Marist College in Eastwood and Holy Cross College in Ryde have both been preparing to welcome a total of 20 students into the church.
There were eight high school students baptised and 12 confirmed by Bishop Daniel Meagher at St Charles Borromeo church in Ryde on 25 September.
Religious coordinators Colm McCaughan at Marist College and Christina Breda at Holy Cross College have seen an uptick both in students curious about exploring the faith and students wanting to be embrace it as their own.
The schools independently launched a Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) program in 2024, sparking the interest of students.
McCaughan said his school had seven students in the inaugural class – for Holy Cross it was 17.
Supporting the program in the respective schools are their chaplains who are also brothers, Fr Dan Drum FMVD and Fr Stephen Drum FMVD.
“In Eastwood, I feel like there’s a very good faith community that’s built up,” McCaughan told The Catholic Weekly.
“There are some very strong boys of faith and that’s a source of encouragement for others.”
McCaughan said the weekly RCIA classes focus on the church’s doctrine and teaching on prayer, the sacraments and sacramental preparation, and received a “really good response.”
He said the nine boys baptised this year have been in preparation since April.
“They’re very well formed when they make this final step,” he said.
Breda said her school had 18 students in the RCIA program last year, half of whom received all the sacraments of initiation. This year 11 of them will be baptised.
Breda said when she stepped into the role of religious education coordinator she found students who were eager to learn about the faith, with some already considering or actively seeking baptism and other sacraments.
The students come from a variety of experiences of faith, with some from other Christian denominations and a few with no religious background at all, Breda said.
“One boy, his story was that he got lost when he was on a trip with his family,” McCaughan said.
“He remembered praying and finding his parents and that was, he said, the first stop of his journey.”
Breda said some students at Holy Cross, though not of the Catholic faith, love being part of its faith-based community.
One of the newly-baptised boys from Holy Cross has a twin sister who completed RCIA and was received into the church at the family’s parish in the same week.
She said there had been a “really good communal effort” between the parish and the school and it had been a positive experience.
“That partnership creates a really good community that fosters and supports the students in their formation,” she said.