Photo: Joint Secondary Video Winner, Joseph Chahine from Parramatta Marist High
Over 125 students from 10 Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese (CSPD) schools have been recognised for their empathy and powerful storytelling as part of the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Australia Refugee Week Creative Competition.
Held as part of Refugee Week under the 2026 theme, ‘A Million Stories’, the competition invited students to respond creatively through artwork, writing or video, sharing messages of hope and belonging for refugees and people seeking asylum.
JRS Schools and Community Engagement Officer, Kristen Lazarus, said this year’s entries were inspiring.
“We were incredibly inspired by the nearly 150 entries we received from students across Australia, each one reflecting thoughtful messages of belonging, hope, and the richness of a multicultural Australia,” said Kristen.
Photo: Primary Artwork Winner, Maria Gerges from St Patrick’s Primary Guildford
CSPD students made an outstanding contribution to the competition, their moving submissions reflecting the compassion and social justice values nurtured through Catholic education.
“We were delighted to welcome so many CSPD students and their families to our Refugee Week exhibition…a wonderful celebration of art, storytelling and community. Their creativity demonstrates how young people can help build a more welcoming and inclusive community through the stories they choose to tell,” JRS’s Kristen Lazarus said.
An impressive 14 of the 19 shortlisted works were created by CSPD students.
Among the award recipients were:
Primary School Artwork
Maria Gerges (St Patrick's Primary Guildford) - First Place
Tala Haddad (St Patrick's Primary Guildford) - Second Place
Arianna (St Mary's Primary Rydalmere) - Third Place
Ethan (St Mary's Primary Rydalmere) - Highly Commended
Rose (St Mary's Primary Rydalmere) - Highly Commended
Elina (St Mary's Primary Rydalmere) - Highly Commended
Secondary School Artwork
Bianca Mekdess (Cerdon College Merrylands) - Second Place
Kashish Bafna (Catherine McAuley Westmead) - Highly Commended
Secondary School Video
Benjamin Kalouche and Joseph Chahine (Parramatta Marist High) - First Place
Secondary School Written Work
Evanshka Jeyasotharan (Catherine McAuley Westmead) - First Place
Maryam Yamayan (Caroline Chisholm College Glenmore Park) - Second Place
Alexander Tran (Parramatta Marist High) - Third Place
Alphen Albert (Parramatta Marist High) - Highly Commended
Jared Caucan (St Patrick's Primary Parramatta) - Second Place
Photo: Third Place Primary Artwork by Arianna from St Mary's Primary Rydalmere
Photo: Second Place Primary Artwork by Tala Haddad from St Patrick's Primary Guildford
The shortlisted students and their families were invited to attend a Refugee Leadership Exhibition hosted by JRS Australia in Surry Hills on Friday 26 June, where their work was showcased alongside moving stories and creative pieces highlighting the experiences and resilience of refugees and people seeking asylum.
Many of the student artists, writers and filmmakers also shared personal reflections about their work, with some drawing on their own family migration and refugee experiences to create deeply meaningful entries.
The competition provided students with a valuable opportunity to engage with the stories of others, reflect on the importance of welcome and inclusion and use their creativity to advocate for compassion and justice.
Photo: JRS’s Kristen Lazarus (centre) with award recipients Kashish (L) and Evanshka (R)
Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
www.parra.catholic.edu.au
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03 Jul 2026
From Facebook
This week, a select group of our Year 10 students partnered with Nagle College to lead two engaging and meaningful leadership sessions for Years 5 and 6 at St Patrick’s Primary School. Demonstrating remarkable confidence, our students served as youth ministers, delivering insightful presentations on leadership and faith, and facilitated dynamic small-group discussions. From leading prayers to energising the room with interactive games and songs, they displayed a level of maturity, warmth, and genuine care that resonated with everyone present. The primary students were truly captivated, instantly recognising the Year 10s as wonderful role models. The vibrant energy and enthusiasm throughout the sessions were a testament to the strong connections formed. The Patrician Brothers’ and Nagle students involved in this program deserve immense credit, and will certainly leave a lasting positive impact on the young leaders of tomorrow. This initiative stands as a model for collaborative student formation between primary and secondary schools across the diocese.
02 Jul 2026
From Facebook
In the final week of Term 2, we gathered to recognise students who were top of their subjects along with the honour roll students for Semester 1. It was a great time to acknowledge their dedication and hard work. A big congratulations to these students and their families.
Latest News More news
08 Jul 2026
CSPD students recognised in Refugee Week Creative Competition
Over 125 students from 10 Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese (CSPD) schools have been recognised for their empathy and powerful storytelling as part of the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Australia Refugee Week Creative Competition.
