George Azzi thought he knew his faith. As a parish leader, he’d spent years in the life of the church – attending Mass, leading his community, engaging with Catholic culture and art. Then he signed up for Didaskō.
“Last year Didaskō showed me just how deep that connection truly goes,” he says. “I started to realise just how much I still have to learn – that we don’t know as much as we think we do.”
It’s the kind of honest reckoning that Didaskō seems to prompt in almost everyone who takes part.
Bishop Richard Umbers, of the Archdiocese of Sydney, believes this impulse toward deeper learning is more than personal growth, it’s a calling. “The Didaskō Faith Formation series highlights the ongoing need for both intellectual and spiritual formation,” he says.
Drawing on Socrates’ maxim that “the unexamined life is not worth living”, Bishop Umbers argues: “This call to ongoing learning and reflection does not end at school or even university; rather, it invites a lifelong pursuit of truth and wisdom. In a culture filled with distractions, moments that might be lost to idle scrolling can be reclaimed as opportunities to “be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Epistle to the Romans 12:2).
Didaskō, a structured Catholic formation program offered through the Sydney Centre for Evangelisation’s Parish Renewal Team, draws on the best educators and university lecturers from the University of Notre Dame Australia (UNDA). Didaskō, from the Greek, meaning “to teach,” delivers rigorous, accessible, faith formation directly to parishes and homes across the Archdiocese of Sydney.
This year, the program turns its attention to a central mystery of Catholic life: The Eucharist in the Life of the Church.
The 2025 Didaskō series runs from April to November, covering the theology, history, and lived experience of the Eucharist through a carefully sequenced program. A highlight is a free public talk on Eucharistic Miracles by Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP in June.
The full series includes two free talks, with all other courses running across three evenings per month, from 7:30pm to 8:45pm. Pricing is deliberately affordable: individuals can register for just $35, while whole parishes can join for $100 per course.
George, who gathers 30 parishioners from Our Lady of the Rosary in Fairfield for each session, sees the format as something different from the noise of social media faith content.
“Unlike social media or YouTube, where you pick up fragments, these sessions were structured at a university level, from point A to point B to point C. You fill the gaps, then your knowledge and curiosity grow from there.”
He also views this year’s series as essential preparation for Eucharist28, the 2028 International Eucharistic Congress. “The subject, the information, the history, the depth of the Eucharist is so deep. I don’t think people realise how deep it is. And the fact that we get university-level professors at such an affordable price is an incredible opportunity.”
One of Didaskō’s quiet achievements is how easy it is to host, even for those who aren’t naturally comfortable with technology.
Maria Natoli, a 65-year-old grandmother and long-time parishioner at All Hallows parish in Five Dock, helped bring the program to her community after recognising a gap in their faith formation activities.
“The majority of us haven’t done philosophy or theology courses,” she explains. “We loved the idea of bite-sized pieces of various topics that wouldn’t be too onerous to handle.”
Setting it up was simpler than she expected. Sessions were held in the church and a quick introduction from the parish secretary was all it took to get started. “It was quite easy once I knew how to use that particular computer. I’d never used it before, but from there, it was simply a matter of starting the Zoom session and welcoming people as they arrived.”
The verdict from her parish? They keep coming back.
“Everyone got something profound out of it, and they are really looking forward to learning more about the Eucharist in this series,” she says.
At St Kevin’s in Eastwood, Fr Pawel Kopczynski is signing his parish up for the full Didaskō series for the second year running. For him, formation isn’t just about knowledge, it’s about how people live.
“It gives parishioners a simple but meaningful formation in their faith. It helps them understand their faith better. It also encourages them to live their faith: through prayer, participation in Mass, and how they live every day of their lives.”
He sees the Eucharist-focused 2026 series as an opportunity to build up his parish’s interior life ahead of Eucharist28. “By growing in our understanding and love of the Mass, parishioners can develop a stronger faith in the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, especially through their personal encounter of Jesus in the sacraments they receive.”
His invitation to those sitting on the fence is simple: “Come and be part of this journey. You can take part at home or join others in the parish hall and share the experience as a community. Do not be afraid to begin, even if you are unsure. The Lord meets us where we are.”
The cost is $35 per person or $100 for parish groups. Each course will be delivered online via Zoom. To register go to: gomakedisciples.org.au/didasko
. Didaskō, from the Greek, meaning "to teach", delivers rigorous, accessible, faith formation directly to parishes and homes across the Archdiocese of Sydney.){kind=link}