Hundreds of students, parents and carers, teachers and clergy from Catholic schools throughout the Diocese of Parramatta gathered for the 2024 Education Mass to celebrate our schools’ commitment to Faith in Action and their positive engagement in the community.
Held at St Patrick’s Cathedral Parramatta, the Mass was led by Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv and celebrated the Feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In his inspiring Homily, Bishop Vincent said the Mass was a renewal of our commitment to follow the example of Mary in our lives and be bearers of her son Jesus’ good news.
“Blessed Virgin Mary is the prototype of the normal disciple,” Bishop Vincent said.
She exemplifies closeness with the poor, solidarity with the needy, compassion for the afflicted. Like Mary, we must be totally permeated by the Holy Spirit. We must be consumed by action for God's Kingdom – Mary is the sign of hope for humanity.
In his address, Executive Director Jack de Groot reflected on his own experience of mission and service while announcing CSPD’s new Religious Education curriculum Encountering Jesus.
“When I think about why my work has always taken me to places of service, I can pinpoint two things: my education and my faith,” said Jack.
“When my parents chose to send me to a Catholic school, they knew they wanted to provide me with an excellent education grounded in Catholic tradition. They wanted me to experience opportunities to put my faith into action and to live it out within the community.”
Jack said his hope is that the new Religious Education curriculum builds on and reflects this same intention families have for their children at our schools.
“Encountering Jesus reflects our intention for all students to have a deep encounter with the person and message of Jesus Christ, to really get to know and love Jesus. To see Him in others, and to be Him to others,” he said.The curriculum has been endorsed by Bishop Vincent along with Australian and international Catholic theologians and educators.
“Encountering Jesus isn't so much about learning some external rules; it is to internalise the experience of encountering, knowing, loving and serving Christ,” Bishop Vincent said.
Following the Mass, participants were invited to explore the Mission Agency Expo. The expo highlights the work of the many expressions of faith and service that are already present in our learning communities, including Catechist teaching in local government primary schools, Eucharistic minister training, as well as advocacy and support of church agencies such as Mercy Works, St Vincent de Paul and Jesuit Refugee Services.
“Today’s celebration was a significant moment in the life of our Diocese,” said Andrew Wilson, CSPD’s Head Mission. “Encountering Jesus will provide our students with an opportunity to come to know Jesus and to grow in their understanding of the Catholic faith. I am excited to work with our teachers and leaders, and to hear how our students are putting their learning into practice in their communities.”
Learn more about the Religious Education Curriculum.
View photos from this event View full gallery
Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
www.parra.catholic.edu.au
-
03 Sep 2026
From Facebook
ποΈπΏ Year 5 & 6 Blue Mountains Camp πΏποΈ What an incredible adventure our Year 5 and 6 students had at camp in the beautiful Blue Mountains! From exciting outdoor challenges to team-building activities, students embraced every opportunity to step outside their comfort zones, build resilience and create lasting memories with their friends. Throughout the camp, students demonstrated courage, perseverance and teamwork as they encouraged one another to try new experiences. Whether they were conquering challenges, exploring the stunning natural environment or sharing laughs around camp, they showed our school values every step of the way. A huge thank you to our dedicated staff for their care and support, and to our students for representing Christ the King so wonderfully. We hope everyone returned home with new friendships, greater confidence and memories to treasure for years to come! πβ¨ #cspd2026 #catholicschoolsparramattadiocese #parracatholic #CTKCommunity #ChristTheKing #CTKNorthRocks31 Aug 2026
From Facebook
Laudato SΓ¬ Photo CompetitionπΎ Christ the King Primary celebrated the creativity, talent and enthusiasm of our students and staff who participated in our Laudato Si' Competition. Inspired by Pope Francis' call to care for our common home, our winners took photos of something Australian from nature. As a prize they planted native seeds in egg cartons. Congratulations to everyone who entered, and thank you for using your gifts to inspire others to be good stewards of creation. Together, we are living our faith by caring for our common home. ππ
Latest news More news
03 Sep 2026
From Facebook
ποΈπΏ Year 5 & 6 Blue Mountains Camp πΏποΈ What an incredible adventure our Year 5 and 6 students had at camp in the beautiful Blue Mountains! From exciting outdoor challenges to team-building activities, students embraced every opportunity to step outside their comfort zones, build resilience and create lasting memories with their friends. Throughout the camp, students demonstrated courage, perseverance and teamwork as they encouraged one another to try new experiences. Whether they were conquering challenges, exploring the stunning natural environment or sharing laughs around camp, they showed our school values every step of the way. A huge thank you to our dedicated staff for their care and support, and to our students for representing Christ the King so wonderfully. We hope everyone returned home with new friendships, greater confidence and memories to treasure for years to come! πβ¨ #cspd2026 #catholicschoolsparramattadiocese #parracatholic #CTKCommunity #ChristTheKing #CTKNorthRocks
