On Saturday 12th of May 2018, Micah Fernandez, Sarah Mikha, Abul Tuil, Katelina Vave, Daniel Villanueva and I attended the Lifted Breakfast with Bishop Vincent at Rooty Hill RSL. We were accompanied by Mrs Reyes, Mr Sadsad, Miss Raad and another 140 other Catholics from our Parramatta Diocese. The event started off with an all you can eat breakfast accompanied with Bishop Vincent. The ceremony then began with a PowerPoint presentation outlining the various trends and statistics based around the Church and young people of our Parramatta Diocese. Some interesting trends we found were:
-Young people love fun/motivational activities, youth groups and informal/social gatherings embedded in the Church community.
- 6.3/10 was the average score of young people being listened to by the Church.
- The top 5 issues facing people in the Parramatta diocese is school/study, mental health, body image, drugs/alcohol and sexuality.
Following this, our leaders along with our teachers brainstormed 3 key questions based around our school and Church:
1. What do we love about our Church/School?
2. What are some obstacles we face with our Church/School?
3. How should we respond to these challenges?
All the different communities of the Parramatta diocese then shared their answers together and received some great advice from Bishop Vincent. St Agnes came to the conclusion that:
- Students need more opportunities (an informal way) to talk about our faith.
- Mass and liturgy needs to be made more contemporary and engaging.
- We need to create more faith groups to discuss about our faith.
- Possibly organising an ACYF type event but on a diocesan level. Including catechises, social justice stalls, concerts and a “Hangin’ with Hilda!” segment.
This then led to a Question and Answer with the Bishop himself, where he answered a range of questions surrounding the Church and his personal experiences. The event concluded with music and a live performance from the Lifted Band which brought joy throughout the ceremony and connected Catholics from around our diocese together.
Overall, the experience was one of a lifetime! An all you can eat Breakfast with Bishop Vincent for only $5! I personally enjoyed the event and I felt it was very beneficial discussing the problems and solutions of our Church and religious community at school. I would like to thank Mrs Reyes, Mr Sadsad and Miss Raad for inviting the Year 10 leaders, attending the event with us and for the preparation for this event. It gave the Year 10 leaders and staff of St Agnes something to work towards and an understanding of the minds of the youth of our community. This was an experience that will always be embedded in our hearts.
A quote to keep in mind: “Have dedication and be committed to your goals and dreams.” - Bishop Vincent
Jonathan Israel Year 10 School Captain
St Agnes Catholic High School Rooty Hill
www.stagnesrootyhill.catholic.edu.au
Latest News More news
12 Aug 2026
From Facebook
We are incredibly proud to celebrate the outstanding achievements of three St Agnes students who recently represented Australia at the World Hip Hop Dance Championship in Phoenix, Arizona, held from 25 July – 1 August 2026. 🇦🇺💃🕺 Congratulations to: ⭐ Nathaniel Digges-Lagula – Year 10 ⭐ Mia Nikas-Hardy – Year 10 ⭐ Savannah Digges-Lagula – Year 8 All three students competed in the Junior Varsity Megacrew Division, taking on 38 dance crews from around the world and achieving an incredible 6th place in the WORLD! 🌎🏆 Nathaniel and Savannah also competed in a second event in the Varsity Division, placing an impressive 11th in the WORLD out of 60 dance crews! 🤩🔥 The World Hip Hop Dance Championship brought together more than 3,000 dancers from 60 countries, showcasing some of the world's most talented performers. What an incredible accomplishment and an amazing experience for our St Agnes students! We are so proud of Nathaniel, Mia and Savannah for representing Australia and St Agnes Catholic High School on the world stage. 🇦🇺💚💛
11 Aug 2026
From Facebook
🌿 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐢 🌿 Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint Clare of Assisi, a woman of great faith, courage and compassion. Saint Clare chose a life of simplicity, prayer and service, reminding us that true success is not measured by what we have, how popular we are, or how much influence we hold, but by our relationship with God and the way we care for others. Her life challenges us to live with integrity — ensuring that our actions reflect the values we profess, even when no one is watching. 🙏 𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐢, 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐬.
07 Aug 2026
From Facebook
Please find the latest newsletter. https://stagneschs.my.canva.site/newsletter-t3w3-2026-website
04 Aug 2026
From Facebook
🚑 Congratulations to our Sports, Lifestyle and Recreation students! 👏 Today, our Sports, Lifestyle and Recreation students successfully qualified for their First Aid Certificate, developing valuable skills that could one day help save a life. Well done to all of our students on this fantastic achievement. These are lifelong skills that will benefit them both personally and professionally.
31 Jul 2026
From Facebook
Students have been busy in the library today creating their stories to be shared with children across Australia who are undergoing long-term hospital stays. It's not too late to sponsor them! 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝟏𝟏 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦: https://writeabookinaday.com/teams/?id=332 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝟗 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦: https://writeabookinaday.com/teams/?id=608 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝟕/𝟖 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦: https://writeabookinaday.com/teams/?id=616
24 Jul 2026
From Facebook
Year 11 Biology students use coloured toy ducks to simulate quadrat sampling techniques for estimating the abundance and distribution of different species populations. This hands-on investigation helps students develop ecological fieldwork skills.
24 Jul 2026
From Facebook
Next Thursday 30th July, we have 3 teams competing in the Write a Book in a Day challenge! This is an event where the teams will spend 9 hours writing, illustrating and publishing a story that will then be shared across the Children's Hospital Network for kids currently admitted in hospital to enjoy. There is also a fundraising aspect to this - teams who fundraise $240 or more will become eligible for judging and prizes. All funds raised go towards the Kids Cancer Project who fund further research projects that could save lives, improve and soften treatments, and reduce the harsh side-effects that survivors of childhood cancer have to live with. For more information about their research: https://writeabookinaday.com/the-kids-cancer-project/ To sponsor one of our teams, please follow the links below: Year 7/8 team: https://writeabookinaday.com/teams/?id=616 Year 9 team: https://writeabookinaday.com/teams/?id=608 Year 11 team: https://writeabookinaday.com/teams/?id=332
21 Jul 2026
From Facebook
🎓 During the holidays, Year 12 student James Schofield was invited to attend a VIP tour at Australian Catholic University (ACU) after featuring alongside Mrs Karafotias in the Sydney Morning Herald article we shared last term. James and his parents were welcomed by ACU's Nutrition academics and a current student ambassador for a personalised tour of the campus and an insight into the Bachelor of Nutrition program, a course James is considering for his future studies. We are proud of James as he explores his future pathways and grateful to ACU for providing such a valuable and informative experience. We wish James all the best as he continues planning for life beyond school! 🌟
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From Facebook
🚍 When school bus lights are flashing, slow down! Every driver can help keep children safe by: 🏫 following the speed limit and road rules in school zones ⚠️ slowing to 40 km/h when bus lights are flashing, unless a lower speed limit applies 🚸 watching for children crossing near bus stops, in school zones and along bus routes 🚌 giving way to buses as they merge back into traffic. Last year, there were 5 crashes in active school zones across Blacktown City between February and September. Let's work together to keep that number as low as possible. #RoadSafety #TowardsZero #BeBusAware #SchoolZone
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09 Jul 2026
From Facebook
Our Harmony Day Main Event was a vibrant celebration of culture, community and unity, with over 250 students proudly showcasing the rich diversity of our St Agnes family. 💙💛 #StAgnes #HarmonyDay #CelebrateCulture #NAIDOC50 #Community #Belonging #Diversity #TogetherWeThrive
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CSPD students recognised in Refugee Week Creative Competition
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