Religious Education Coordinator

Mr Colm McCaughan
RE Coordinator

Term 1 is one of the busiest in the RE faculty, with a huge variety of significant events taking place. The team have started 2026 with great energy and it is nice to pause and reflect on what has been a huge start to the new year.

Our Opening College Mass was celebrated by Fr Dominik Karnas, one of our new College Chaplains. Although the hall was very warm, it was a powerful way to begin the year, particularly as we were encouraged to live out the chosen Marist characteristic for 2026, ‘In the Way of Mary.’ We also inducted Mr David Sullivan as our new College Principal in a grand blessing.

A couple of weeks later, Lent began with our Back to Parish Ash Wednesday commemoration, in which over 150 boys travelled back to their parishes, for some, a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with their primary school. We also held our own liturgy at the College, where the boys reflected on the concept of ‘sacrifice.’ They learned that it is often the small, unseen sacrifices that matter the most.

Year 7 were formally inducted into the College on their Reflection Day, where they were introduced to the Marist Charism by the Marist Youth Mission team. Along with a range of activities and learning the Sub Tuum, students were given the opportunity to sign up for the Pope Francis Service award. We have had a significant increase in participation, showing that the boys have found another meaningful way to connect with their faith. We hope our Year 7’s continue to grow in their understanding of what it means to be a Marist boy!

The absolute highlight of the term was our Year 12 Retreat.  Retreat is a powerful reminder of God’s love and presence in our lives, as the boys stepped away from their regular routines and spent three days at the Benedict XVI Centre in Grose Vale. The Retreat focused on relationships, first within ourselves, then with our families and friends and finally with God, who always meets us where we are. The boys were encouraged to reconcile with one another and connect with God through prayer and the Sacraments. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and truely edifying to see how many of them encountered God in a meaningful way.

We entered Holy Week upon return from Retreat, with our liturgy offering a powerful narrative re-enactment of Our Lord’s Passion from the Gospel of Matthew. We centred the liturgy on the theme of forgiveness, reflecting on Christ’s words from 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, as more students and staff embrace the joy of nurturing a regular relationship with God. We launched the 10:10 Project for our Year 10 students, with more than 30 students signing up for the regular events and formation offered by the Sydney Catholic Schools team. I am deeply grateful to our chaplains from St Kevin’s, as well as our Assistant REC, Miss Grace Mathews and our new Youth Ministry, Mr Daniel Viana, for their ongoing support in the evangelisation work within our school.

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 abundantly.