Our Year 11 Sacred Places excursion on Wednesday 12th May continued the 黑料社区 tradition of promoting ecumenism through our visits to the nearby Christian Churches, as well as interfaith dialogue with our visits to Islamic Mosques and/or Jewish Synagogue. The 339 Year 11 students and 12 staff experienced six different itineraries and visited several sacred places on the day, listening to speakers about the Christian denomination or Islam or Judaism, experiencing a tour and for some groups, witnessing the ritual of midday prayer. Our visits to the Mosques on the day were enriched by the fact that we visited on the eve of one of the biggest days in the Islamic calendar, the Eid al Fitr, the Festival of Breaking the Fast, concluding the month of fasting or sawm, Ramadan (the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar). The mosques were busy places as preparations were made.
My sincere thanks to the venues which hosted us:
- Wesley Uniting Church, Castle Hill
- St Paul鈥檚 Anglican Church, Castle Hill
- St Mary and St Cosman and St Demian Coptic Church, Kellyville
- Greek Orthodox Church of St Therapon, Pennant Hills
- Gallipoli Mosque, Auburn
- Lakemba Mosque, Lakemba
- Baitul Huda Mosque, Marsden Park
- Central Synagogue, Bondi Junction
The feedback from students has been overwhelmingly positive, as they reflected on what they saw, how they felt and the impact of visiting the sacred places of other Christian denominations and other religions. Below are three student reflections, followed by a selection of comments in the student evaluations of the day.
Mrs Marianne Castor
Academic Head Religious Education
Some student reflections are below:
The students in the Studies of Religion 2 Unit course, along with the 2021 Accelerated Class, travelled to Lakemba Mosque to delve into the intricate, yet beautiful religion of Islam. The structure itself was a spectacular sight with polished marble steps that led up to a grand entrance. Inside it was tranquil, yet buzzing with life as it was the last day of Ramadan. Congregating on the soft carpet inside the open building, the students were able to ask questions and hear from Muslim staff and volunteers who explained in detail the basics and values of Islam. The students and staff immersed themselves in the culture by adhering to the rules of the Mosque, for example, no shoes to be worn inside and represented the College in an outstanding manner by showing respect and consideration.
Following the tour of the Mosque, the group visited the Central Synagogue located in Bondi Junction. This Modern Orthodox Synagogue is the largest synagogue in the Southern hemisphere and has the largest Jewish congregation in Australasia. The pupils entered the colossal glass doors into the classy lobby of the synagogue where they were greeted by the charismatic Rabbi Lewin. Rabbi Lewin paired his extensive knowledge of Judaism with his natural sense of humour to explain the origins and practises of Orthodox Jews. The group interacted exceptionally and were shown a priceless Torah scroll. The beautiful location and enthusiasm of the Rabbi allowed for the experience to be enjoyed by all.
Overall, the Year 11, 2021 Religion excursion was a tremendous success. The students were able to interact with and observe the various religious traditions in order to apply the information in their respective Studies of Religion course. The entire day was relished by all the students and the experience will be one that they cherish for years to come.
Gokul Lamba, Year 11
Maya Angelou said, 鈥�...in diversity, there is beauty and there is strength鈥�.
On Wednesday 12th May, Year 11 students undertaking the Studies of Religion II course were reminded of this sentiment when we visited the Lakemba Mosque and Bondi Junction鈥檚 Central Synagogue to accompany our depth studies of Islam and Judaism. By being acquainted with a range of religions, we were able to gain a greater appreciation for the diversity within our community.
Interestingly, our excursion coincided with Eid al-Fitr, one of the most prominent days on the Islamic calendar that marks the end of their month of fasting (Ramadan), which enhanced our experience as we were able to see preparations for this event in action. Our tour guides, Khaled, Ryan and Samiha were incredibly hospitable and the information they shared with us about their sacred space and faith was invaluable as it allowed us to further our understanding of Islam.
Later in the day, we went to the Central Synagogue in Bondi Junction where we were spoken to by Rabbi Lewin, whose words of wisdom and light-hearted fun made for an enjoyable and informative experience to end our day. Having the opportunity to view the revered Torah scroll was definitely an unforgettable experience. Rabbi Lewin also explained that Shavuot, a Jewish holiday celebrating the Torah, was, coincidentally, beginning three days after our excursion. This is clearly an important period for both Islam and Judaism, with both religions preparing for significant events on their respective calendars!
Excursions are among some of the most memorable experiences we have at school. Firstly, the knowledge we acquired on this excursion complemented our Studies of Religion classwork and allowed us to apply our knowledge into a real-world context. More importantly, though, by immersing ourselves in different religions and sacred spaces, we were able to broaden our horizons and make us more open-minded individuals, enhancing our Lasallian principle of fostering an inclusive community and respect for all persons.
