The Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools community has been reflecting on its core mission of ‘forming lives to enrich the world’ at the inaugural MACS Flourishing Learners Conference. This vision was articulated by Archbishop Peter A Comensoli, who connected the recent canonisations of Sts Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati directly to the work of Catholic education.
‘The ordinariness of these two young saints is striking’, Archbishop Comensoli told the conference. ‘They lived with their families, had groups of friends ... were both sports mad.’
St Pier Giorgio’s love of learning and commitment to social justice ‘was founded in the Catholic schooling he received that nurtured his spiritual life and active faith,’ the Archbishop said. ‘He blended academic achievement, faith and service to transform the community in which he lived.’
St Carlo’s ‘commitment to holiness in his daily life, his devotion to the Eucharist and living a life of charity, and his courage to witness with integrity to the Gospel were all formed within his schools. His Catholic schooling emphasised the development of the whole person—spiritually, morally, intellectually and socially.’
Linking their lives directly to the MACS vision, he said: ‘Our two new saints are proof that this vision is indeed a path worthy of any young person in our schools to take. Which makes it, for us, a worthy path to lay out for them.’
Catholic education in the Archdiocese seeks to foster the formation of the whole person, he said. ‘The dignity and worth of every student is paramount; you aim to motivate and enable students to act, flourish and enrich the world around them.’
The Archbishop concluded that these young saints ‘are models and witnesses for us in education. May they find a home in your vocational mission to form flourishing learners, and be a vision for your work of forming lives to enrich the world.’
MACS called the Flourishing Learners Conference a milestone in the pursuit of its 2030 strategy— a plan for all Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) staff come together to make the most of what a Catholic education has to offer.
Prof Br David Hall FMS of La Salle Academy at ACU reminded delegates of the essential role of hope in education. Drawing on Romans 5:5, he encouraged them to ‘awaken hope in our students, because hope does not disappoint’. The words inspired the educators to remember that teaching is not just about knowledge, but about nurturing the spirit of every learner.
One of the keynote addresses was given by Prof Dylan Wiliam of University College London, on elevating teacher quality through thoughtful, evidence-informed practice.
Kristen Douglas from Headspace spoke of educators as ecosystem engineers, ‘shaping wellbeing and learning in a rapidly changing world’.
Other speakers were literary policy expert Emina McLean; author Tom Sherrington; teacher educator Bron Ryrie Jones; Jamie Clark, an author and a teacher at Mercedes College, WA; and Dr Jordana Hunter, education program director at the Grattan Institute.
Banner image: participants at the MACS Flourishing Learners conference at Marvel Stadium, 8–9 September 2025.
All photos courtesy of MACS.
