The Catholic Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes is delighted to announce a new Catholic school for the community of Moama. Blessed Carlo Catholic College is planned to be a Kindergarten to Year 12 (K-12) school taking in its first intake of students in 2024.
Bishop Columba Macbeth-Green announced the new school saying: “Blessed Carlo Catholic College will be a school centred on the teachings and example of Jesus. Our students will be offered outstanding teaching and learning by staff who take the best of contemporary learning combined with tried and tested teaching methods.”
Bishop Columba said that the college is the first face to face school (there is an online school in Canada) to be named after Blessed Carlo Acutis – an Italian boy who died at the age of 15 and who was beatified (first step to becoming a saint) by Pope Francis in October last year. “It is an honour to name our school after such an inspiring young person who showed that children and teenagers can live lives devoted to God and to caring for those around them. All the students will be proud of their school name knowing that they too can live inspiring lives for others”.
Bishop Columba said that Blessed Carlo was especially known for using technology to spread the Gospel. “With our young people so connected to technology today, he showed us how media can be used for the good of society. Like many youngsters in Moama, he was also an avid gamer who loved playing sports, especially football. I couldn’t think of a more uplifting or relevant role model for the young people of Moama.”
Director of Catholic Education for the Wilcannia-Forbes Diocese, Anthony Gordon, says the new school will open with state of the art learning facilities that accommodate a variety of learning experiences but that also embrace the tradition of the Catholic Church. “When you walk into Blessed Carlo you will know that you are in a school that strives for the best in culture and learning but you will also sense the comfort of a tradition firmly based on faith, love, hope, respect and service.”
Anthony Gordon says Blessed Carlo Catholic College will seek to develop the whole person – students will grow spiritually, academically, emotionally and physically.
“We will be recruiting leaders and staff devoted to the mission of developing young people to their full potential.” Fr Richard Green, Parish Priest of Moama, says that the school is exciting not only for the parish of St Aloysius’ but also for the whole community of Moama.
“A Catholic school in Moama is great news for our parish but also shows the flourishing of this fast-growing region. We are very respectful of all the schools in the Moama region and look forward to working with colleagues from other schools. Blessed Carlo Catholic College will give families the choice of a new and vibrant Catholic school.
We have a beautiful 10-acre block of land in a central part of Moama on the corner of Lignum Rd and Kiely Rd. We are also grateful to Murray River Council for their strong support for our planned school. We are intentionally building this school to serve the whole community.”
Anthony Gordon says that serving the Moama community is at the heart of all of their planning.
“It is very important for us to listen to everyone in the community of Moama. We would like to hear what you would value in a new school in Moama. We had planned a number of consultation sessions in the Moama community but have had to put those on hold with the latest concerns around COVID outbreaks in NSW and Victoria. We can’t wait to hear from you when we are able to hold these consultations in places like the Echuca-Moama Markets. In the meantime, we would love to hear your feedback in this online survey. Just type in the following text or click on an online format: https://bit.ly/blessedcarlo.”