Teach Challenge Transform

Thought Easter was over? Think again! Just like the season of Christmastide lasts for 12 days, the season of Eastertide lasts for 50 days after Easter Sunday. So what are we celebrating during all that time? In this episode, we explore the meaning behind the season of Eastertide, and how we can celebrate and live into resurrection life in our classrooms and in the wider community of the School during the 7-weeks of the season.

The Easter Triduum is a series of three liturgies in the Easter story from Holy Week, through Good Friday, to the Easter Vigil on Sunday morning. In this episode, we walk through what happens in these liturgies looking closely at how they are connected. Not only do we discover the story that most of us are familiar with, but we also discover the deeper pattern that runs underneath it all. Join us as we look at these liturgies, see how they are connected, and notice how the deeper story they tell might give us a key to helping students to not only grasp the events of Easter, but see its relevance in their life today.

In late 2013 local artist, Dianne Minaar, was approached by Sacred Heart Catholic Parish, Samford, to paint an installation of the Stations of the Cross as part of the Church refurbishment. Little did Dianne know that the next 16 months would be a life changing experience that affected her spiritually, emotionally, and physically. In this episode, you will hear Dianne's amazing story, about the meaning the Stations have for Christians and for the world, and about the providential way the paintings came about. You will also hear about how Formation and Engagement Services partnered with Dianne to create a special way for you to engage with these incredible images and deepen your devotion through the Stations of the Cross in 2026.

As we move from "Catholic Perspectives" to "Catholic Social Teaching", it's important to not only know the "Why?" of the change, but the "Why?" of the importance of Catholic Social Teaching in our BCE Schools and Colleges. In this episode, we hear from Rhiannon Cameron, Lead Advisor Formation and Engagement: Education, on what we need to know moving forward.

Lent is more than a season on the Church's calendar. It is an invitation to return to the heart of God. In this episode we explore Lent as a sacred journey of honesty, renewal, and quite transformation. We'll consider how the spirit of Lent can shape the Religious Life of the School and the teaching of Religious Education in ways that are authentic, age-appropriate, and spiritually formative. This episode invites educators to lead from the inside out - to model faith that is lived before it is taught and making their classroom become places where transformation is possible.

We talk about charism a lot in Catholic Schools. But have you ever wondered what effect a community deeply embracing their School's charism can have? And how charism might make a difference to the Religious Life of your school, or in your students or classroom? In this episode we talk to Formation and Engagement Services Team member, Susie Anderson in which she talks about what charism is and what it means when she says "Charism is the heartbeat of a School."

Identity is vital. So, it's worth asking the question "Who are we as Catholic Schools?" And what does this mean to how we operate in the classroom, the playground, with families, and in the staffroom? In this episode, Mark talks to Sharon O'Keeffe, Formation and Engagement Executive at Brisbane Catholic Education, about what it means to be a Catholic School/College in the Archdiocese of Brisbane.

Wait...the 12 Days of Christmas...is real?! Yes! In this episode, we take a journey through Christmastide - the season in the Church year that stretches from Christmas Day until January 6 through a number of other feasts. We not only learn of these feasts and how they connect to Christmas, but also how we might live into them in our classrooms (yes, before the holidays!) and in our homes. And then, an Easter Egg (or maybe that should be Christmas gift?) where we uncover the possible "Catechism code" in the song The 12 Days of Christmas.

As the Church year begins anew, Advent invites us to slow down, wait, and to make room for the God who comes quietly among us. In this episode, we explore the meaning and origins of Advent, its rhythm of holy waiting, its deep invitation to hope, and how this season can shape not only our hearts, but the spiritual life of our classrooms and schools. Whether you are a leader, teacher, or simply seeking to enter Advent more deeply, this episode offers a guide to living the season from our heart - where Christ is always coming, and always near.

In this episode, we celebrate the Month of the Rosary by taking a deeper look at this beautiful and contemplative prayer tool. Mark is joined by Formation and Engagement Services Team member, Michael Blanchfield, to explore the simplicity and depth of rosary prayers, and how you might use them in your classroom as well as your personal devotional life.

In this episode, Mark has a conversation with Sr Rachel McLoughlin, C.J., member of the Formation and Engagement Services Team who is a sister of the Congregation of Jesus (formerly the Loreto Sisters) and spiritual director. Sr. Rachel shares about how to live from your authentic self, recognising and living into those moments of connection with God as you teach and lead.  

In this episode, we will be looking at a celebration that’s both deeply traditional and boldly hopeful: the Assumption of Mary. We discuss the Feast itself, its deeper meaning, and look for connections with the BCE Religious Education Curriculum and Religious Life of the School. If you are looking for ways to bring the timeliness and relevance of Mary's Assumption into your classroom and school, this episode is for you!