Cairns Catholic Education is celebrating Catholic Education Week’s 2019 theme ‘Many Voices. One Spirit’ with the launch of The Creative Arts Collective.
Catholic Education Week: ‘Many Voices. One Spirit’
The theme for 2019 is ‘Many Voices. One Spirit’ with the ‘Many Voices’ representing students, teachers, families and communities from all backgrounds and walks of life, while the ‘One Spirit’ can be interpreted as faith, the Holy Spirit, charisms, school spirit, team spirit, parish spirit or family spirit.
The theme brings feelings of love, togetherness, learning, unity and belonging – all ideals relevant to Catholic schools in Queensland.
The Creative Arts Collective
Students from Catholic schools were invited to submit an artwork, photography, sculpture, music or film along with a response on what ‘Many Voices. One Spirit’ means to them.
The Creative Arts Collective visualises and celebrates our Catholic identity through our students’ creativity and sense of the sacred and the response has been overwhelmingly positive.
“The Creative Arts Collective has been a wonderful initiative to highlight the thought provoking and creative artwork by students at our primary and secondary schools,” explains Cairns Catholic Education Director Identity and Outreach Sharon O’Keeffe.
“At a time when wider society would speculate that young people have little time or interest to consider the bigger questions of faith, the artwork submitted is testimony that God’s spirit is alive and present in our school communities.”
The artworks have been exhibited at Catholic Education Services during Catholic Education Week.
Student Submissions
The following students have been especially recognised for their submission on what ‘Many Voices. One Spirit’ means to them.

“Many Voices, One Spirit’ means to me that there are many different people with many different cultures who all live together in peace. In my picture, the girl on the rock is reading the Bible about how everyone is unique in different ways and how all love each other. The wind is all swirling and is whistling the message that everyone is unique in different ways and live in different cultures but all share the one spirit, in kindness, with grateful compassion and the ability to love one another.
Lucy, St Francis Xavier School

“Many Voices. One Spirit” means that we are all separate people – speak our very own languages – but we are all human; equals. We all share spirit. My painting/drawing has people at the bottom – these represent the people. The rainbow at the top represents beauty and the apology and promise of God. Also at the top there is a hand. That is the hand of God, who is always there to help.
Clover, MacKillop Catholic College

To us the Catholic Education Week theme, ‘Many Voices, One Spirit’ means being together, we might all be different but we are all part of Catholic Education Week. We’re at different schools, with different families and cultures, we might not be Catholic but we are all part of Catholic Education Week.
Ella & Rudra, St Augustine’s School

I got inspired by a different picture and made it into a different picture and used the theme ‘Many Voices, One Spirit’. It is an artwork that inspires me to become an artist someday.
It means to us that ‘Many Voices, One Spirit’ is like God is the Spirit and all the voices are us on earth and God is spreading light and kindness in the world.
Jada & Hollee, MacKillop Catholic College
Our panel of judges have commended all entries for this years inaugural Creative Arts Collective.
Amelia, St Francis Xavier School
Charli, St Augustine’s School
Violet & Hayley, St Augustine’s School
Lily & Isabella, St Augustine’s School
Bailey & Lenny, St Augustine’s School
Lane & Brae, St Augustine’s School
Year 4A & Year 4M, MacKillop Catholic College
Xavier, St Augustine’s School
Year 5/6, St Rita’s School, South Johnstone
Maggie, Mount St Bernard College
Tanisha, Mount St Bernard College
Jamie-Lynn, MacKillop Catholic College
Laverda, MacKillop Catholic College
Year 6S, Holy Cross School
St Michael’s School
Ellouise, St Therese’s School
Lily, St Francis Xavier School
Bree, MacKillop Catholic College
Alexa-Rose, Mount St Bernard College
Rylee, St Mary’s Catholic College
Yuzu, St Therese’s School
Year 5C, Holy Cross School
Lexie, St Andrew’s Catholic College
Lia, St Andrew’s Catholic College
Sian, St Gerard Majella School
Bella, St Mary’s Catholic College
Taylah, St Gerard Majella School
Grace, St Andrew’s Catholic College
Kelley, St Therese’s School
Jessie-Lee, St Mary’s Catholic College
Kayci, St Mary’s Catholic College
Kelci, St Mary’s Catholic College