Year 5 and 6 students from Holy Innocents Catholic Primary in Croydon have raised over $3,200 at the school’s inaugural Presentation Day on 21 November.
These funds, raised from a number of engaging stalls made and manned by the senior students, will go towards the Charitable Works Fund which supports the charitable and pastoral works of the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney.
Over the course of the day, Year 3 and 4 students recounted the story of Nano Nagle, foundress of the Presentation Sisters, while the Kindy class performed a reverent and joyful liturgical movement and song.
“We are overwhelmed with the amount of support from our wonderful community on this day,” said principal Scott Manca.
“We now have a new tradition at Holy Innocents Croydon moving forward and the bar has been set very high.
“The students have told me they can’t wait until next year.”
Presentation Day was established by Holy Innocents to strengthen the connection between the school and the founding Presentation Sisters by commemorating the feast of the Presentation of Mary at the temple, a day important to both.
Religious Education Coordinator Zachariah Benedetti said that the story of the Presentation of Mary at the temple “resonates deeply with our school community and all Christians.”
“On Presentation Day we reflect on the values of faith, compassion, and service instilled in us by the Presentation sisters,” said Zachariah.
“May we also remember the profound impact Mother Mary, venerable Nano Nagle, and the Presentation Sisters have had on our school and our lives.”
The celebration was also part of Holy Innocents’ greater mission to realign its identity with that of the congregation of sisters who established the school, keeping the charisms of Nano Nagle alive and embedding them in the many facets of school life.
Earlier in the year, school staff travelled to the Mt Erin Heritage Centre in Wagga Wagga, NSW, to learn more about the history of the Presentation Sisters and the contribution they have made to the Catholic Church in Australia.
With the school and connected parish celebrating centenaries in the next two years, Holy Innocents is set to launch further initiatives, including the creation of grade-based Nano Nagle teaching and learning units and naming house colours after important figures in the school’s history.