Scott and Patti Beattie are an incredible couple of faith.
Scott Beattie started teaching in 1992 and worked across Wollongong and Sydney Dioceses and has taught for 28 years in Broken Bay Diocese alone. Currently, Scott’s role at CSBB is Learning Partner Evangelisation and Immersions. Scott’s role is to develop immersion programs to enhance opportunities for evangelisation among employees, staff and students, this includes WYD and ACYF.
Patti Beattie also started working in the Broken Bay Diocese in 1992 as a Year 1 teacher. In 2013 Patti moved to Catholic Schools Office to take up a role as an Education Officer Wellbeing Support. In July 2021 Patti was seconded to lead the Pastoral Discernment Central Coast project and in July 2022 was appointed Director Evangelisation Broken Bay to support the implementation of Bishop Anthony’s pastoral priorities.
What does faith mean to you?
Growing up, Catholicism was all around us. We could see it in our family and friends, at school, and in our wider community. Our lives, through the Catholic communities we grew up in, was fully entwined with faith opportunities and experiences.
Searching for and questioning one’s faith and finding strength in a journey with God, has afforded us great joy. It is the realisation we are part of a divine plan, and that we have a significant role in our own salvation and the building of the Kingdom of God. Faith has given us a level of peace that would not be possible without a trusting relationship in God.
Have you had a pivotal faith experience in your journey?
WYD05 Cologne and every World Youth Day since has enlivened our faith journey. World Youth Day has given us the opportunity to understand and grow in our Catholic identity. The experience has given us the courage and strength to challenge ourselves and look for new opportunities within our communities to evangelise and support others in their faith journey.
How has being a part of a Catholic community influenced your identity?
Being part of the Catholic community has greatly influenced our identity. We attended Catholic schools, the Australian Catholic University and now have been working in the Broken Bay Diocese for nearly 30 years. We are part of a very dynamic and engaged Catholic community on the Central Coast. We both serve our parish in many different roles, which continues to strengthen our Catholic identity.
What is something that you learnt in your faith journey?
We have learnt that a personal faith journey is a lifelong journey. Our journey has had twists and turns, potholes, and rest stops which have enabled us to discern our path. We have moved through different stages, seeking to understand our faith and what we believe in. We have learnt the importance of a faith journey for personal growth. We are very privileged that our faith life and journey is moving in harmony with our professional life.
How has working in Catholic Schools Broken Bay impacted your faith story?
We have been genuinely impacted by the aspiration of Towards 2025 in “Inspiring hearts and minds to know Christ and love learning”. The best example of this has been watching the faces and hearing the comments of our youngest students and their teachers as they explore the Jesus story through a play- based approach to Religious Education with resources that the E&C Team prepared for our kindergarten classrooms. This example has given us renewed hope that our young people are developing a closer relationship with God through the Towards 2025 projects.
How do you share your faith?
St Francis of Assisi challenged Christians to “Preach the Gospel at all times and if necessary, use words.” We strive to share our faith in this manner. A large amount of time is devoted to our parish, working to support our Parish Priest and trying to be positive advocates for the Catholic community. We share our faith by building relationships with people, listening to their stories and striving to demonstrate Gospel values.
What does Christmas mean to you?
Catching up with friends and family is a beautiful and important part of the Christmas season. It is a fun, caring time in our family. It is a time we can reflect on the year that is nearly over but also an important time to reflect on the Jesus story. Christmas is the time we celebrate the birth of Jesus, God coming down to earth to forgive us of our sins. Christmas is a time when we can proudly embrace and celebrate our faith with others.
How will you celebrate Christmas this year with your family?
After the challenges COVID presented last Christmas, we are really looking forward to Christmas this year. We will celebrate having lunch with friends on Christmas eve, attending family Mass and then Christmas lunch with our extended family. Our daughter is currently in the UK for a 6-month university exchange and this Christmas will be spent celebrating with her through Zoom as she celebrates her first winter Christmas.