staff member, Mrs Cheryl Bedggood, was also recognised at the Awards Ceremony for her 30 years of service to Catholic Education. Mrs Bedggood has been a staff member at Lumen Christi College since 1991, working in a number of roles over the last three decades including Receptionist, Secretary, Office Manager and Executive Assistant. Sadly (but much deserved), Mrs Bedggood is officially retiring at the end of this year. We wish her all the very best in her retirement.