Special Character

We are a Catholic school and at the heart of St Catherine’s College are the following values that the Sisters of Mercy, who founded the school, have given us:

• Respect for the dignity, worth and potential of every human being.
• Concern for the poor and the disadvantaged.
• Concern for justice.

All students take part in Religious Education and the religious life of the College through prayer, meditation, retreats, Mass and community service. The Staff also share prayers and reflections every morning.

We have many students of other faiths attending our school and our students are taught to have respect and tolerance for others’ beliefs. In addition, each year students participate in a Retreat in which they are encouraged to explore their relationship with themselves, others and with God.

As part of our faith in action, we believe in strong community service to support our students' awareness of the needs of others and social justice. St Catherine’s has an established service programme where every student is expected to do at least four hours of individual service and all service is recorded on their student record. Most students do far more service than this.
 
Students are encouraged, via their Whanau Groups and Houses, to exercise their entrepreneurial skills in fundraising for different charities. They also participate in Mission Day every year which is a day when the students spend time doing work for other community groups.
From its establishment, St Catherine’s College girls have taken part in community service both locally and internationally. Contributing to charity takes many different forms, from participating in street collections to doing voluntary work or organising and running events where money is raised for individual charities.

The girls have have also raised funds for the Cancer Society (Relay for Life), Oxfam’s Fair Trade, Women’s Refuge, Mary Potter Hospice, the Women’s Night Shelter, Volunteer Service Abroad, SPCA and Zealandia and other activities. The four Houses in the College also choose a mission activity at the start of the year and support their chosen mission in Terms One and Two in particular.