Our Charism

St Joseph's Catholic School, Cloncurry, is guided by the values of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop and the Josephite Sisters as we endeavour to "Never see a need without doing something about it".

Our patron Saints are St Mary of the Cross MacKillop and St Joseph. Our school community is witness to the teachings of Jesus and takes its inspiration from St Mary MacKillop. The school was founded in October 1909, some months after Mother Mary MacKillop decided to send a community of her Sisters of St Joseph to the town. In the early years, schooling took place in the convent, in a shed and in the church until a school building was opened in 1913. At St Joseph's, we believe that every child is unique and gifted by God.

Our school works in partnership with the St Colman's Parish to provide a quality Catholic Education to our students.

What is Charism?

A charism is a divine spiritual gift given to an individual or group for the good of the community. Each religious order has a specific charism, a gift to be put to the service of the Church and the world.

Pope Paul VI was the first to label "charism" specifically in relation to religious institutes. He explained that the charism of the religious life is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, who is always at work within the Church.

A charism touches the very core of our existence and colours everything that we do as human beings. It allows us to see things in new ways, and to understand them even more wonderfully. We absorb a charism as we absorb sunshine, and we radiate a charism as a light pierces the darkness.