On Wednesday 11 September, the Josephite Justice Network hosted a Welcome Day at Mary MacKillop Place along with Josephite Action Group (JAG) volunteers, and schools with a Josephite connection: Mary MacKillop Catholic College Wakeley, Mount St Joseph Catholic College Milperra, and Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School Fairfield.

If you were at Mary MacKillop Place in the week that followed, you may have noticed a vibrant explosion of colour and joy on the chalk art wall across from Anderledy Lodge. This art was a small representation of the joy and fun at the Welcome Day.

With our guests, from Palestinian Christians in Australia, families from Wakeley and families in our community who had recently arrived in Australia, whether you spoke the same language or not, we all spoke the language of laughter.

The day began with a Mass celebrated in the Mary MacKillop Memorial Chapel by Fr Kevin Dance CP with readings in English, Arabic and Vietnamese. Our choir was led by Blaze Farah and students from Mary MacKillop Catholic College Wakeley and Mount St Joseph Catholic College Milperra students who filled the chapel with beautiful music.

Our celebration continued with a delicious BBQ, thanks to Mary MacKillop Place. We bonded over our Aussie snags, enjoying each other’s company, learning about different cultures, and even learning some words in other languages (despite the giggles at our pronunciation). Taking advantage of the warm day, the lawn erupted in games, from soccer to frisbee, face painting, bracelet making and more. Competitiveness was something that translated across all cultures.

This day was made possible with support from Mary MacKillop Place, the Josephite Action Group and our Josephite schools. These days are incredibly important for people newly arrived in Australia, a day of peace, friendship and community.

To view photos and more from the day, view the Josephite Action Group (JAG) Instagram page here.

Vittoria Albanese
Josephite Justice Network