In recent weeks, OLMC staff have been engaging in faith formation sessions, as part of ongoing professional learning, and formation of the heart, mind and soul. At OLMC, our Catholic faith is lived, explored, celebrated and integrated into all aspects of school life, promoting the spiritual, moral and social development of all members of the community. Our faith formation aims to nurture and animate our Catholic identity and Mercy charism, within the context of our lived experience and the evolving needs of our time.
Our Middle Leaders (staff who hold a position of leadership and/or an area of responsibility) engaged in a faith formation session that focused on artificial intelligence and the implications of this from a faith perspective, including ethics and ecology. We welcomed Sr Adele Howard RSM OAM who shared her experience and expertise, also drawing from her recently published article, The Crossroads of AI in the Age of Ecological Crisis, and Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas (Magnificent Humanity): On safeguarding the human person in the time of Artificial Intelligence. Some staff attended a faith formation session that was organised by Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) and led by Bishop-Elect Stephen Wang, which focused on the vision of Catholic education and how the Sycamore program can help.
Last Friday all OLMC staff participated in our annual Staff Spirituality Day, which was an opportunity to expand our hearts, open our minds and nourish our souls in the context of our Catholic tradition and Mercy charism, as well as take time out from our busy schedules to connect with each other as colleagues within the OLMC community. We were blessed to have Dr Gavin Brown join us and deliver a keynote address, From the Boxer to the Dancer: The Catholic Church in Australia, presenting the history of the Catholic Church in Australia, with the various challenges, responses and developments over time. This was followed by workshops focusing on Mercy women, including Catherine McAuley RSM, Mary Elizabeth (Anne) Moore RSM, Ursula (Clara Mary) Frayne RSM and the founding Sisters of Mercy in Heidelberg, and culminating with small group discussions and reflections on contemporary issues in Church and society and our Mercy response.