Why choose us?
Marist Catholic College Penshurst is a vibrant, dual campus Years 7–12 coeducational school. We are a community where dynamic teaching and personalised learning encourages every student to achieve their personal best.
We cultivate an environment that fosters student wellbeing through the Catholic faith, developing courage and resilience. As educators in the Marist tradition, we challenge and encourage our students to be persistent, lifelong learners.
Our school motto, ‘Agnoscere et Diligere’ – To Know And To Love, is at the heart of everything we do. Our students are nurtured with opportunities, inspired to work hard and empowered with the knowledge to realise their aspirations.
Principal’s Message
History
The College was established, at the urging of Father Joseph Breen, the Parish Priest of St Declan’s, as Marist Brothers Penshurst in 1953 when Kogarah Marist could no longer accommodate the boys from the Penshurst area. Three Marist Brothers, Brother Leopold Smith, the first Director, Brother Basil and Brother Sixtus formed the first community and opened a Fourth Class to Sixth Class Primary School with 160 boys in three classes. The school was re-named Penshurst Marist High in the early 1980s, then as Marist College Penshurst in 1997 before becoming Marist Catholic College Penshurst in 2015.
Mission
Our College holds the Gospel of Jesus Christ at its heart. As a Catholic community, we seek to live out our response to the Gospel with the same faith, hope and love as Mary, the Mother of God. Our Marian approach is to nurture, to teach, to gather, to reconcile and to stand with our students. Our approach to education is embodied in the College motto: Agnoscere et Diligere – To Know And To Love. Our mission calls us to seek the truth, know deeply and love intimately: God, oneself and other people.
Our College brings the Gospel alive in our community by sharing in the values of the Catholic Church.
The parish, families, students and staff work hard to help those less fortunate. In addition, our school recognises its role within the culture of the local community and has strong ties with local groups and organisations.
I am pleased to present our Strategic Plan: The Next Level – Towards 2027. This comprehensive plan has been carefully developed, taking into account the unique context of our school, and serves as a roadmap for our community. It is grounded in a strong history of faith and values, responsive and relevant to the present reality and to the future.
Our strategic priorities continue St Marcellin Champagnat’s dream of transforming the lives and situations of young people through offering them a holistic education, both human and spiritual, based on an encounter with Jesus Christ and lived out in our relationships with each other. At the core of our strategic priorities is our unwavering belief in the right of each child to pursue personal excellence.
We recognise our responsibility to create the optimal conditions that enable every student to achieve their full potential.
Through our strategic plan, we want to ensure that our commitment to quality teaching, student learning, and fostering an exceptional environment for growth and opportunities is well-known and understood by all stakeholders. This document serves as a guide for the future of our school, and we are immensely proud of the possibilities it presents.
With this strategic plan as our compass, we look forward to the journey ahead and the positive impact it will have as we take the entire school community to the next level. Together, we will work towards creating an aspirational environment where each individual can flourish and realise their dreams.
