Inspiring Students to Embrace Mission and Service

Education plays a vital role in shaping young people’s minds, and when it comes to faith-based learning the opportunity to inspire students with the principles of mission and service is invaluable. Catholic Mission, in collaboration with the To Know, Worship and Love textbook team, has embraced this opportunity by contributing to the creation of mission-focused chapters in the revised 2025 edition.

“Being able to be part of the textbook To Know, Worship and Love is an incredible opportunity for us, as it enables us to be at the heart of the school and to teach and inspire students about the work of mission,” says Jenny Collins-White, Associate Director of Mission Formation at Catholic Mission.

“As we collaborated with co-workers from different parts of the organisation to bring together a 360-degree view of mission that would be digested by Year 9 and Year 10 students, we were able to reflect on how mission is accessible to all.”

The mission chapters will soon be available online through the To Know, Worship and Love platform, a cornerstone of religious education for primary and secondary Catholic schools across Victoria and New South Wales.

The chapters are designed to enhance students’ understanding of mission and the different forms it takes — from a kind action of reaching out to a friend, to raising funds to support the construction of classrooms overseas. At the core of these chapters is the importance of action, as everyone is an agent of change. The textbook chapters emphasise this aspect, encouraging students to embrace their missionary spirit.

"Action is key in mission, because without this gesture of reaching out, we lose the essence of what being people of mission truly is,” says Patrick Fox, Cultural Competency Facilitator at Catholic Mission, who collaborated on the project.

These chapters provide teachers with valuable resources to inspire and guide their students in developing a deeper understanding of mission and its role in their lives.