Perth Auxiliary Bishop Donald Sproxton speaking at the Mass for the Feast of the Assumption at the University of Notre Dame Australia, on Tuesday 15 August. Photo: Supplied.
By Caroline Smith
The University of Notre Dame Australia (UNDA) community came together recently for a week of events recognising nearly three decades of achievements since the institution’s founding in 1989.
Founders’ Week – held on the week of 14-20 August – is an annual event honouring the founders, staff, alumni, students and supporters of the University who contribute to its ongoing success.
It began as an initiative during UNDA’s 25th anniversary in 2014, and this year included a special Mass for the Feast of the Assumption on Tuesday 15 August, and an Appreciation Breakfast on Thursday 17 August.
The former was celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Donald Sproxton in the University’s Holy Spirit Chapel, with more than 200 guests in attendance. The Feast of the Assumption holds special significance for Notre Dame, as it commemorates the Assumption of its patroness and namesake, the Blessed Virgin Mary – the mother of Jesus.
The Appreciation Breakfast, held on the early Thursday morning, brought together 150 attendees, including current and former staff of the University, for a meal to thank them for their support.
Peta Sanderson speaking at the Appreciation Breakfast held at the University on Thursday 17 August. Photo: Josh Low.
They were entertained by the Starlight Hotel Choir, connected to the St Patrick’s Community Centre, which also has a strong connection to Notre Dame.
Addressing guests at the breakfast, Pro Vice Chancellor International Professor Peta Sanderson reinforced the importance of community engagement throughout UNDA’s history.
“Notre Dame is a community is deeply committed to our students being in the world and for the world, and we recognise very deeply that that commitment is one that we engage with at home as much as abroad,” she said.
“And whether it’s going to the other side of the world or whether it’s engaging with our communities right here in Fremantle or more broadly within the community, is just as critical.
“We hope that those engagements and those commitments, the relationships that develop are mutually beneficial, mutually advantageous to each and every one of you.”
The University of Notre Dame Australia was founded through an Act of Parliament in December 1989, and first established in Fremantle, although it now has campuses in Broome and Sydney, as well as rural medical schools in New South Wales and Victoria, overall including 11,500 students.