Catholic Regional College – Catholic Earthcare Level 3 Certification

Catholic Earthcare certification supports schools, parishes, and communities in answering Pope Francis’ call to care for our common home. Inspired by Laudato Si’, the certification process leads communities on a transformative journey of ecological awareness, action, and renewal. Through reflection, environmental auditing, and student-led initiatives, Catholic Earthcare promotes a deeper understanding of our responsibility as stewards of creation. Its purpose is to cultivate a culture of sustainability, faith in action, and long-term ecological transformation grounded in Catholic values.

At Catholic Regional College, our Social Justice Team has been actively working towards completing Stage 3 of the certification. This stage involves conducting interviews with staff and students to explore opportunities for enhancing sustainability across the school. Last year, the team proudly presented our progress to the National Catholic Earthcare Network. This year, they have focused on auditing current school practices in sustainability. The insights gathered from this audit will form the foundation of our Catholic Earthcare Plan, which will be developed as part of Stage 4 in our certification journey.

Professional Development: Exploring the Mystery of God - Dr Marg Carswell

This week, our staff took part in a professional development session that invited us to deepen our understanding of God’s presence in our lives and within our school community. We reflected on the mystery of a God who is pure spirit, who transcends time and space, who always was and always will be. Though God is beyond full human understanding, we acknowledged that God can still be known, experienced, and glimpsed in the beauty and wonder of the world around us.

As part of our reflection, we considered the ways we come to know God—not simply through what we are told, but through personal encounters. Just as one might stand on a mountain top and sense something greater, eternal, and beyond ourselves, we too can recognise moments where God is present in our daily lives.

We also explored how the authors of the Bible experienced this same transcendence. They too sensed a presence that was beyond them, yet within them, otherworldly yet active in their world. In response, they sought to put words around this mystery, shaping the stories, poetry, and teachings that help us speak about God today.

This formation experience encouraged us to continue nurturing our faith, to recognise God’s presence in our work with students, and to walk together in a community grounded in wonder, reflection, and hope.