In 2014 a new Catholic Church community was created called Kildare Ministries. The Brigidine Sisters from Victoria and NSW joined with the Presentation Sisters of Victoria, to create Kildare Ministries from their shared heritage and mission. The Brigidine schools from Victoria, NSW, Queensland and South Australia were connected with the Presentation school in Victoria, Star of the Sea, along with the community works of Wellsprings for Women, Saltbush and the Brigidine Asylum Seekers Project (BASP).
These schools and community works, including our own at Brigidine St Ives, are part of a shared mission and a conviction to build communities where people are treated with kindness and dignity, able to feel they belong and are included, and also able to thrive and follow their passions to make a difference in the world.
Last week we hosted the Trustees of Kildare Ministries at the College, and we were able to show them through our school and meet our wonderful students. They were glowing in their praise of the students and the staff and left us all feeling that we were moving in the right direction, in both keeping in tune with our heritage as well as building for the future with our community in 2026 and beyond.
There is a clear conviction within Kildare Ministries to build these core values in each of the communities across the network: hope, hospitality, courage, compassion, wonder and justice. These are values that are needed in the world today – for each of us, and especially for the young people in our care. Our students participate in network meetings and gatherings that focus on shared leadership, environmental awareness and social justice. At these events, they exchange ideas, find common ground, and build friendships and connections with students from Kildare Ministries communities across the various states.
We are grateful for the work of the Trustees in ensuring that the vision and mission of the Brigidine and Presentation Sisters, inspired by the lives and legacies of Nano Nagle, Daniel Delany and St Brigid, continues to flourish well into the future through the work of schools and communities across Kildare Ministries.
Mr Brian Loughland
Deputy Principal
