About The Catholic Society

The Catholic society is not an ambiguous social group, which has only taken on the name Catholic to set it apart from others. The society is primarily Catholic and views the Catholic Church as "the pillar and bulwark of the Truth" (1 Tim. 3:15). At the same time we do prioritise the fostering of camaraderie amongst our members through our activities and aim to grow together in Christ.

This means that we uphold the teachings of the Church and Her apostolic tradition, which have and continue to be protected by the Holy Spirit. We look to the Holy Father of the Roman Catholic Church with reverence and obedience, which are his due as the successor of Peter through whom Christ chose to build His Church (Matt. 16:18).

Catholics were reminded at the Ecumenical Council of Vatican II, which commenced in 1962, that all those baptised and confirmed in Christ are called to be missionaries in their everyday lives. The Catholic Society at Macquarie University aims to encourage its members to live out this duty. In reference to this, the late Pope, John Paul II said "The lay faithful, precisely because they are members of the Church have the vocation and mission of proclaiming the Gospel: they are prepared for this work by the sacraments of Christian initiation and by the gifts of the Holy Spirit" (Christifidelis laici,33).

Jesus said, warning his disciples, "But when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?" (Luke 18:8). In this sense, the Catholic Society has a great task on its hands, to, in communion with other Catholic societies, orders, confraternities and, above all, the Holy Church throughout the world, re-Christianise, not only other individuals, but society itself and create a better world for the future.

The members of the Macquarie Catholic Society are under the earthly guidance of Andrew Wood, the Convenor of the Catholic Chaplaincy, who has been placed here by the Archdiocese of Sydney. Not to mention the guidance and assistance of the Communion of Saints and in particular, Mary Help of Christians, patron Saint of Australia and St. Thomas Aquinas, patron of learning.

It is inspiring to know that in our small way, here at Macquarie, each one of us “may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth” (Acts 13:47). We are also encouraged by the two thousand year history of the Church and the Holy Spirit’s protection from error for this time.