Religious Education Coordinator

Mr Colm McCaughan

Term 1 is one of the busiest in the Religion Faculty with a variety of significant events taking place. The team have started 2025 with a bang and it is nice to sit down and reflect on what has been a huge start to the new year.

Wednesday of Week 1 was our Opening College Mass celebrated by Fr Dan. It was a powerful way to begin the year, particularly as we were encouraged to embrace our Marist characteristic of ‘Love of Work.’

Just a week later, Lent began with our Back to Parish Ash Wednesday commemoration. Eighty students travelled to their parishes, reconnecting with their primary school. At the College we held our own liturgy where the students reflected on the school motto ‘Respice Finem’ meaning  ‘remember the end.’ Lent offers a powerful opportunity to reshape our lives, ensuring our eternal future will be safe with God.

On the Year 7 Reflection Day, the students were inducted into the College and  introduced to the Marist Charism by the Marist Youth Mission team. They participated in various activities, learned Sub Tuum and had the opportunity to join our new Marist Youth Group, Pathfinders, and were also encouraged to take part in the Pope Francis Service Award. The significant increase in attendance shows that these students have found another meaningful way to connect with their faith. We hope our newest cohort truly understands what it means to be a Marist boy!

The absolute highlight for my first term was our Year 12 Retreat.  This retreat is a powerful reminder of God’s love and presence in our lives. For three days the students stepped away from their regular schedules to visit the Benedict XVI Centre in Grose Vale. The retreat focused on relationships; first within ourselves, then with our families and friends and then finally with God who always meets us where we are. The students were encouraged to reflect on how they embody the Marist characteristic of Family Spirit, especially as leaders of the College. The overwhelmingly positive feedback from the students has been incredibly uplifting and it is heartening to see how many of them have encountered God.

Upon returning from the retreat we entered Holy Week with a powerful liturgical re-enactment of Our Lord’s Passion from the Gospel of Luke. Our liturgy focused on the theme of  Forgiveness, reflecting on Christ’s words on the Cross “forgive them, for they know not what they do”. 

Throughout the term our regular Wednesday Prayer Group and Friday morning Mass have continued to be well attended, with more students and staff embracing the joy of maintaining a regular relationship with God. We also launched the 10:10 Project for our Year 10 students with over 30 students signing up for the regular events and formation offered by the team from Sydney Catholic Schools.

I am deeply grateful to our Chaplain, Fr Dan Drum and the Evangelisation team, Ms Grace Mathews and Mrs Maryam Matti, for their hard work in building the faith life of the College.

As we take a brief respite now before another massive Term 2, I look back at the mountain we have climbed in just a few short weeks and thank God for the grace He has poured out on our community. May it continue to flow!