The beloved Chapel of St Francis and St Clare has been redesigned, renovated and reopened.

It is indeed a beautiful space and continues to be a safe quiet harbour for all students and staff at BDC.

A huge thank you to all those involved in the imagining, planning and remaking of the heart of our School.

The story about our chapel was told by the Very Reverend Naomi Cooke at the Re-opening of the Chapel on the 17th of October.

Below is some of that story;

Across the seas in Europe,

there was a young man, Francis who lived in an Italian town called Assisi. He was born into a wealthy family, but he did not love rich things.

In fact, he gave up his wealth and left his respectable family,

so that he could care for the poor and the unloved.

He loved God and loved the animals and the environment.

He called the sun Brother and the moon Sister.

…

One of his friends was Clare

She was so inspired by Francis’ simple ways of loving God and loving the animals and the environment that she became the leader of a community that followed this way of love.

She particularly loved coming close to God as she shared the bread of Holy Communion.

…

And here, in our special holy space,

the Chapel has been named after St Francis and St Clare.

Another Frances, Frances Belle Parker was invited to visit the Chapel a few years ago.

Frances is a woman of the first peoples of this place.

Her mother, and her mother’s mother, and her mother’s father,

taught her the ways of the Yaegl and Gumbayngirr people,

as well as the ways of Christ.

Frances met with the students of the College. She yarned with the Goori Group.

She learnt about how BDC is now a place with many peoples and many faiths.

She heard about how the Chapel is a safe still space in the midst of a busy school.

Frances is an artist, and she created an artwork for the chapel.