Catholic Education Week Newsletter 2025 - Edition #4 - Diocese of Toowoomba

Official launch of Catholic Education Week

Sunday 27 July–Saturday 2 August

Catholic school communities across the state are embracing the theme Communities of Faith, Hope & Love, through a variety of activities including Masses and liturgies, award presentations and community outreach activities.

Catholic Education – Diocese of Rockhampton has released a video message, inviting the State’s Catholic education community to take part in celebrating Catholic Education Week, which will be officially launched this Wednesday 30 July.

The launch will begin with a Mass celebrated by the Most Reverend Archbishop Mark Coleridge, Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Brisbane and the Most Reverend Michael McCarthy, Bishop of Rockhampton, followed by the presentation of the Spirit of Catholic Education Awards including the Aunty Joan Hendriks Reconciliation Award.

For those interested, the Mass will be livestreamed from 11.00am on Wednesday. Click here to join on the day.

Best wishes to all Catholic school communities in Queensland during this week’s celebrations.

Follow the Catholic Education in Queensland Facebook and Instagram pages for photos and stories from the launch.

Special thanks to our valued sponsors of Catholic Education Week 2025 – The Australian Catholic University and UniSuper.

State Launch livestream

You are invited to join the State Launch of Catholic Education Week 2025, being hosted by Catholic Education – Diocese of Rockhampton, on Wednesday, 30 July at 11.00am via livestream.

Spirit of Catholic Education Awards – Diocese of Toowoomba

2025 Recipient

Since 2006, the Spirit of Catholic Education Awards have been recognising staff members, parents and carers, and volunteers making outstanding contributions to the life of Catholic school communities in Queensland. 

Congratulations to our 2025 Spirit of Catholic Education Award recipient, Trish Parker, Assistant Principal Mission and Identity at St John's School, Roma. The citation below shares why Trish has been selected as the recipient in 2025.

Imagine a place of learning where every child feels welcomed, valued, and truly seen. A place where spirituality is not only accepted but celebrated—where students gather for prayer, service, and to honour their rich Mercy heritage. A place where staff feel supported to teach Religious Education with confidence and explore their own faith journeys.

This is the reality at St John’s School, Roma, brought to life through the leadership of Trish Parker. Trish has cultivated a community where faith and learning are deeply intertwined and the loving presence of Jesus is encountered daily. Her leadership is grounded in Catholic teachings and the Mercy tradition, creating a culture where faith is lived, not just taught.

Through initiatives like Mercy Day, liturgical celebrations, retreats and staff formation, Trish has embedded spirituality into the fabric of school life. She mentors staff in Religious Education, builds capacity in early career teachers and supports inclusive practices that honour the dignity of every learner.

Her influence extends into curriculum and pedagogy, where she champions Catholic social teaching and inquiry-based learning. Programs like Project Compassion and the Winter Vinnies Appeal reflect her belief that academic success and deep faith formation go hand in hand.

Trish is a trusted presence for staff and students alike—offering compassion, guidance and quiet acts of kindness that reflect the Gospel in action. Through her authentic leadership and unwavering commitment to the Mercy values, she has created an exemplary place of learning where the love of Jesus is known, felt and celebrated.

Aunty Joan Hendriks Reconciliation Award 2025 Recipients

Last week we announced the Aunty Joan Hendriks Reconciliation Award recipients. The Aunty Joan Hendriks Reconciliation Award is a prestigious category of the Spirit of Catholic Education Awards, honouring those creating positive change for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and staff, and promoting Indigenous cultural heritage.

Recognising the recipients of these awards

To learn more about Spirit of Catholic Education and Aunty Joan Hendriks Reconciliation Award recipients’ achievements, visit the Catholic Education Week website.

All recipients will receive their awards at the official launch of CEW in the Diocese of Rockhampton on Wednesday, 30 July.

Certificates for all nominees have been provided to schools for presentation during their CEW celebrations. A complete list of nominees is available on the Catholic Education Week website.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the nomination process and supported the awards this year. Your contributions are greatly appreciated.

Toowoomba Catholic Schools Excellence Awards

Congratulations to those selected as finalists for the 2025 TCS Excellence Awards!

The recipients of the awards will be announced on Thursday, 31 July 2025 at the Excellence Awards gala dinner.

We also thank our sponsors of these awards.

Long Service Awards

During Catholic Education Week, we proudly honour members of our school communities who have reached significant service milestones - 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 and 50 years of dedicated contribution to Catholic education.

To commemorate their commitment, each recipient will receive a special plaque.

These plaques are being delivered to schools for presentation during Catholic Education Week. In addition to being celebrated within their school communities, these individuals will also be formally acknowledged during the upcoming Bishop’s Inservice Days.

Bishop’s Inservice Days

The annual Bishop’s Inservice Days (BIDs) provides an opportunity for all members of our schools and Toowoomba Catholic School Office to gather with Bishop Ken Howell and celebrate together as a Catholic education community. The keynote speaker for BIDs 2025 is Fr Frank Brennan SJ AO. He will explore the hopeful realism in Catholic schools in the year of the Jubilee.

This year’s Bishop’s Inservice Days are being hosted in the following places.

• Monday, 28 July 2025 - St Mary’s School, Charleville
• Wednesday, 30 July 2025 - St John’s School, Roma
• Friday, 1 August 2025 - St Mary’s College, Toowoomba

Class resources and promotional material

Access a range of class resources and tools to help you celebrate and promote Catholic Education Week on the website.

Catholic Education Week Social Media

Keep up with what's happening during Catholic Education Week by following us on Instagram and Facebook.

We’d love to share your CEW celebrations and events. Help us find your social media posts by using the hashtag #cewqld2025.

Our sponsors

We acknowledge the generous contribution of Catholic Education Week sponsors and thank them sincerely for their ongoing support

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