Mission Update – Term 3 Week 6
This week I have been in Mullewa with Br. Paul, Miss Ellis, and our Year 11 Game Changers students. Every year in the final week of August, students from Newman College travel to Mullewa to assist the town in the setup of their Wildflower Show, as well as their Agricultural Show, which is on this weekend. Additionally, we spend time with the students of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Primary School which is the local Catholic primary school, culminating in a disco which our students run at the end of the week.
The opportunity to travel to Mullewa is one our students have really come to cherish over the years, and it is very common at the end of our week for students to ask if they can come again in Year 12. But what is it about a week away in the country that is so endearing to our students?
The answer, in part, lies in the strength of community experience while we are there. Life in Mullewa reminds us that joy is not found in busyness or distraction, but instead in presence – being with one another listening, sharing stories, and just working by side. It is in the warmth and hospitality of all those we encounter, and the welcoming and accepting nature of everyone we meet. It is an opportunity for our students to not just hear about community, but to see it in action, as people from all over the town come together to support each other.
Mother Teresa once said, ‘prayer in action is love, and love in action is service’. The immersion in Mullewa offers students the chance to embody this ‘love in action’ in a very real and practical way. Whether it’s setting up the racetrack, sweeping out the sheds, or running the school disco, each act of service is an expression of love for others – simple, genuine, and life-giving. St. Marcellin Champagnat’s dream was to form young people as ‘Good Christians and Good Citizens,’ and this is exactly what our students have been working on this week. It is so great to be a part of something so special, and for our young people to represent themselves and Newman College in such a positive way.
