Students watch a video about the biodiversity of trees in the Philippines by Columban Lay Missionary Arlene Villahermosa. Photos. St Columbans Mission Society
What a year it’s been for the Columban Partnership Program! While partnership is not new for the Columban Mission Centre, with many fruitful years of parish and school projects supporting overseas mission, this time around the aim and method were a little more nuanced and focused on the 2024 Columban mission priorities of (i) migrants and refugees; and (ii) protection of biodiversity.
The immediate challenge at the beginning of the year was getting schools to book sessions for either one of these topics, so it was important to find middle ground by tailoring sessions to school curriculums and ensuring they were age appropriate, educational, practical, and used Columban examples as ways of leading by example and demonstrating how mission responds to people in need and the cries of God’s creation.
Notably, 2025 was the 10-year anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical “Laudato Si” which encapsulated the Catholic duty to care for the natural environment – our common home – and for all people and living creatures. The encyclical not only advocated for the protection of the earth, but like St Francis of Assisi, acknowledged ecological stewardship as an act of devotion and worship towards God the Creator.
Regional Schools & Community Partnerships Coordinator Mariana Waqa facilitates a session in an inner-city school
Sadly, Pope Francis passed away in April 2025, but his legacy through Laudato Si lives on in global movements and localised programs like the Columban Partnership Program. Here in Australia, Laudato Si is a biennial part of the religious education framework in Catholic primary and high schools. So, when religious educators learned about the Columban Mission Centre’s new initiative, doors began to open for tailored facilitations aimed at educating students on Catholic mission, spirituality, ecological stewardship (biodiversity), and migrants and refugees.
Developing and tailoring sessions that focused on Columban mission priorities in schools was a challenging process of meeting the objectives of educators and the interest of their students, while also ensuring Columban examples and values were foundational to the ethos of each facilitation. There were plenty of lessons along the way which helped pivot the different sessions to deliver stronger content, maintain attention, and simply make things fun! A very wise early childhood educator had advised halfway through the year that younger children learn best through play and curiousity. This piece of advice did not make the work any easier, but it shaped sessions to be more interactive and to utilize outdoor facilities for students to observe the natural world.
The Columban Partnership Program also provided sessions about migration, asylum seekers, and refugees for secondary school students. Columban Fr Dan Harding facilitated live from Chile’s capital city of Santiago and spoke about the largest mass migration in Latin American history from Venezuela to Chile. Touching on history, politics, geography, and social issues, Fr Dan reflected on the role and response of the Church under such circumstances, highlighting the struggles displaced people go through to find a better life for them and their families.
The Columban Partnership Program has been enriched through its interactions with Catholic students this year. Every school visited was full of children who listened, answered questions, and engaged in the activities. Educators and their teams were always on hand to assist with the sessions and to comfort children with special needs who were encouraged to participate or find a quiet place to sit if things got a bit too much.
There were also moments of chaos and disruption, while at other times a comment would come out of left field from a child who was genuinely trying to make a connection. Yet, these provided learning opportunities to help minimize disturbance and simplify information to support student comprehension. The Partnership team responded by producing videos where Australian children tell Biblical stories, present Laudato Si, or speak about mission, while additionaly videos include voice-overs by Columban Lay Missionaries and Priests.
The Columban Partnership Program looks forward to the 2026 school year and welcomes Catholic schools in Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji to book their free online or in-person Columban sessions (Melbourne and Suva schools only) on caring for our common home or migrants and refugees.
Call the Columban Mission Centre on 03 9375-9475 or email the Regional Schools & Community Partnerships Coordinator partnership@columban.org.au to book your session today!
Adi Mariana Waqa is the Regional Schools & Community Partnerships Coordinator at St Columbans Mission Society.
Related links
- Read more from the current Columban eBulletin
