Catholic schools offer something that no money can buy – an encounter with Christ and deep spiritual formation, says Sr Mary Sarah Galbraith OP. Source: Melbourne Catholic.
Sr Mary Sarah was addressing a 280-strong crowd at the Melbourne Catholic Professionals lunch at Zinc at Federation Square on October 17.
Sr Mary Sarah – who is the local superior of the Dominican Sisters of St Cecilia and Principal of St Bernard’s Primary School in Bacchus Marsh in Melbourne’s outer west – received a standing ovation for her speech on the value of Catholic education and her personal journey as a religious sister and educator.
She spoke fondly of her experience working with young children at St Bernard’s after years in secondary and tertiary education.
“Many days, I feel like the mayor of Munchkin City,” she joked, expressing her delight in being with ‘little people again’ and highlighting the joy and laughter that come with working in a primary school.
At St Bernard’s, Sr Mary Sarah has implemented various initiatives to deepen the school’s Catholic identity. She highlighted the celebration of feast days and the integration of religious lessons into everyday learning.
“Our Catholic schools have something to offer that no money can buy,” she said, emphasising the spiritual richness that Catholic education provides to students, staff and families alike.
In a particularly poignant section of her speech, Sr Mary Sarah delivered a powerful meditation on a question she had pondered for some time: “What is a Catholic school?”
“A Catholic school is authority and guidance. It is love and inspiration. It is hope and assurance. It is staff, children, parents, the community,’ she began, providing a vivid description of the values and experiences that animate Catholic education.
For her, a Catholic school is not only a centre of academic excellence but also a place of deep spiritual formation.
“It is the door by which many first encounter Christ, and the door through which, please God, they will be prepared someday to meet the Father.”
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‘Places of encounter’: Sr Mary Sarah Galbraith OP on the value of Catholic schools (Melbourne Catholic)
