Year 9 Rite Journey Calling and Departure Ceremonies

Year 9 students and their families joined Rite Journey teachers at the College last Thursday evening for the Calling and Departure ceremonies that mark the beginning of their transition from children to young adults.

The Rite Journey is a unique program designed to support the development of self-aware, responsible and resilient adults. The course reinvents the traditional process of a rite of passage to help adolescents move from dependency to responsibility.

Two elements of the program were celebrated on Thursday evening. The first being the ‘Calling’, which encourages students to show gratitude for their childhood and call them on their journey to young adulthood. The second component to the ceremony is the ‘Departure’, which involves the students’ significant adults joining the students for an opportunity to learn, reflect and look forward.

The evening began with Year 9 students and their chosen adult finding a quiet spot in Sheehan Stadium to exchange letters. Through this process, students identified immature behaviours that no longer served them and mature behaviours they could embrace in the coming year.

Students then placed the paper on which they had written their immature behaviours in an open fire. Their aspirations were written on a wooden leaf and put on an archway.

Fire has always played an important role in rituals, symbolising God’s presence and strength. Fire is also bitter and sweet, reminding us that the journey is not always easy. The leaf embodies the symbolism of growth and as the students placed it on the arch, we as a community of caregivers envisaged the collective growth of the Year 9 cohort.

Finally, students were greeted by their Rite Journey teacher who welcomed them on this journey and made a commitment to support them through the trials and tribulations they will face during the year.

We were blessed with a beautiful evening and a wonderful turnout for the first of many auspicious occasions in 2021.

A huge thanks to the Rite Journey teachers who commit an enormous amount of their own time to these endeavours, believing they will pay off for our students in their senior years of secondary school.