COLLEGE THEME 2026
FAITH
It may not be tangible, but we feel its strength and power. It might neither be weighed nor measured but at the same time it can be as heavy as a boulder and light as a feather. It is as tall as a gum tree and tiny as a mustard seed. It grows and blooms but without refreshment and food of special kind it can die and disappear. It is immensely personal and private until it is shared, then it rings out like a steeple bell. Our 2026 College Theme is one word, ‘Faith’.
With faith we move mountains.
In 2026 Monicans will be invited to belong to a community of faith. All will be invited and encouraged to believe and trust in God whose gift to us is faith. Our call will be to have faith in God, in oneself and in goodness. Faith will grow in each Monican even when as small as a mustard seed.
With faith we move mountains.
Faith is that special and spiritual life deep within us that awakens and lights up our heart, head, hands and emotions. It is clearly recognized when a faith filled person stands up and proclaims that God created us, loves us and trusts us.
Our College community will be taught that there are three great realities in human life. They are ageless and eternal, and we name them faith, hope and love. Each will be laid before us at different times and in different ways throughout the school year. From faith bursts hope and love flows out. We shall learn that with faith in our God, whoever god is for us in our own religious tradition, we will live our life through the eyes of hope as our love pours out in the service of others and in praise of God.
Faith will strengthen us. Martin Luther King described faith as when we take the first step forward even in the darkness. We shall neither fall nor stumble. Through prayer and perseverance, and with faith in God, all dreams of Monicans will become reality.
Faith answers questions when we think there is no answer.
Faith empowers us and overcomes our fear. We will be emboldened.
Faith is comforting and secure when life itself seems so frail and fragile.
With faith we take the leap, we believe, we know that faith overcomes the strongest barrier and highest wall.
Monicans will be enlightened when darkness turns to light through faith in God.
With faith, we move mountains.
Monicans will be urged to spread humbly their faithfulness amongst others. Not necessarily from the rooftops or even from the front of the classroom, but through our Monican Kingdom Values of compassion, forgiveness, generosity, humility, peace and love of neighbor (especially those hardest to love).
Faith in our creator God is the purest of faith. As a Catholic College, our faith is in God, our Father; Jesus, our Saviour; and the Holy Spirit. God created us as sacred human beings: created the world for us to live in and protect. Those Monicans of other faiths will have faith in the teachings of their spiritual ancestors.
Throughout 2026 we shall meet and learn about People of Faith. From the Old Testament in the Bible, we will meet wondrous men and women of faith whose example we can follow and imitate in 2026. Moses, Abraham, Judith.
We shall learn about faith from the blind man and Mary and Martha in the New Testament. Saint Monica is our model of faith, lived and rewarded.
We will highlight and seek to emulate Saint Peter ToRot of Papua New Guinea, Saint Carlo Acutis, Blessed Chiara Badano, as well as local, ordinary people in our own community of Epping whose lives are led in faith, hope and love. People whose faith moves mountains.
If our faith weakens, then our community must hold us firm. Should our faith be questioned by ourselves or others, then our community must carry us on their shoulders and envelop us in their communal arms. Perhaps our faith will dry up, then our community must fertilize it through good works, companionship, attentiveness and love.
How wonderful will 2026 be when we trust one another because our faith comes from God and we are the ones through whom God works. How magnificent when we realise and believe that faith in God will never fail us. How amazing when faith will actually be made visible through good works and mountains move.
Faith is spiritual energy, empowerment and enthusiasm. It is a gift from God which we shall be invited to care for tenderly and share lovingly.
Brian E. Hanley OAM, B.A., Dip. Ed. Grad. Dip. Ed. Admin., M.Ed., MACE, FACEL
College Principal