Catholic educators carry a profound responsibility to facilitate meaningful experiences that invite young hearts to encounter the living God through prayer and liturgy.

This sacred calling extends far beyond curriculum requirements or religious instruction; it represents a fundamental aspect of Catholic educational mission and identity.

Rather than simply teaching about faith, educators are invited to become co-creators of transformative spiritual experiences that can shape a lifetime of believing.

Meaningful experiences of prayer and liturgy in Catholic schools strengthen religious identity and deepen lifelong faith formation.

When children participate in Mass, sing Catholic hymns, or gather for quiet prayer, they meet God in ways that often stay with them into adulthood.

The capacity of children to encounter the divine is remarkable when educators create appropriate conditions.

Whether outdoors beneath the open sky, sitting in silent reflection in the classroom, visiting the parish church for liturgy, or engaging with illustrated Gospel stories during Children’s Liturgy of the Word, young people demonstrate a natural openness to mystery.

These varied approaches recognise that children connect with God through multiple pathways—some through music and song, others through silence and contemplation, still others through visual storytelling and symbolic action.

Communities of faith in action

Catholic school communities are living witnesses to faith, where liturgy serves as both mirror and teacher.

The liturgy mirrors what the community believes about God and human dignity, while teaching through beauty, repetition, and embodied participation.

This places particular responsibility on educators to ensure that liturgical experiences are authentic, meaningful, and accessible to children from diverse backgrounds.

Guided by the Jubilee call to be Pilgrims of Hope, we continue our shared journey toward a deeper encounter with Christ.

Every school Mass, every morning prayer, every feast day celebration becomes an opportunity to nurture this pilgrimage of faith, helping students to understand that they are part of God’s universal family.

Teacher formation: the essential foundation

None of this can flourish without properly formed educators who understand both the theology and pedagogy of prayer.

Staff need regular opportunities to experience good liturgy themselves, to deepen their understanding of Catholic tradition, and to build confidence in leading prayer with authenticity.

Teachers who have experienced meaningful prayer and liturgical encounters are often better equipped to guide students through similar experiences with sensitivity and insight.

Strengthening school-parish partnerships

Catholic schools are vital partners in the Church’s mission of evangelisation through their liturgical witness.

When schools align their prayer life with the liturgical year and collaborate closely with parishes, students begin to see that their school experience of liturgy is part of the living tradition of the Church.

Shared feast day celebrations, sacramental preparation, and Children’s Liturgy of the Word all strengthen these bonds between school and parish.

In contemporary Australia, Catholic schools remain luminous spaces where faith finds authentic expression through prayer and liturgy.

Every thoughtfully prepared celebration becomes an act of quiet evangelisation, demonstrating that God’s story continues unfolding in young hearts and voices, and that the journey from formation to celebration represents one continuous pilgrimage of hope.

• Clare Schwantes holds a PhD from the University of Queensland and a Master of Theological Studies with a focus on Liturgy, in addition to Bachelor’s degrees in Education and Psychology. She also has diplomas in Editing and Publishing and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She is the Director of the Archdiocesan Liturgy Office in Brisbane, Australia and Chair of the National Liturgical Council in Australia.
• Clare is the author of From Page to Proclamation – Interpreting Scripture in the Context of Liturgy (2024).