What is CCRESS?

“Special Religious Education (SRE) is education in the beliefs and practices of an approved religious persuasion. Under the Education Act 1990, s. 32, government schools allow time for special religious education.” (DoE SRE)

CCRESS is the Catholic Conference of Religious Educators in State Schools in NSW-ACT. CCRESS draws its membership from every Catholic Diocese in NSW and the ACT and exists to assist Bishops to promote the evangelising mission of the Catholic Church through the work of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD). Bishop Brian Mascord (Wollongong Diocese) has been allocated the responsibility by the NSW-ACT Bishops for issues associated with the work of CCD via CCRESS.

Each Catholic Diocese provides a ministry to students in state schools through groups of volunteer Parish Catechists, who are trained as Special Religious Education (SRE) teachers and assistants, to carry the message to the students in state schools that God is love and Jesus came to bring the Good News and, with our loving heavenly Father, gives us the Holy Spirit to lead the People of God, the Church, into all truth.

CCRESS works with, and supports the 11 Dioceses in NSW-ACT in their commitment to provide trained and resourced Catechists as SRE teachers in public schools.