Our religious identity plays a key role in the life of the College:
Prayer is an important and spontaneous part of every day life at Caritas College.
Daily prayer takes place in home groups to begin the day. The rich symbolic life of our Catholic faith and tradition is celebrated in prayer through song, drama, music and dance.
Integral to our daily life at Caritas College are the symbols and rituals that enable students to grow in appreciation for their faith.
Liturgies are contemporary and student-led. Class, Year and school liturgies take place on a regular basis to celebrate the Seasons in the Church Year and feast days such as St Joseph, Saint Mary of the Cross (MacKillop). A Reconciliation Liturgy takes place each year during National Reconciliation week with members of the local indigenous community and families joining in out celebrations of Reconciliation.
Class and school celebrations of the Eucharist are celebrated both at school, in the chapel in addition to students joining the All Saints Parish Community for weekly celebrations.
Caritas College works in partnership with families and with the All Saints Parish Community in preparing students for the celebration of the Sacraments.
Year 3 students participate in the Reconciliation Sacrament program with a family celebration of forgiveness and celebration taking place at All Saints Parish Church. Parents and students are supported in their journey of faith through opportunities for discussion, reflection and practical celebrations.
Preparing for the Sacrament of Eucharist takes place in Year 4 with all students involved in the learning program. Parents work in conjunction with teachers and parish staff to prepare by participating in the parish liturgies in the weeks leading up to participating in the celebration of the Sacrament of Eucharist for the first time at All Saints Parish.
Our students in Year 7 are invited to participate in preparing for the celebration of Confirmation. The emphasis on this Sacrament is on Christian service and witness with students actively engaged in learning within the local and diocesan church.
In 2023 All Saints Catholic Parish, worked closely with the college to implement a new Sacramental Program, as instructed by Bishop, Karol Kulczycki. The new program is for all children who are preparing for the Sacraments of First Communion and Confirmation. In future years, a similar program will apply for the Sacrament of First Reconciliation and the Sacrament of Baptism.
Details regarding the 2024 Sacramental Program in our Diocese can be found here.
The liturgical life of the school reflects the Church’s seasons with Lent, Easter, ordinary time and Advent celebrated in class and school liturgies.
The Josephite ethos of the College is expressed in the liturgies to honour the school’s charism and school liturgies are held to celebrate Saint Mary of the Cross (MacKillop) – the foundress of our school community.
Feast days enable students to develop and express their spirituality.
Our senior students celebrate the Feast of St Joseph the Worker – celebrating the value of work in their lives. Our middle school students celebrate the Feast of the Sacred Heart as they view the justice issues in their lives and develop a heart for justice. Our junior students celebrate their families in their liturgy at All Saints Church during the year.
Social justice and outreach are the hallmark of a healthy, vibrant Catholic school.
At Caritas, the Assistant Principal Religious Identity and Mission works closely with the Religious Education Coordination Team at Caritas College to ensure students are able to effectively participate in social justice action. The College community supports a number of justice groups including St Vincent De Paul with an annual Christmas Appeal and Winter Appeal.
Students actively participate in the Caritas Australia Project Compassion campaign as an integral part of their Religious Education Curriculum during the season of Lent.
Students in the Middle Years develop social justice actions during Advent when undertaking the Caritas Australia Advent Challenge with the aim of raising awareness and funds to support education in developing countries. MacKillop Day celebrations focus on raising social awareness of the Josephite Mission in Peru and students raise funds to support the development of education in Peru.
Students participate in the Caritas Ks event to raise awareness of the needs of developing countries particularly in relation to the need for infrastructure and education.
