St Joseph’s College is a Catholic boys school in the tradition of the Salesians of Don Bosco. As such, one of its foundational aims is to provide a climate where the Gospel is known, lived and loved so that students may be nurtured in the Christian faith and their commitment to Jesus Christ.
Celebration of the Sacraments
Central to Salesian Spirituality is the celebration of the sacraments of Eucharist and Reconciliation. With this in mind St Joseph’s College provides its students with frequent opportunities to celebrate these sacraments, particularly the sacrament of Eucharist.
As part of the Religious Education program all Year 7 students are timetabled to attend weekly Eucharistic celebrations. Students from Years 8-12 are timetabled to attend mass fortnightly. In keeping with our aim of promoting community at St Joseph’s, whole school Masses are celebrated at significant times in the College year. These occasions include the Commencement Mass, Easter celebration, St Joseph’s Day Mass, Graduation Mass and Mass of Thanksgiving. In order to create links and a sense of community within our wider parish community, students from St Joseph’s also aid in the presentation of Sunday Masses in their own parishes at various times in the year.
Retreat/Reflection Days
St Joseph’s is aware that in order to fully develop the spirituality and faith commitment of its students, opportunities need to be created outside the normal classroom situation. All students therefore attend retreat/reflection days at each level of their secondary schooling. Each of these days is designed to complement the work done in the Religious Education classroom and other activities within the College which promote the faith development of our students. The days have different themes but are linked to the foundational philosophy of Salesian Youth Spirituality and the educational philosophy of St John Bosco: Reason, Religion and Loving Kindness.
Social Justice And Community Service
One of the cornerstones of the philosophy of the Salesians of Don Bosco is a strong sense of social justice. As a way of developing this important quality, St Joseph’s students are encouraged to offer practical support to those in need both within our local community and throughout the world. This practical support includes raising awareness and funds for our Salesian Missions throughout the world.
The Salesians working at St Joseph’s College:
- Fr Jim Acreman sdb (College Vice Rector)
- Fr Duc Ngoc Tran sdb