
Halfway across the globe and 27 years since their last interaction, Sydney’s Fr Noel Custodio and Siham El-Hachem, once student and teacher, have reunited in Quito.
Fr Noel, assistant parish priest at St Catherine Laboure in Gymea, and Siham, a member of the school operations unit of Sydney Catholic Schools, are currently part of the same observation team sent from Sydney to the International Eucharistic Congress in Ecuador.
There, they and the team—made up of members from SCS and the Sydney Centre for Evangelisation—hope to bring back lessons from Quito in the event Sydney wins the 2028 IEC bid.
Siham couldn’t help but prick her ears at dinner one night early in the trip, when she heard Fr Noel sharing memories of his time in primary school at St Jerome’s Punchbowl.
“Then I realised sitting opposite me was my Year Two teacher, it was her!” said Fr Noel.
Siham has worked in Sydney Catholic Schools for over 35 years, including time as a primary school teacher at St Jerome’s when Fr Noel was a student.
“It’s great to see how the Lord continues to work. Even 27 years later, you find someone from your past, in my case when I was seven years old, also following the Lord,” he said.
“Now seeing each other and her still serving the Lord in her vocation as a teacher, it shows how funny the Lord’s providence works.

“You see how some people in your journey played their part. I’m here today because of those people in my past who paved the way, and I thank the Lord for them.”
The pair shared fond memories of the classroom, other students, and the moments in their life that led them to their reuniting.
“I think God brings special people into your life and Fr Noel coming back into my life now has been one of those God moments,” Siham said.
“He’s perhaps telling me I’ve done some good and maybe Fr Noel will do me some good in my spiritual journey here in Quito and beyond.”
Siham hopes the journey alongside Fr Noel and the team will be inspiration to others come 2028.
“If Sydney were to win the IEC bid, I’m hoping that I could be part of that too.”
The experience of Ecuador thus far has been transformative, from the food to the vibrant Latin American culture.
“It’s very encouraging just to be in this part of the world and see the same Catholic faith being celebrated in such a vibrant way,” said Fr Noel.
The winner of the 2028 IEC bid will be announced at the end of the congress on 15 September, with Sydney Catholics eagerly awaiting the news.