23 March 2026

Catholic Education Week is a much-anticipated and joy-filled time each year, culminating in a full day of events for students from Catholic schools throughout the Archdiocese of Melbourne. This year’s theme – Christ beside me: Walking in the footsteps of Saint Patrick – honoured the patron saint of our Church in Melbourne, Saint Patrick.

In 2026, Catholic Education Week ran from Sunday 15 March to Sunday 22 March. The week is always bookended by the Creative Arts Exhibition at Catholic Leadership Centre, which opens at the start of the week and ends with an awards ceremony. This year’s collection of over 350 artworks from students in Foundation to Year 12 was a testament to the depth of creative talent in our students.

Thousands of students gathered in East Melbourne on Friday for the Mass of St Patrick for Schools, Concert in the Park and Young Speakers Colloquium. The Mass opened with a procession of school banners, held by proud student representatives. In the company of members of parliament and archdiocesan clergy, including Most Rev Peter A Comensoli DD, schools and community came together for prayer and communion, with a beautiful performance from the Avila College choir.

Following Mass, schools made their way to either Concert in the Park or the Young Speakers Colloquium. Concert in the Park brought the Treasury Gardens alive with the spirit of joy, with performances from senior school bands.

A panel of students who participated in Australian Catholic University’s school leaders’ tour of Rome and London assembled at Catholic Leadership Centre for the Young Speakers Colloquium. They discussed the value for young people in finding a community where they feel belonging, how their schools and peers have helped them feel safe and proud, and what it means to be a great leader.

The celebrations were thriving in local school communities too, with inspired events taking place on campuses. Thanks to Padua College, Mornington, for sharing photos from its Year 10 Catholic Action Program, where students explored what it means to live the message of Jesus and Saint Patrick in their own lives. Students created a Stations of the Cross installation in a central space on the Mornington campus, offering a prayerful pathway for staff and students to pause, reflect and quite literally walk in the footsteps of Christ.

Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) is proud to bring Catholic education to 118, 300 students across 292 schools – to see school communities gather together in faith and joy brings with it much hope for the future.