Saint’s hand guides a growing school

Next year Mother Teresa Primary School at Harrison ACT, will officially lay claim to being the largest Catholic primary school in the Archdiocese, with more than 700 enrolments.

Right now they can boast to having one of the best facilities, after the completion of their new $380,000 Early Learning Centre (ELC) administration building.

In a key partnership between Catholic Education, the ACT Government and the school’s Parents and Citizens (P&C), the result was achieved in a most positive outcome for Catholic education in the area.

School Principal, Peter Hughes welcomed all guests to the blessing and official opening and paid special tribute to the architect, Bob Sly.

He emphasised the importance of offering Catholic education options for families in a growth corridor of Canberra – this being the outer north western suburb.

The Catholic Early Learning Centre community donated $170,000 to the project from their building and maintenance contributions in their fees.  The school P&C school Community Council who were represented at the opening by Chairman of the Board Mr Brett Russell, raised $170,000 of the total amount required.

Archbishop Christopher Prowse blessed the school’s ELC in a ceremony which contained the acknowledgment of country, the national anthem, a liturgy and the unveiling of a plaque.

In his address, Archbishop Prowse recalled meeting the school’s patroness St Mother Teresa of Calcutta, when he was a seminarian in Melbourne and he drew attention to the witness of her life.

“Mother Teresa was canonised just a few months ago,” he said.

“She used to work with the poorest of the poor, but was a great woman of prayer also. It was the engine room of her faith and we must never forget this.”

He encouraged students to give their lives to Jesus and to concern themselves with things that make them whole on the inside, as opposed to focusing on outside appearance only.

“Mother Teresa was beautiful on the inside and this radiated on the outside,” he said.

Being Remembrance Day, Archbishop Prowse also paid respect to the memory of all soldiers and to the end of World War I.

Member for Yerabbi, Suzanne Orr and Catholic Education Head of Resource Management and Strategy,  John Barker and Gungahlin assistant priest Fr Praveen Paul, were also present for the occasion.

The opening of the Mother Teresa Early Learning Centre, comes after Holy Spirit Primary School Nicholls, opened a similar ELC facility  just a couple of months ago.