Faith, Justice and Formation
Justice Co-Curricular
One example of the great work being done by some of our boys in the Faith and Justice Co-Curricular is showcased on the Junior School Co-Curricular page of the Especean today. Please have a look at and listen to the Junior School Justice Podcast that has some great tips for living sustainably.
SPC Festival of Carols and Readings
The College’s Festival of Carols and Readings will take place on Wednesday 26 November at 6:30 PM in the College Chapel. It is a tradition dating back centuries in the Church that helps Christians prepare for the Christmas season. It is a celebration of our faith, our community and our hopes. It is the bringing together of beautiful music from our College Choir, communal singing of carols and listening to readings which tell us the story leading up to the birth of Christ. It is an evening of joy!
Year 7 students and those in the College Choir will be in attendance (and do not need a ticket). Everybody else in the community is invited to be part of the evening (however, there are limited tickets available). Get your tickets here SPC Festival of Carols and Readings 2025 Tickets.
We look forward to an evening that showcases the beauty and love that exists in the world; something we need more now in these times of war, hardship and hatred. God is love! So let us proclaim Him at all times and take opportunities such as this to remind ourselves of all that is good.
SPC Christmas Appeal
Each year the St Patrick’s College community collects goods in Homerooms to make Christmas Hampers for some of our justice partners. Today we officially launch the SPC Christmas Appeal and seek your help in acting swiftly to ensure families and individuals across Sydney who have little to nothing can enjoy a Christmas closer to our own, especially with the extra burdens due to increased prices. We realise this may also affect many of you, but hopefully we can see that others do it tougher at times and that we are able to give something. For those who have much, we know a lot is expected!
We will be sending hampers through our partners at Catholic Care, St Vincent de Paul, St Merkorious’ Charity, Jesuit Refugee Services and a women’s shelter for domestic abuse survivors (anonymous for protection). Each homeroom and Junior School class will be allocated a partner, with some suggestions of presents and goods. They will also be allocated to a family or several young people to make hampers for.
Please note the following with regard to the Appeal:
ALL items are to be brought into Homeroom by no later than Friday 28 November. (Please don’t bring in the following week as most will already have been picked up.)
ALL items are to be new – NO used items.
Please do NOT gift wrap anything. As lovely as they often look, they have to be opened to be checked. Please place in gift bags and/or supply a roll of wrapping paper.
Gifts are allocated based on who your son/s’ homeroom is collecting for – try to think of things you would really like for Christmas. Also consider a lack of resources to maintain something eg. the cost of batteries
Hampers include gifts and food/toiletry items. Each Homeroom will have a list by the end of this week of what is needed.
Hopefully we can make Christmas brighter for many and express our faith in action as Jesus said
“for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,… just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ (Mt 25: 35, 40).
Please try to encourage your sons to shop with you for anything so they can think about how fortunate they are but also help you with tips on presents to buy for young people or better yet, get older boys to do their own shopping – we need to give our boys more responsibilities and to ease your load a little! What items bring you joy?? This is what we want.
Life is tougher than ever for more and more families and young people who have no families. You can help bring some light to their darkness this Christmas. Please help us make this happen.
Thank-you and God bless you.
Gillian Daley
Director of Identity
Fundraising for our Mission Partners
The boys in Years 5 and 6 are fundraising for our biggest fundraising event of 2025, The Compassion Walk, with the aim of raising over $30,000 for our Justice partners.
We thank all the families that have been supporting the boys so that they are able to raise funds to support the important work of our Justice Partners. Our partners this year are St Gabriel’s School Castle Hill, St Edmund’s School Wahroonga, Catholic Mission Australia and Chetanalaya in India.
Next Tuesday 11 November the boys will celebrate Compassion Mass together with representatives from Catholic Mission and St Edmund’s College. Following Mass, we will be taking part in the Walk For Change. The boys will walk on the back ovals for a duration of an hour and a half, and during that time they will walk in silence.
The aim is to raise awareness of the constant difficulties that many people in the world face and are unable to ‘stop’ and simply take a ‘time out’ from.
In addition to this, we’re excited to announce the Junior School Compassion Fundraising Raffle! Fantastic prizes are up for grabs, including gift cards, sports equipment packs, and the major prize — a 2025 signed and framed Western Sydney Wanderers jersey. All proceeds from the event will go directly to supporting our justice partners, helping to make a positive difference in the community.
Thank you for your ongoing support of the boys and their learning beyond the classroom.
Milena Osorio Narvaez
Stage 3 Classroom Teacher