31 Aug 2026
From Facebook
Laudato SΓ¬ Photo CompetitionπΎ Christ the King Primary celebrated the creativity, talent and enthusiasm of our students and staff who participated in our Laudato Si' Competition. Inspired by Pope Francis' call to care for our common home, our winners took photos of something Australian from nature. As a prize they planted native seeds in egg cartons. Congratulations to everyone who entered, and thank you for using your gifts to inspire others to be good stewards of creation. Together, we are living our faith by caring for our common home. ππ
30 Aug 2026
From Facebook
πΏ Celebrating NAIDOC Week at Christ the King Primary! πΏ Our students enjoyed celebrating NAIDOC Week through creativity, connection and learning. Students had the opportunity to colour and create beautiful dot paintings, exploring Indigenous Australian art and expressing their creativity along the way. It was wonderful to see our students engaging with culture, learning together and celebrating the rich history and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. ππ€β€οΈ
29 Aug 2026
From Facebook
π Basketball Clinic at CTK! π Recently, our Year 4 students were lucky enough to take part in an exciting basketball clinic with Cumberland Basketball! Coach Hayden put the students through their paces with some awesome drills and skill-building activities, helping them develop their dribbling, passing, shooting and teamwork skills. The students had a fantastic time learning new skills, challenging themselves and, most importantly, having fun! A huge thank you to Coach Hayden and Cumberland Basketball for a fantastic clinic! ππ We canβt wait to see our Year 4 students put their new skills into action! β #cspd2026 #catholicschoolsparramattadiocese #parracatholic #CTKCommunity #ChristTheKing #CTKNorthRocks
28 Aug 2026
Our schools are cracking the reading code
Do you remember how you learned to read? For a vital skill that is linked to all other learning, itβs surprisingly difficult to explain how to go about learning it.
27 Aug 2026
From Facebook
ππ¦ Early Birds Reading Club β Kindy & Year 5 What a wonderful way to start the day! π π Our Early Birds Reading Club brings together our Kindy and Year 5 students for a special time of shared reading and connection. Our Year 5 students become reading buddies encouraging our youngest readers and helping them develop confidence and a love of books. πβ€οΈ Itβs not just about reading β itβs about building friendships, developing leadership, sharing the joy of stories and creating a strong sense of belonging across our school community. Cross-age reading programs can support both literacy and social development, while giving older students opportunities to develop leadership and empathy. A wonderful start to the morning for our Early Birds! π¦β¨ #cspd2026 #catholicschoolsparramattadiocese #parracatholic #CTKCommunity #ChristTheKing #CTKNorthRocks
22 Aug 2026
From Facebook
Zone Athletics Carnivalπππ½ββοΈ Earlier this week, we had 35 students represent CTK at the Zone Athletics Carnival! Congratulations to all students who represented our school with pride! A special congratulations to those students who qualified for the Diocesan Athletics Carnival, that will be held in the coming weeks. πππ»ππΎππΏ
20 Aug 2026
Six Habits That Help Children Develop a Love of Reading
Book Week is a celebration of stories, imagination and creativity, but helping children love reading isn't just something that happens during one week of the year. The good news? It doesn't take expensive resources or hours of extra time. Often, it's the small, everyday habits that make the biggest difference.
17 Aug 2026
From Facebook
π¦ Kindy Zoo Excursion β Living Things π¨ Our Kindy students had a wonderful day exploring the zoo as part of their Science unit on Living Things! πΏπ Students had the opportunity to observe a variety of animals in their habitats and learn more about what living things need to survive and grow. They looked closely at how animals move, eat, live and interact with their environments. The excursion provided a wonderful opportunity for our young scientists to take their learning outside the classroom and make real-world connections with the natural world. ππ A fantastic day of exploring, observing and discovering! Well done, Kindy! πππ¦ #Kindy #LivingThings #Science #ZooExcursion #YoungScientists #LearningBeyondTheClassroom #HandsOnLearning #CTK #cspd2026 #catholicschoolsparramattadiocese #parracatholic
14 Aug 2026
From Facebook
π¨Learning to use Proportion like an Artist! π¨ Year 3 loved being able to pull from their inner artist and learnt how to use their pencil as a measuring device - just like a true artist! The students brought in a loved plushy and used their new skills to bring their fluffy friend to life on paper! Take a look at these talented artists in Year 3! #cspd2026 #catholicschoolsparramattadiocese #parracatholic #CTKCommunity #ChristTheKing #CTKNorthRocks
11 Aug 2026
From Facebook
St Mary MacKillop Faith In Action Award - Advocacy Yesterday we were privileged to have Taleishah visit from the Jarara Team to help our award students advocate for healing country and care for country. Our project is to reimagine the 2021 NAIDOC Week poster for our school. Watch out for the finished message stick! #cspd2026 #catholicschoolsparramattadiocese #parracatholic #CTKCommunity #ChristTheKing #CTKNorthRocks #faithinactioncspd