Campus Ministry at Kolbe draws its inspiration and orientation from the life and teachings of Jesus. Mary and Joseph raised him to care for others. This was the way of his Jewish faith. His ministry was founded on the command to love God totally. The people of Israel knew this law well. They called it the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). When Jesus was asked how to love God with all one’s heart, soul and strength, he told those who questioned him the story of the good Samaritan whose one concern was to help someone in need without counting the cost to himself. To love God is to be the good Samaritan.
The Church carries out the mission given to it by Jesus when it becomes the good Samaritan. It teaches by word and example that ministry means to think, feel and act like Jesus whose love of God and compassion is reflected in his concern for others. The Bishops of Western Australia place Catholic education in the context of this truth in their Mandate Letter (2009-2011) to the Western Australian community:
Through Catholic schools, we seek to foster a Christian mentality in our society, and to encourage young people to contribute more broadly to the development of the kind of world envisaged by Christ. One of the key tasks of the Catholic school is to form Christian men and women committed to the love, compassion and justice of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (para. 6).
Therefore, in keeping with the Church’s teaching about the purpose of Catholic education, our ministry is not just to those who form our campus and to the families of our students and staff. Our intention is to raise awareness of the needs of society and to seek ways of responding with love, compassion and justice in the spirit of Jesus that can become part of the life of our campus.