The Parish appointed a member of the Parish Pastoral Council, Ian McGuinness, to oversee the faith education of adults. Courses run under the aegis of, or directly by Ian include:

RCIA for those who wish to join the Catholic Church (See separate page for more details of this program).

Coming Home for those who wish to return to the Catholic Church. This ministry reaches out to non-participating or doubting Catholics, inviting them to rediscover their faith, resolve issues, and return to the community in a relaxed and confidential setting. This program is known as Catholics Returning Home and is held two times annually in our parish.

Over the years since it was introduced to St Patrick’s, many have re-connected with the Church, most going on to positions of service to the People of God.

CaFE for those who want to learn more about the Catholic Church. The CaFE programme was introduced into the parish as a response to an awareness of peoples’ hunger for knowledge of their faith. The word CaFE stands for Catholic Faith Education. So what is it about and how is it different?

Take a table neatly set with a tablecloth, a candle and coffee cups, plus a supply of tea and coffee, and perhaps some wine, and the parish has the basics for creating a relaxed and welcoming cafe-style environment where Catholics can explore their faith, or rediscover it, in an enjoyable and non-threatening way in small groups.

The CaFE concept is based on the successful formula of using videos to allow Catholic parishes to develop a culture in which people discuss and share their faith in an informal, cafe-type atmosphere, and gradually come to a deeper relationship with God and with each other. Sometimes we use a real person instead of videos.

Marriage Education for those who wish to marry in the Catholic Church. The Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference has declared that those marrying in the Catholic Church must attend a Pre-Marriage Education Course. As two of St Patrick’s parishioners, Ian McGuinness and Pat Fitzpatrick were responsible for establishing Marriage Education in the Broken Bay Diocese, the parish is in a strong position to fulfil its obligations in this respect.

Some of the following areas are covered in the Marriage Preparation Course:
 
Life Style Expectations
Friends and Interests
Personality Match
Personal Issues
Communication
Problem Solving
Parenting Issues
Extended Family Issues
Sexuality Issues
Financial Issues
Readiness Issues