By Emilie Ng
YOUTHFUL energy will fill St Stephen’s Cathedral precinct when Brisbane Catholic Education holds its first festival to mark Catholic Education Week in Queensland.
Hundreds of students from 40 Catholic schools will gather in St Stephen’s Cathedral to discover “the heart of the Brisbane archdiocese” in this unique festival running from July 28 to 30.
Students have been asked to host one activity during the festival and will also partake in several other activities, including an augmented reality sandbox and The Catholic Leader’s interactive newsroom stall.
Queensland Education Minister Kate Jones will also join the students for a special Q&A session.
Festival of Catholic Education organiser and BCE senior communications and marketing manager Catherine Shipton said the festival was the “perfect opportunity” to show the “breadth of talent in our schools”.
“The overall aim is to bring students into the heart of the archdiocese, into the cathedral precinct, so they can understand the history and breadth of what Brisbane Catholic Education is all about,” Ms Shipton said.
BCE executive director Pam Betts said the festival promised to be “an extraordinarily unique event”.
“The Catholic Education Week theme of ‘Engaging Hearts, Igniting Hearts, Serving Others’, has been wholeheartedly embraced by the wonderful activities the students will host during the festival,” Ms Betts said.
“We look forward to bringing the joy, colour and energy that is bountiful in our Catholic schools to the cathedral surrounds, the very heart of the Brisbane archdiocese.”
Queensland Parents’ and Friends’ Federation executive director Carmel Nash also encouraged parents to attend the festival.
“The festival is a great opportunity for families to come and … see the wonderful opportunities for children in our Catholic schools,” Mrs Nash said.
A Queensland Catholic Education Commission spokesman said the Festival of Catholic Education run by BCE was a “wonderful forum for Queensland to launch CEW”.
Winners of the QCEC Spirit of Catholic Education Awards will be announced at the Brisbane festival on Wednesday, July 29.
Catholic Education Week officially begins on July 26.
