At Nazareth, we provide more than just an education - we are a community. We are a Catholic Community of welcome, connecting faith, family and education. Every family is at the heart of our church, with inclusion a vital part of our vision.
Catholic culture and social justice teachings are at the heart of our curriculum, and religious education extends beyond the classroom. We provide opportunity in every facet for students to understand, reflect and broaden their awareness of the world.
We facilitate a number of initiatives including formation, liturgical celebration, social justice and immersion programs, community connections and opportunities to share in the life of the Church. Through these experiences, we aim to nurture the intrinsic potential in every person, to reinforce a sense of service to others and to care for God's creation.
We value the varying intellectual, social, spiritual and emotional needs of families, and within our community, diverse cultures and religions are recognised and embraced.
Each year our community adopts an inspired message, that provides a focus for our teachings and contemporary, relevant and diverse gatherings.
At the core of our work for 2022, is the theme "Be the Light".
The 2022 theme was developed in conjunction with the student leaders. The concept of light to them inferred helping others, that a light guides us and that by moving towards the light we are letting go of the past and moving forward.
Kindness and coming or growing together were the other strong messages from our students and these concepts have been weaved into the design elements. The phrase ‘Be the Light’ is open-ended, subjective and allows for individual interpretation including being a light for others, myself, the planet etc.
Underpinning the theme is the scripture “You are the light of the world" from Matthew 5:14
The branch belongs to the River Red Gum eucalyptus tree, symbolic of the Kaurna land on which we meet as well as an ecological connection to our faith. The branch represents growth both as individuals and as a diverse community and shows the limitless, multiple pathways we can take. It reminds us that branches stem from something greater, the solid foundation of a trunk, and much like God’s love, it provides stability and strength and nurtures each and every aspect of the branch; the leaves, the stems, the flowers, the gum nuts.
The globes growing on the branches represent light, guidance, foresight, faith, hope and kindness. The globes are luminescent, symbolic of individuals and groups within our community shining light on others and symbolic also of the light that each individual has to shine, representing inclusivity, diversity and agency.
The star is symbolic of our faith, which guides the way forward. Just as the Three Wise Men were guided by the star of Bethlehem to Jesus, so we too are guided.