A vocation is a call from God – an invitation – to a way of life that applies to all of us, not just priests and Religious. Many teachers are familiar with the call to contribute to the development of children.
Catholic Teacher emails
26 January
Start the term with a bang with our guides for a successful first week in the classroom and effective planning and preparation. We also offer a range of icebreaker games.
Dates to remember: Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, World Wetlands Day(2 Feb)
Catholic vocabulary term of the week: Catechist – one who teaches the essentials of Christian faith and
For AC+ subscribers: A selection of articles to help teachers start the year well.
2 FebruaryWe look closely at the theme of vocations from our
Summer 2022-23 edition. In ‘
Explorations: Vocations’, Fr Andrew Hamilton SJ writes that a vocation is a call from God – an invitation – to a way of life that applies to all of us, not just priests and Religious. Meanwhile, in ‘
Working for eternity’, Ann Rennie contends that the difference between a vocation and a job is the former requires you take your heart to work while the latter just requires you turn up. Questions and activities for the classroom will look at the role of vocations in our lives.
Dates to remember: Feast of the Presentation of the Lord,
World Wetlands Day (2 Feb)
Catholic vocabulary term of the week: Call to holiness – In Christifideles Laici, Pope John Paul II wrote, ‘Life according to the Spirit, whose fruit is holiness (cf. Rom 6:22;Gal 5:22), stirs up every baptised person and requires each to follow and imitate Jesus Christ, in embracing the Beatitudes, in listening and meditating on the Word of God, in conscious and active participation in the liturgical and sacramental life of the Church, in personal prayer, in family or in community, in the hunger and thirst for justice, in the practice of the commandment of love in all circumstances of life and service to the brethren, especially the least, the poor and the suffering’.
For AC+ subscribers: Articles that inspire schools to be sustainable.
9 FebruaryThis week we look at the role models who can help us to identify our vocational path in the article, ‘
Help is at hand’ by young writers Isabelle Cantwell, Nicola Nemaric and Kendall McLean. We consider two saints whose
vocation led them to follow a radical call from God. Saints Francis of Assisi and Clare swapped lives of luxury for the chance to serve God by ministering to people in the streets.
Jaslyn Angus then imagines how
St Francis of Assisi’s social media work profile would look.
Questions and activities will further unpack the theme of vocations.
Dates to remember: Anniversary of Stolen Generations Apology (13 Feb),
Feast of St Valentine (14 Feb).
Catholic vocabulary term of the week: Apologetics – the science that aims to explain and justify religious doctrine.
For AC+ subscribers: Articles pertaining to the experience of Indigenous Australians and the Anniversary of the Apology to the Stolen Generations.
16 FebruaryIn ‘
God on our side’, young writers Julia Patricio and Sophie Thompson explore how faith helps young people today find their way in the world. And Laura Kings writes about how many
people find vocation in volunteering. Questions and activities will unpack the theme of volunteering.
Dates to remember: World Day of Social Justice (20 Feb),
International Mother Language Day (21 Feb),
Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter the Apostle (22 Feb),
Ash Wednesday (22 Feb).
Catholic vocabulary term of the week: Social Justice – the respect for the human person and the rights which flow from human dignity and guarantee it. The virtue that inclines one to co-operate with others to help make the institutions of society better serve the common good.
Read more on the Parish Life blog:
Social Justice in our hands.
For AC+ subscribers: Subscribers can enjoy a selection of articles and resources on Ash Wednesday.
23 FebruaryIn ‘
Power to the students’, young writer Luciana Romanski argues that students need to be challenged as well as supported if they are to grow and be empowered. Meanwhile, in ‘
Raising sport to new heights’, young writer Alex Woolnough writes about how many athletes, from differing faiths, are forthright in their acknowledgment that belief in God helps them in their sports. Questions and activities will focus on a theme of diversity, being kind, helping others and valuing difference.
Dates to remember: Zero Discrimination Day (1 Mar),
Clean Up Australia Day (5 Mar)
Catholic vocabulary term of the week: Divine faith – assent of the mind to what God has revealed, as distinct from human faith, which is the acceptance of the word of a human being.
For AC+ subscribers: A selection of reading and resources on facing up to discrimination.
2 MarchThroughout her adult life, Anne Benjamin has lived mission and ministry through the lens of Vatican II, writes Tracey Edstein in ‘
A life-long commitment’. In '
Refugee to PhD student' by Emilie Ng we read the stroy of Thae Oo Khaing spent almost 15 years in a refugee camp on the border of her home country Myanmar and neighbouring Thailand before getting her chance to study for a PhD.
Questions and activities will revolve around the role of women in the Catholic Church.
Dates to remember: Clean Up Australia Day (5 Mar),
International Women's Day (8 Mar)
Catholic vocabulary term of the week: Catholic Women’s League (CWL) – a Roman Catholic lay organisation founded in 1906 by Margaret Fletcher, who was an author, artist, pioneer in the field of women’s education and promoted Christian feminism. CWL membership consists mainly of female members of the Roman Catholic Church who work together to promote Catholic values and carry out volunteer and charitable work.
For AC+ subscribers: With International Woman’s day approaching, subscribers can read a selection of articles on women and the Church.
