We welcome to the Leadership Team of St Joseph’s Coomera Mr Daniel McCormick who will take up the position of Assistant Principal Religious Education and Identity (APRE) in Term 4 of this year.
Danny was born and raised in Brisbane and completed his undergraduate studies at the Australian Catholic University. As an early career teacher he worked in Western Australia and taught in the Pilbara Region and Perth.
He has taught in Catholic schools in Metropolitan and Regional areas in Australia and England and has been an APRE for 15 years, most recently at Assisi Catholic College and has a deep interest and understanding of indigenous culture.
In his role Danny will have as a focus the creation and embedding of faith, mission and identity in the College. In this it is his challenge and joy to help our students grow and develop as authentic people, who journey with and toward their God.
Danny is committed to bringing the charism of St Mary McKillop and the Josephites to our St Joseph’s community developing children who have a commitment and passion for making a difference in the world, ensuring we are people of action who will “never walk past someone in need without doing something about it.” He is committed to creating opportunities and challenges for the development of the spiritual and moral capacities of all and in so doing generate young people who are transformational in the way they lead society on graduation , in essence to be young people with a willingness to witness life with “their head, heart and hands” (BCE, 2018).
Through Danny’s leadership our Students, through the Religious Education Curriculum, Student Formation program, Spirituality Days and Retreats learn about Catholic Social Teachings and ways that they can engage with social justice issues and action. They use the head, heart and hands approach to follow in the footsteps of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop and act with compassion towards those who are in most need.
Danny has studied in Jerusalem, Rome, Broome, Perth and Brisbane. He holds Masters Degrees in Theological Studies; Religious Education and Educational Leadership as well as his Bachelor’s Degree in Education. He is a welcome and valuable addition to our school.
In Danny's words . . . .
The importance and purpose of faith development for Catholic Schools, our children, parents and community
Pope John Paul II stated that “Faith is not certainty but questioning, not clarity but a leap in the dark…". When we look at the importance and purpose of faith development we are looking at helping our students to grow and develop as authentic people, who journey with and towards their God. This is a journey of hope, and as Pope Francis states:
Young people should love, believe and follow their dreams, never despairing because Jesus is always with them
St Joseph's culture and identity is derived from the charism of St Mary MacKillop as part of its Catholic Christian character. We are called to be a real and living expression of the Church's pastoral mission in the world.
Our faith development makes a statement what is important and valued in our community and can be found in both our formal and informal curriculum. We are committed to make a difference in the world through both our actions and our witness.
People of commitment are called, through their Christian vocation, to make a difference in the world. They have a shared vision; they give living witness to their vocation and demonstrate a willingness to make things happen. In short, commitment involves the whole person; head, heart and hands (BCE, 2018).
In seeking to make a difference in the world, people of commitment empower others, engaging with them in a dialogue of life, action, ideas and religious experience. A dialogue of life commands people of commitment to share in the joys, sorrows, hopes and aspirations of all people but particularly those most in need. A dialogue of action involves collaborating with others in social justice and human liberation. A dialogue of ideas entails deepening our understanding of how we might embody spiritual values and religious understandings in the service of others. Finally, a dialogue of religious experience seeks to share spiritual riches with others through prayer and deepened understanding (BCE, 2018).
St Joseph's is a community of commitment with a passion for making a difference in the world by providing opportunities for the development of the spiritual and moral capacities of all. Our commitment implies an ongoing conversion in which we seek to make a difference in the world. Conversion of heart is a true gift of God. We support this work of conversion when our staff teach and encourage prayer, worship and reflection and when we evangelise through proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ in word and action in our daily life.
St Joseph's Staff explore and deepen their understanding of what it means to give witness to their vocation and ministry of teaching in a Catholic school and identify and respond to social justice issues in the local community.
Our Students, through the Religious Education Curriculum, Spirituality Days and Retreats learn about Catholic Social Teachings and ways that they can be used to engage with social justice issues. They use the head, heart and hands approach to follow in the footsteps of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop and act with compassion towards those who are in most need.