Jemma Ryan, Year 11
Our Studies of Religion excursion was full of informative and exciting experiences, visiting the Wesley Uniting Church, The Coptic Orthodox Church in Kellyville, and the Auburn Mosque. Starting at the Wesley Uniting Church, we not only learnt about our own Catholic faith but also about the many differences and inclusiveness of the religion. The Uniting Church is a very inclusive focused religion. We then travelled to the Coptic Orthodox Church which shared similar, yet contrasting values to the Uniting Church. In this Church, we learnt about a variety of unique religious symbols, such as the significance of the candles, the saints, and the altar. Finally, we visited the Auburn Mosque, where we were viewed several religious paintings of Quran text rather than images, distinct architectures, and teachings of the Islamic faith. Ultimately, our 1-unit Religion excursion was highly enjoyable and a valuable learning opportunity for our cohort.
Ryan Richards, Year 11
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Some reflections from the 1 Unit Studies of Religion students:
Mosque visits
What I most valued from the visit to the Mosque was experiencing the culture of Islam and learning about the practices and history of the religion. This helped widen my religious worldview and perception of the religion rather than the referral to a certain stereotype.
I learned more about how the Mosque works and the Muslim traditions. I learnt about Islam and its importance to its adherents. I also appreciated the hospitality.
I valued the architecture of the building and the time taken as it was all hand-painted.
I most valued the kindness of the people.
The biggest benefit about visiting the Mosque was that we were able to be there in person instead of sitting behind a screen in the classroom and not being able to see it for ourselves.
I learned how Muslim's have to pray five times a day. By visiting the Mosque I benefited by having a deeper understanding of the religion and its beliefs and practices.
The holistic approach of the Mosque. Serving as not only a place of worship but a place where people can have resources of scripture and are able to stay for Ramadan. Their patterns of carpets and specific worship practices, facing the Kaaba.
I enjoyed seeing the layout of the Mosque and learning about how adherents practise their religion inside as I've never seen it before. Having first-hand information from our guide was very useful and he was very hospitable. I didn't know how Muslims lived in the Mosque for ten days.
I valued seeing how different religions practice their beliefs. I enjoyed learning about the Qu'ran and how a Mosque operates, with their two halls and library. The hospitality was also much appreciated. Visiting the Mosque was beneficial for our assessment task and to our luck, we visited during the final days of Ramadan which exposed us to their practices.
I learned how people take 10 days off in a row of their daily lives to pray in the Mosque. No shoes are worn in the Mosque. They pray on the floor and there are no chairs.
I learnt how much they dedicate their lives to their religion and the resources they provide to the Muslim's that go there to pray. I learnt about their values they uphold and why certain things are the way they are, for example, they pray towards the Kaaba to show unity. I benefitted from visiting as it was eye-opening into their everyday life.
Visiting the Mosque allowed me to understand the layout of the sacred place. For example, the presenter explained why there were two levels in the Mosque and how the patterns in the carpet showed the direction in which Muslims have to pray.
It was a really interesting and valuable experience, I learnt about the Mosque and the people that were there during the period of Ramadan. I learnt about the Mosque and its design and the principal beliefs Islam. The overall benefit is being immersed in a new environment.
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Visits to other Christian Churches
I learnt that the Uniting Church is found only in Australia and has multiculturalism and ordained female ministers.
I valued the hospitality and that the minister was very polite and answered all our questions. I learnt that the church always try to connect with the community to try and connect people with God, plus with them following the vital signs to help everyone.
I learned that they have youth groups for kids of different ages that are able to teach kids about their beliefs and also to bring people together.
The Wesley Uniting Church was a different experience from the other church and the Mosque we visited. The benefit was that they showed us the differentiation between different types of Christianity, comparing older styled religion to modernised religion.
The Wesley Church is accepting of all people and they rather focus on practising rather than preaching. The church wasn't too grand and more subtle as a whole as there were minimal paintings and artworks.
The Uniting Church uses no icons, as they believe that people in the Church should purely focus on their relationship with God.
The priest gave a very detailed presentation about the Church and how the variant developed historically. Once again, seeing how another Christian Church operates and how it is different to Catholicism was interesting to me and I was fascinated by the small yet distinct differences in how they practise worship.
I learned that Coptic priests can actually get married and have a family.
I learnt about their religious tradition. Learning how different variants of the same religion can be so different in everyday practices.
They informed us very well on the differences between Anglicanism and Catholicism and how they practice their faith with their rituals and activities.
The priest enthusiastically taught and you could tell he was really passionate about what he preaches. I learnt about the ceremonial practices in the Orthodox church and their significance to their religion e.g. using one cotton bud for the healing ceremony. This experience was very new to me and I learnt a lot.
This showed how similar we are to this Christian Denomination. I learnt they accept all religions, sexes and genders in the church. This provides what we can do and not do in our churches.
Visiting this Church allowed me to understand how and why Protestantism was formed.
I learnt that the Uniting Church in particular to Australia, and is a national Church and is a non-hierarchy church.
In the Coptic Orthodox Church, the priest is allowed to get married. The women and men are separated when the liturgy is on. I was impressed by the faith and dedication that the Coptic Church have to their religion.
You were able to see the wooden architecture throughout the church which provided information on their saints and what they believe. This was also helped by the priest which gave some valuable information (He was married and had three children).
