Year 7 “What it means to be Catholic” excursion

On Tuesday 1 April, Year 7 visited two churches: The Monastery of Saint Charbel Lebanese Maronite Order and St John the Beloved Melkite Catholic Church. During our excursion, we learned many things, including the history of each church, how the liturgies are celebrated, and about the architecture and icons or artworks within the churches. At St John the Beloved, we were spoken to by Fr Romanos. He explained the history of the early Melkite Church, including its split in 1724 into Roman Catholic Melkites and Eastern Orthodox Melkites, and discussed the many different icons and artworks in the church. Some artworks include the numerous icons at the front that close the altar away from the lay people; they depict the 12 apostles and the Last Supper. At The Monastery of Saint Charbel, Fr Elie spoke to us about the patron saints of the church and St Charbel. St Rafqa, St Hardini and St Charbel are the three main patron saints of The Monastery of Saint Charbel Lebanese Maronite Order, and these saints played a vital role in shaping the early Maronite Church. In all artworks of St Charbel, he is depicted with his eyes downcast, reflecting his life as a monastery hermit who dedicated himself to prayer and God. This gesture symbolizes his commitment to humility, simplicity, and spiritual focus. Overall, this excursion provided us with a deeper appreciation of the rich history, spiritual traditions, and beautiful artistry that define these two remarkable churches.

Melanie Zarifeh
Year 7

On Tuesday the 1April, Year 7 went on an excursion as part of our religion unit, ‘What It Means To Be Catholic’. We have been focusing on two different Eastern Catholic churches, The Melkite and the Maronite. We visited St John the Beloved Melkite Church with Father Romanos in Greenacre and St Charbel’s Maronite Church with Father Ellie in Punchbowl. Year 7 were split into 2 groups for the day and had the opportunity to experience the 2 different Catholic churches. 

Both churches have beautiful detailed icons of Saints and stories like the Assumption, Annunciation and the Crucifixion. Both Priests spoke to us about the church’s beliefs, rituals and celebrations. We visited these churches so it could help us have a deeper understanding of our chosen church for our assessment and we found it very informative. 

We returned back to school and had pizza for lunch. Then Year 7 had an afternoon mass at Our Lady Of Fatima Church and received Bibles that were blessed by Father Emmanuel. It was a very enjoyable and spiritual day that Year 7 were very fortunate to experience.  

Chrystiana Georgakopoulos
Year 7