Homily given by Bishop Anthony Randazzo
Bishop of Broken Bay
Broken Bay
Annual Schools Staff Mass
19 February 2026
My dear sisters and brothers in Christ, it gives me great joy to gather with you all today: our director, principals, teachers, leaders, clergy, staff, volunteers, and friends of Catholic Schools Broken Bay, as we celebrate this annual Schools Staff Mass in the fortieth anniversary year of our Diocese. What a milestone this is in our shared story of faith, learning, and life.
Today we pause to give thanks. We give thanks first to God, who has called each of us, in His own way, to share in the mission of Catholic education. And we give thanks for one another, for all who, over four decades, have built our Catholic schools into vibrant communities of learning and of faith.
Your work is not merely a job; it is a mission. To teach, to lead, to serve in our Catholic schools, is a participation in the very mission of Christ Himself. Every hour you spend preparing lessons, every moment spent listening to a student, comforting a family, guiding a colleague, is an expression of faith, hope, and love alive in action.
To teach is at the heart of the baptismal call. Each of us, by virtue of our baptism, is sent forth to proclaim the Good News, to reveal Jesus Christ in word and deed. In Catholic Schools Broken Bay, all are invited to share in this sacred task. Whether baptised or not, each collaborator plays a vital part in this mission of love. Together, united in one mind, one heart, and one spirit, we reveal Christ to the world through the way we teach, the way we serve, and the way we love. Our children matter. They are the reason we exist as Catholic schools. Over 18,000 students, across 46 schools and 26 parishes, are entrusted to our care. And let us also be mindful of the remarkable cooperation of the Independent Catholic Schools on mission within our local Church.
Every one of our children is precious; every one of them is a child of God. And every one of them deserves the best we can give, the best education, the best formation, the best example of faith and humanity.
To all of you who make that possible, our principals, teachers, support staff, and volunteers, I say from my heart: you make a difference. You matter. What you do matters deeply, for it shapes lives, hearts, and souls for generations to come.
Much has happened since our Diocese was established forty years ago. In those early days, our first bishop, Bishop Patrick Murphy, was very clear about the distinctive mission entrusted to the local Church of Broken Bay. When it was suggested that our schools might be administered under the Sydney Archdiocesan Schools Office, Bishop Murphy’s response was firm: “As far as I am concerned, no, because the Church is not a multinational company with branches.” And he went on to say, “The Archbishop of Sydney has no more authority and can no more tell the Bishop of Broken Bay what to do than he can fly to the moon.”
Bishop Murphy knew something essential: that our local Church was called to take responsibility for its mission, to form, to teach, and to care for our children as part of one living community of faith. And it is in that founding spirit that Catholic Schools Broken Bay continues today, faithful to the Gospel, planted deeply in Jesus Christ, and animated by the desire to bring the light of faith to every child.
Our first reading from Deuteronomy speaks directly to this call: “Choose life, so that you and your descendants may live in the love of the Lord your God, obeying his voice, and clinging to him.” To choose life means to seek and recognise God in everything we do, in every person we meet, every family who entrusts their child to us, every child we teach, every moment of every day. Our Catholic schools are places where life is chosen daily, by the way we nurture minds, form hearts, and accompany one another through the joys and the struggles of learning and growing.
And Jesus, in the Gospel of Luke, reminds us: “Whoever loses their life for my sake will save it.” In other words, to give ourselves wholly for the sake of Christ and his people is to find life in its fullest measure.
The work of education is far more than sharing our own knowledge or experience. It is participation in the search for truth. And in Catholic Schools Broken Bay, that Truth has a name, Jesus Christ. Everything we do must begin and end in Him.
I know that your work is not easy. The challenges of modern family life, the pressures of society, the expectations placed upon teachers and leaders, often weigh heavily. And yet, you continue, faithfully, courageously, generously. You hold fast to the mission that is yours, and you give of yourselves beyond measure.
Thank you. Thank you for the hours unseen, for the prayers whispered, for the patience shown, for the love you pour into your work. You embody the faith and generosity of this Diocese. You are the heart of Catholic Schools Broken Bay.
As we celebrate forty years of Catholic education in the Diocese of Broken Bay, we are also part of a much greater story, over two hundred years of Catholic education in Australia. We stand on the solid foundation of those who came before us, and we look to the future with confidence.
We do not stand alone. We are united in the one Body of Christ, sustained by God’s grace and guided by the Holy Spirit. As Jesus is our light, we need not fear the shadows of uncertainty or change. Together, working as one community: of faith, of learning, of creativity, we will continue to accompany and form young people who choose life, who know truth, and who live love.
My dear brothers and sisters, as we celebrate this anniversary, might we renew our commitment to the mission that began forty years ago and continues with vigour today: to make Christ known in every classroom, every tuckshop, every sports field, every theatre or music room, every science lab, and every heart.
Together, let us look confidently to the future, with gratitude for the past, faith for the present, and hope for all that is yet to come.
May God bless you, and may God bless the Catholic Schools of Broken Bay, now and always. Amen.