22 March 2024

Banners, art, prayer and even a musical tribute to Taylor Swift. Thousands of students and teachers from hundreds of Catholic schools across Melbourne came together to celebrate everything that makes our schools special as part of the annual Catholic Education Week.

At St Patrick’s Cathedral, Archbishop Peter celebrated Mass and the great work happening in our schools, in forming the lives of children and young people to enrich the world. In his homily, the Archbishop welcomed us home as members of God’s household and called us to follow in St Patrick’s example to ‘be the ones today who go out and bring others into the Kingdom of God … to bring them home’.

The Celtic pipers led a procession of school banners in a ritual that allowed us to rejoice in our shared tradition – our annual collective reminder of why we do what we do. A choir from Sacred Heart Girls’ College, Hughesdale, led the singing, ensuring a beautiful liturgy was experienced by all.

After the Mass, primary school students descended on Treasury Gardens for the Concert in the Park, where they were entertained by the performances of bands from Aquinas College, Ringwood; Caroline Chisholm Catholic College, Braybrook; and Emmaus College, Vermont South. The students enjoyed the renditions of Taylor Swift songs almost as much as the games and activities on offer.

At the Young Speakers Colloquium, held at the Catholic Leadership Centre, senior secondary students listened to a panel of nine of their peers discuss personal stories of life-changing moments and high achievement, focusing on faith, hope and love.

Throughout the week, groups of students as well as the general public came to view the artistic talent on display at the Creative Arts Exhibition. Artworks from over 50 schools were showcased, made by students from Prep to Year 12 in a diverse range of media. On Sunday, the awards ceremony was held to celebrate the artistic achievements of our students.

As the festivities of Catholic Education Week have drawn to a close, we hope the teachers and students who attended the events will return to their schools inspired by Christ and strengthened in their connection to the wider Catholic education community.