Faith Formation

Across all areas of learning, the essential message of our Faith Formation is one of prayer and service for others.

Our ‘head, hearts and hands’ approach allows for a full encounter with Christ and is reinforced through several reflective processes during a student’s life at Aquinas College.

We believe knowledge about the marginalised is nothing if not matched with action, so all students take part in Community Service – volunteering time to experiences such as the Red Cross Soup Patrol, teaching English to migrants and refugees, visiting aged care homes and offering peer support activities for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Service experiences and activities are incorporated into all year levels, giving boys the opportunity to continually learn and grow spiritually.

In addition, students are given the opportunity to experience overseas communities in the Philippines as well as the Kimberley region, with immersions held each year.

Junior School

Middle School

Senior School

Junior School

Across the Junior School, all boys take part in prayer and reflection on a daily basis. These are integral in the formation of a young boy in a Catholic school founded in the Edmund Rice tradition.

Our Religious Education program focuses on the holistic spiritual formation of each student and a range of activities provides each boy with opportunities to explore his own spirituality within a Catholic environment.

Aquinas College welcomes students to celebrate mass each week. Through the sacraments, prayer and example, boys are inspired to seek God and express their love in the generous service of others.

During their time in the Junior School students also experience retreats designed to support their needs with a focus on developing their understanding of themselves and God.

Middle School

Middle School students are encouraged to explore and develop their spirituality in Religious Education, retreat programs and service to the community. This holistic approach to spiritual development is integral to an Aquinas College education, in the Edmund Rice Tradition.

As Middle School students transition from childhood to adolescence, it’s important they’re given guidance and support during the sometimes-difficult road to becoming a young man.

The Middle School retreat program aims to promote an image of manhood reflective of Gospel values and the models of Jesus and Blessed Edmund. Service Learning opportunities connect students with community members in need and help students develop core spiritual and service values which underpin an Aquinas education.

The combination of Religious Education experiences, Veritas, retreat programs and Middle School Leadership initiatives aims to help our students begin a lifelong journey of learning, leadership and service.

Senior School

In addition to the mandated Religious Education Programme, Senior Students also participate in retreat programs aimed at building good character and fostering Catholic values in everyday life. These retreats are memorable events that connect our students with key College staff on a spiritual platform and offer students an opportunity to reflect on and celebrate their faith, values and service with peers.

At the end of their learning journey at Aquinas College, we aim to farewell each of our students with the knowledge they will enter the wider world with good influence, ready to take on challenges as young Catholic men in the Edmund Rice Tradition and to be the best they can be, for others.

Service Learning

The vision of Aquinas as a Catholic school in the Edmund Rice tradition requires us to seek justice and compassion for others. The Christian Service-Learning Program is a vital part of this vision and permeates throughout the whole school curriculum. It reflects Catholic teachings and has unique educational value.

The Christian Service-Learning Program also provides opportunities for all secondary students to become involved in a wide range of volunteer activities, catering for different age groups. It allows them to experience the joy of giving and sharing with others and provides a unique learning experience that goes beyond the classroom and school environment. The opportunity and requirement to reflect and give meaning to their service experience are critical to the success of the program.

The integration of gospel values and those values demonstrated by the work of Blessed Edmund are the cornerstones of Christian Service-Learning at Aquinas College. It is expected that all graduates from Aquinas College will have demonstrated a willingness and ability to assist those in their community who are in need. It is important our students develop compassion and empathy for those less fortunate than themselves through active preparation, participation, and critical reflection. A gradual process has been designed to develop these values throughout the whole school.

The importance of Spirituality.

The spiritual formation experiences at Aquinas College are aimed at fostering what is already inherent in each boy - their spirit.

Every single day can provide boys with valuable insights about who they are becoming, who they yearn to be and indeed who they sense God wills them to be. It is in moments of reflection, through the lens of our faith tradition, that the lessons of each day are revealed. This is far too important a journey to leave to chance.

It is with this goal in mind that we accept the responsibility to provide regular and intentional Spiritual Formation for the young men entrusted to the College.

For just as we need to regularly exercise our muscles to build up our physique, we also need to exercise to develop ourselves spiritually. Spirit is what gives us all life and animates us, so it’s critical that it is nurtured so each boy can grow into the fullness of their being.

Aquinas students are provided with a variety of opportunities to develop their spirituality including weekly mass, weekly chapel services, year group retreats, daily prayer and reflection. It is so he might become, and know he is becoming, the best he can be, for others.

Alumni

Bishop Michael Morrissey

Michael O’Driscoll

Br Kevin Ryan

Jim, Br “Barry” Paton