St Paul's
Albion Park
Albion Park
A Catholic Parish Primary School
St Paul's Catholic Parish Primary School is named after St Paul – the great missionary who worked for the Church. At St Paul’s, we nurture and are proud of our strong Catholic identity. We pride ourselves on being a Catholic school community of faith, love and learning. We enjoy an empowering relationship with our parish priest, Father Leo Duck, and the wider parish community as we work in partnership to promote and develop the faith life of our students, staff and families.
Our school motto is 'Constant in Faith' – this is taken from the letters of St Paul, whereby he was writing to those who were losing belief. His writings were encouraging them to remain constant in faith, as the difficult times would pass. Our school strives to be ‘constant in faith’ in our daily interactions and relationships.
"The Catholic school is the principle educational arm of Catholic families, parishes and the wider Church for those generally aged under eighteen. It is there to assist parents and parishes in their educational, evangelical and catechetical mission, as well as to help the wider community in its educational and civic service" (Catholic Schools At A Crossroads, 2007)
At St Paul's, we believe that each child needs to develop a personal relationship with God as well as opportunities to come together in prayer as a community. In our classrooms, children are provided with many opportunities to experience different prayer forms, including:
At St Paul’s we provide opportunities for our students to express their faith through social justice initiatives and caring for the wider community.
From Kindergarten, our students are involved in fundraising, volunteering and other types of school and community service throughout their schooling journey. Stage 3 students, as part of their leadership responsibilities, lead several key fundraising, action, awareness and community events throughout the year.
The social justice initiatives at St Paul’s evoke empathy, personal integrity, compassion and courage in our students and are valued as critical to nurture and develop in our students.
Our school also meets regularly as community to celebrate liturgies. We celebrate liturgies for Christian celebrations as well as other secular events.
Our school values the school-parish relationship, and to foster this, classes regularly attend on a roster basis the Parish Mass on Friday mornings. It is an opportunity for students and parishioners to join together to celebrate the Eucharist. We also encourage attendance and participation in Sunday Mass, and throughout the year a stage or grade will assist in the preparation and celebration of a Sunday Mass.
Families, friends and parishioners are always very welcome to join with us in any of our liturgies.
St Paul’s Catholic Primary School is a vital part of the life of the Catholic Parish of Albion Park. In recent decades the importance of the school has increased considerably because we are now living in a time and place where so many are turning away from faith in Christ and consequently from what it is to be truly human. In such circumstances all of us need to work together as a parish community to support each other and help nurture the faith we have received and hand it on in its integrity as a lived way of life. A parish school is where this work can be most fruitful.
In the early 1880s the parish priest at the time, Father Augustus William Petre, made a request to Mother Mary MacKillop, now St Mary of the Cross, to establish a Catholic school at Albion Park. Originally known as St Joseph’s School, the small one-building school, began with three Sisters and 50 students. From humble beginnings and a small number of students, St Paul’s has grown into the school it is today, a school where students and staff strive to be true to the school motto of ‘Constant in Faith’.
At St Paul’s Catholic Primary School, the spiritual growth, welfare and education of students are a shared responsibility between parents, teachers, support staff and the parish priest. Ultimately, the measure of how well or poorly this responsibility has been exercised is to be found in the extent to which a child has been helped along his or her way to becoming the person God wants him or her to be.
We are thankful to God for the blessings our parish school has received since 1882 and for the good the school has been able to do for its students for more than a century. We look forward to the future with continued faith and trust.
Yours sincerely in Christ,
Father Leo Duck PP
PARISH PRIEST
PARISH DETAILSOur school is part of the St Paul's Catholic Parish community in Albion Park.
There are many aspects of parish life in which students, staff and families may become involved. All members of our parish school community are actively encouraged to be part of parish and Church life.
Parish sacramental celebrations also provide an opportunity to celebrate students' life of faith with fellow parishioners. The parish provides programs of preparation for the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Eucharist and Confirmation each year. Our school-based Religious Education curriculum supports and enriches these programs of preparation. Enrolment for the sacraments occurs through the parish, and any questions regarding sacramental programs can be made through the Parish Office.
Participation in weekend Mass is also actively encouraged. View the Parish Mass Times here.
For more information, visit the St Paul's Parish website