9 MarchIn today’s world a call to a religious vocation is deeply countercultural and deeply personal, argues Julian Butler SJ in ‘
A call of the heart’. But while ‘vocation’ is generally understood to be a calling to the priestly or religious life, it has a much wider meaning, including the
vocation of marriage, writes Denis Toohey. Questions and activities will revolve around the sacraments.
Dates to remember: Feast of St Patrick (17 Mar),
Harmony Week (20 - 26 Mar)
Catholic vocabulary term of the week: Marriage – as a natural institution, the lasting union of a man and a woman who agree to give and receive rights over each other for the performance of the act of generation and for the fostering of their mutual love.
For AC+ subscribers: A selection of readings on the theme of happiness – how to be happy and how to help others be happy too.
16 MarchYoung writer Teagan Brunner encourages her peers to walk their own path and avoid sibling rivalry in ‘
Second fiddle plays the sweetest tune’, arguing that while older siblings lead the way, it is always up to you when and how you follow. Questions and activities will follow a theme of family relationships and finding your path.
Dates to remember: Close the Gap Day,
Feast of St Patrick (17 Mar),
Feast of St Joseph (19 Mar),
International Day of Happiness (20 Mar),
World Poetry Day (21 Mar), Day for the Elimination of
Racial Discrimination,
Harmony Day (21 Mar),
Harmony Week (20 - 26 Mar),
World Water Day – (22 Mar)
Catholic vocabulary term of the week: Holy water – Blessed by a priest, invoking God’s blessing on all who use it. Blessed water is a symbol of spiritual cleansing, and its use is advised in moments of physical danger and against temptations from spiritual enemies.
For AC+ subscribers: Articles that consider and appreciate poetry from a Catholic perspective.
23 MarchIn ‘
Heeding a radical call’, Peter Fleming explains how Aloysius Gonzaga turned his back on his earthly inheritance for the much richer treasure of heaven. Questions and activities will revolve around a theme of ‘hearing a call from God’ and ‘knowing when to listen’.
Dates to remember: National Ride2School Day,
Oscar Romero Feast Day (24 Mar),
Earth Hour,
Feast of the Annunciation (25 Mar)
Catholic vocabulary term of the week: Annunciation - The visit of the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary to inform her that she was to be the mother of the Saviour. After giving her consent to God’s word, Mary became the mother of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. The feast day is 25 March.
For AC+ subscribers: These articles will help you prepare for Easter in the Catholic tradition and keep your minds off the chocolate.
30 MarchIf you would like to finish the term with some targeted viewing, consider this playlist, ‘
Your true calling’ by young writer Sinead Goodfellow which features three movies where people find their true calling and a quiz on saints and their vocations. Alternatively, offer students the chance to ‘
Choose your own vocational adventure’ with and article by Michael McVeigh. He writes that sometimes it’s difficult to know what we want to do in the future. One of the ways that we might discern our pathway in life is to take ourselves out of our own context and imagine ourselves leading different lives. You may also like to explore this
Sneaky Jesus Playlist of songs of hope by young writer Imogen Buttigieg which is a round-up of songs that offer hope for the future.
Dates to remember: Palm Sunday (2 Apr),
Holy Thursday (6 Apr),
Good Friday (7 Apr), Feast of John
Baptist de La Salle,
World Health Day (7 Apr),
Easter Sunday (9 Apr)
Catholic vocabulary term of the week: Palm Sunday – the Sunday before Easter. It commemorates the occasion when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and the people waved palm branches in his honour. In the Catholic Church, this Sunday is also known as Passion Sunday.
For AC+ subscribers: Increasingly, the sentiment of welcome expressed on Palm Sunday is being used to highlight the plight of refugees, so this week we offer a selection of reading in that vein.
AC+ subscriber emails
24 January
We offer some guides to help you plan your year.
AC+ Relationships Retreat Guide
AC+ Leadership retreat and formation guide
AC+ Social Justice retreat Guide
AC+ resources for spirituality retreat sessions
7 February
UPDATED AC+ resources for exploring First Nations perspectives
PLUS, an overview of some indigenous dates to be aware of this year:
21 February
We help you prepare your classroom for Lent and Easter with two targeted guides.
UPDATED AC+ Lenten resources
UPDATED AC+ resources on Holy Week and Easter
7 March
There are so many more shining examples of Catholic women who stood against the odds with bravery and perseverance to help others and instigate change, often at great personal cost. It's vitally important that these groundbreaking women are not written out of history or forgotten. While these women innovated in the spirit of their times, in our time we need to make sure that women are treated equally so that the efforts of these pioneers are not wasted. Here are some resources that might be helpful in engaging in deeper reflection on the roles women play in our faith communities.
UPDATED AC+ resource guide on women and the Church
21 March
We offer a new guide on vocations to support use of the Summer edition of Australian Catholics in the classroom.
NEW AC+ Resources Guide on Vocations and finding your path
4 April
Catholic education would not be what it is today without the contribution of many wise and talented people, so we collate all our articles on the current and future saints who have contributed.
NEW AC+ guide on the Saints behind Catholic Education