Intro Overview
Overview
Maris Stella Catholic School function as a Christian and Catholic school community. A community is a group of people living in close contact who have common needs and hopes and who are bound together to achieve a common goals and a common mission. Maris Stella Catholic School is a community made up of students and staff - each with something different to contribute - for the purpose of living out the Mission of Maris Stella Catholic School and the Christian and Catholic context in which it is situated.
There are two main aspects to our Catholic Mission Schools’ Community: Learning in Community Living in Community
A. Learning in Community
Learning in community means that both staff and students:
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Regard learning as an opportunity to develop the talents God has given them, not only for their own advantage but for service – with within and outside of Catholic Mission Schools – now and in their future.
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Share the resources such as classrooms, textbooks, gymnasium, grounds and church space. We must respect others and should not be careless or selfish when using these resources. We must also remember that because we belong to the Catholic Church of Palau, we must work together as one community – Maris Stella, Mindszenty, and the local Catholic Church of Palau.
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Help one another and do not hinder the development of the other’s talent. By talent we do not just achieve a good mark and high achievement, but rather an ability to think clearly, to reflect, to organize, and to share the results of this with others. Each community member – staff and student alike – should consider himself/herself responsible for others.
B. Living in Community
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Living in community within the Catholic Mission Schools campuses. The Christian and Catholic concept of living in community goes far beyond the particular situations created by Learning in Community. It involves respect and mutual understanding of others in imitation of Christ. It involves the attitudes of sharing and service – so emphasized by Christ as necessary for following him – which foster cooperation within the community. It involves self-sacrifice. On the other hand, distrust, dishonesty, selfishness, misunderstanding, prejudice, inter-school disrespect, and indifference only destroy community.
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Living in Community Off-Campus All staff and students are expected to show interest and willingness to help others through their contribution to the wider community, whether on a weekend, on a project on an island away from school, or involved in their own villages and communities during the summertime. All staff and students are expected to live out the principles they have accepted within the school community wherever they are.
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Another part of the Catholic Mission Schools community outside the school campus is made up of parents, alumni, parishioners, friends, and benefactors – all of whom have contributed in different ways to bringing us together and to whom we owe special and deep gratitude. It is absolutely important that staff and students become involved in this greater, wider community of Catholic Mission Schools.
Note: The aim of both staff and students in the Catholic Mission Students Community is to be one who fosters and does not discourage, who assists and does not destroy, who seeks unity rather than division, following the example of Christ. Insincerity about these ideals is unacceptable, but genuine questioning is expected and welcomed.