03 Jul 2026
From Facebook
This week, a select group of our Year 10 students partnered with Nagle College to lead two engaging and meaningful leadership sessions for Years 5 and 6 at St Patrick’s Primary School. Demonstrating remarkable confidence, our students served as youth ministers, delivering insightful presentations on leadership and faith, and facilitated dynamic small-group discussions. From leading prayers to energising the room with interactive games and songs, they displayed a level of maturity, warmth, and genuine care that resonated with everyone present. The primary students were truly captivated, instantly recognising the Year 10s as wonderful role models. The vibrant energy and enthusiasm throughout the sessions were a testament to the strong connections formed. The Patrician Brothers’ and Nagle students involved in this program deserve immense credit, and will certainly leave a lasting positive impact on the young leaders of tomorrow. This initiative stands as a model for collaborative student formation between primary and secondary schools across the diocese.
02 Jul 2026
From Facebook
In the final week of Term 2, we gathered to recognise students who were top of their subjects along with the honour roll students for Semester 1. It was a great time to acknowledge their dedication and hard work. A big congratulations to these students and their families.
01 Jul 2026
From Facebook
Primary Rugby League Day 2026! On Monday the 29th of June we hosted our annual Primary School Rugby League Day for students in Years 4 to 6 with approximately 300 students in attendance. The students were involved in a session of rugby league skills and related activities, which were organised and led by our students and Roman Tuaimau, a former graduate of the class of 2025, who plays for the Canberra Raiders and recently played for the U19s NSW Origin Team. After lunch, the students were invited to the hall to listen to the rugby league journeys of Roy Asotasi - former Bulldogs premiership winner, Souths and New Zealand captain. Joseph Paulo – former student of the College in the class of 2005 who went on to play for Penrith, Parramatta, and Cronulla in the NRL before playing overseas in England and France and has represented Samoa and captained the United States of American team. Jarome Luai – Class of 2015 and current West Tigers captain, Samoan captain, and four-time premiership winner with the Penrith Panthers. Jacob Halangahu – Class of 2024 and currently playing with the St George Illawarra Dragons. Jared Haywood – Class of 2024 and currently playing with the West Tigers. The students were then able to meet the players, and receive their signatures and go home in their treasured Patties shirts they received at the start of the day.
29 Jun 2026
From Facebook
Last Friday, we hosted the Zone 4 Conference Finals of the CSDA Debating Competition where our Year 12 team, comprising Aaron Srimurugathas, Domenic Gallagher, and Jeziah Fauula-Vaa, represented our College. In a matchup that provided one of the most entertaining and intelligent debates we have seen in several seasons, our team lost in a very close decision, which unfortunately ended their 2026 Debating season. Thank you to everyone involved, especially Ms Zorica Bicanic, who worked tirelessly with the assistance of a large team of very generous and dedicated staff, as well as the large group of staff who attended the evening, and the Year 12 debate in particular, to support our students.
27 Jun 2026
From Facebook
Congratulations to Charlie Xuereb and Cordell Murdock Arama who were featured in the Daily Telegraph this morning. “The duo are also set to lead the way as part of the NSW Combined Catholic Colleges team at the Australian Secondary Schools rugby league competition at Coffs Harbour in July, of which an impressive 11 of the 20 squad members hail from Patrician Brothers’ (Blacktown).” You can read the full article under a Daily Telegraph subscription: “Blacktown Smash Bros” by George Al-Akiki.
24 Jun 2026
From Facebook
Our Year 10 Early Commencement Business Services students recently stepped into the professional world, completing work placements at several local businesses: MTC Future Ready Blacktown, TLE Electrical Blacktown, Zeal Services Rouse Hill, Officeworks Penrith, and Wiseberry Real Estate Richmond. These placements allowed students to apply their classroom skills to real-world scenarios, directly supporting their competency tasks for the Certificate III in Business Services and their HSC. It was great to see our students contributing so positively to these industries while balancing their school commitments, we are incredibly proud of them.
24 Jun 2026
From Facebook
Round 3: 32-0 This week we played our third game in the preliminary stage of the 2026 NRL Schoolboy Cup against the highly rated Central Coast Sports College on home soil. The game was intense from the first tackle and Central Coast lived up to all expectations in the first 15 minutes. Every metre of territory was hard earned but eventually Patties managed to breakthrough the Central Coast defence and slowly but surely gained ascendancy. The tough encounter was great preparation for the finals that start in Term 3. Thank you to our spectators for their great support, onto the quarter finals!
19 Jun 2026
From Facebook
Delany Cup What an incredible day of sport, community, and heritage! We were thrilled to join together with Patrician Brothers’ College Fairfield, Delany College Granville, All Saints Catholic College Liverpool, Holy Cross College Ryde, Brigidine College Randwick and special guests, Nagle College Blacktown. Played in a gala day format involving Rugby League and Soccer, every match was played in fantastic spirit with immense pride on display. It was a wonderful opportunity to strengthen the strong bonds between our colleges. Thank you to our special guests for joining us, including Br Nicholas Harsas, Br Aengus Kavanagh, Br Thomas Rice, Br Matthew Mahoney, and many of the Principals and Assistant Principals.