R.E News - Assistant Principal / Mission

Welcome to Mrs Clare Healy

On behalf of the O'Connor community, I would like to welcome Mrs Clare Healy, our new principal. Clare is an experienced educator and leader from the Parramatta diocese. She has hit the ground running getting to know students, staff and parents. Mrs Healy has moved here with her family and we wish her all the best settling into beautiful Armidale.

A New Religious Education Coordinator

Miss Melita Roache takes on the responsibility of Religious Education Coordinator for 2022. Miss Roache acted as an assistant to this role in 2021. With a strong background and interest in curriculum, the Religious Education faculty is in good hands and students will reap the benefits of her desire to improve programs and pedagogy. Miss Roache has already met with Mrs Healy and Father Roel and have made plans and discussed the liturgical life of the College. Mass at De La Salle Chapel resumes next week which is wonderful. 

O'Connor Catholic Graduating Class 2027

Welcome Year 7! It has been terrific to see the enthusiasm of our new cohort of Year 7s as they navigate a new environment and the changes involved in moving to secondary school from a primary school. 

Introducing the Lasallian Youth Leaders 2022

Congratulations to Year 11 students who have been presented with their Lasallian Youth Leader Badges. The team hit the ground running in week 1, assisting the Lasallian Youth Ministers with activities and games with our new Year 7 students. In the coming weeks, the LYL’s will be working with the Mission Team to build their leadership capacity and get to know our Year 7 and 8 students by joining PAC lessons weekly. 

NEW LYLs: The new Year 11 Lasallian Youth Leaders have hit the ground running.

Family Mass

Sunday 20th February 2022, 5:30 pm

All students and families are invited to join the Family Mass at St Mary’s and Joseph’s Cathedral. There will be a pizza dinner for any students that attend and participate. A wonderful way for our new families to be welcomed to the Parish. 

RE Learning - Welcome Year 7

Welcome to Religious Education, Year 7! Our Year 7 teaching team are spending the first term getting to know more about our students and welcoming them to our community. This week, students have gotten to know some of the College's history through the founders, visiting the De la Salle Chapel for the first time as they start investigating our unique Catholic identity and its place with Armidale.  Year Masses are commencing at the College Chapel and Father Roel is looking forward to meeting our Year 7 students at their first O'Connor Mass on Wednesday 16 February (next week).

HUNTING FOR OUR FOUNDERS: Year 7 has taken part in our active 'treasure hunt' where they learn about the history of our Founders and our College.

Lasallian Youth Ministers

Welcome, Sophie Troon and Emelia Rice, who are joining Caitlin Honeysett and Georgia McMahon as our Lasallian Youth Ministers. They have been busy interviewing hopeful candidates in Year 11 to become Lasallian Youth Leaders. These leaders assist at retreats and liturgies and through Christian leadership promote Gospel values at the College.

Cross and Dux Ceremony

O'Connor enjoys a wonderful tradition in the Cross and Dux Ceremony. The start of the school year started with this tradition. Past captains pass on the responsibility of Christian leadership to College captains for 2022. This is done in the form of passing on a ceremonial cross. Father Roel blessed the new Captains and they responded with a commitment to strong Christian Leadership. Year 12 students unveiled their theme for 2022 which has the inspirational title of CREATE. Emelia Rice was named Dux of the College for 2021 and she also made a magnificent speech to the students of O'Connor with words of faith, resilience and inspiration.

A Short School Prayer 

Almighty God We give you our school. 

We give you all the teachers and staff who work here, 

We give you all the children who study here. We pray our school would be a place of great discovery, adventure and creativity. 

May it be a place where we love to learn and where we learn to love, 

A place where everyone is respected and all are deeply valued. 

We ask all this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Damian Roff and Melita Roache

Our Founders - St Angela Merici and St John Baptiste De La Salle

Saints Mary and Joseph Cathedral Parish

Keeping in touch with what is happening in the Cathedral Parish is easy through their website and Facebook pages.

With such a difficult year and a half it has been harder for parishioner's to give to the parish through the plates, particularly when the church is closed as it is at present. The Parish account details are available on the Parish bulletin. 

Cathedral Parish Website

Information about our founders

La Salle Website

Ursuline Sisters Website