On Monday 19th of March, 7G and 7H participated in a lesson learning about the St Dominic’s Chapel and it’s history. Below are some reflections they have written after this learning experience.
Chapel Lesson Reflection
Jose Corcio 7G
On the 19th of March in period one, Mrs Fogliani’s along with Miss Hasking’s Embark classes were given the exquisite opportunity to gain and further their personal insight of St Dominic College’s Chapel by asking Mr Culican several questions to which they did not know the answer.
The lesson commenced quite quickly with students from both 7G and 7H enquiring about many of the chapel’s fantastically fascinating features. A very fine illustration of this was when one of my fellow peers asked about the crucifix being implanted into a tree. St Dominic’s Colleges Director of Identity, Mr Culican, very willingly and kindly explained how the spectacular feature was a mere symbol of the earth and our surroundings.
Students were then given an insight to a gargantuan number of the chapel’s defining characteristics such as the tabernacle’s function, the symbolic meaning of the breathtaking stained-glass window and how our touchstones came to be. I learnt an enormous amount of resourceful information that will assist me as I progress through the College.
7G and 7H were also informed of an item that were missing from the sacred space. A few of these items included a picture of St Mary Mackillop and many more. I then gained knowledge of the differences between a chapel and a church. I now know a church has a larger authority than a chapel.
This lesson had an astoundingly positive outcome for me as it gave me an opportunity to gain insight about a facility at the College which is greatly used and respected.
Chapel Reflection
Logan Wilson 7H
Our two classes 7H and 7G got to learn about how objects and symbols got into the chapel and the reasoning behind it. Mr Culican, the Director of Identity, helped us all to understand what some symbols represent and what some objects are used for. One of the symbols represents the concept of unity, it includes all the different religions and demonstrates how we are inclusive of the community around us. The 13 Stations of the Cross, western and indigenous are depicted on the walls of the chapel. They each represent a different stage of Jesus’ journey to the site where he was to be crucified. Mr Culican shared information about objects in the Chapel and how they got their names. For example, the word chapel comes from the Old French word, chapele. This word means a group of people meeting in a small room. Mr Culican helped me a lot to understand more about the stained glass. Each window is an idea of art from each Year 12 group over the past years. Mr Culican stated that “the Chapel is the heartbeat of St Dominic’s College.” By this statement, he means that the Chapel is a crucial part of our school, without it we wouldn’t be the same. This was a very positive and informative learning experience to me.
Embark Lesson Reflection
Alexander Gouriotis, 7H
Miss Hasking’s 7H and Mrs Fogliani’s 7G together embarked on a tour of the St Dominic’s College Chapel. During this tour we asked inquisitive questions and made precise observations. Leading our charge to discover more about the Chapel and its past was Mr Culican, Director of Identity. Mr Culican has undeniable knowledge of the Chapel and its past. Although it was short I learned so much to deepen my understanding and spiritual knowledge of St Dominic’s College. To begin we respectfully entered the chapel, soon after we were greeted by Mr Culican. In the Chapel we asked many questions to extend our knowledge of our current unit Being Catholic. We asked nearly 100 questions about the chapel and its significant objects and spiritual past. One of the more significant things that I learnt was that although we are a catholic school we still embrace all other cultures and religions and spiritual past. Overall it was a faultless expedition into our catholic religion and spiritual past. As Mr Culican said “the chapel or church is the heartbeat of any school.”
Chapel Experience
Riley Pollard, 7H
Today our class and 7G went down to our school’s amazing Chapel. As we entered the Chapel there is a quote by St Dominic Savio. We opened the Chapel doors and 7G was already in there. Two minutes later Mr Culican who is the Director of Identity walked in. We started off by talking about the stained glass windows, he said “the Year 12 students contributed to a rectangle every year. It would be awesome to drive past a year later knowing that you created that beautiful piece of artwork.” We then all got a chance to ask our own questions about the chapel. I asked. “What is your favourite feature about the chapel?” Mr Culican answered that “the area and the place the beautiful chapel is situated.” I then asked. “Why do you think the chapel is an important item to our school?” Mr Culican answered by saying that “the vibe and peace it brings to the college just helps the school be as best as it can be.” He then asked us some questions on what we think of our College Chapel. A lot of boys said it is beautiful, peaceful and a great place to share your thoughts or pray. We then left the Chapel and went back to class. I believe it was great to find out a lot of information about the Chapel and its history in our College!
