Our Faith
Our Faith
The Chanel College experience is underpinned by our connection to the Catholic Church. Whether that connection is found in the classroom, through prayer or within our community and values, we pride ourselves on welcoming everyone and creating an environment where individuals are able to experience the faith.
Chanel College is a Catholic community; we follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and the founding orders of the Marist Brothers and Brigidine Sisters. We apply a Māori worldview of the Marist Pillars and the Brigidine charisms to promote and live by a set of core gospel values. You can learn more on the Wairarapa Catholic Parish website.
Our Sacramental programme for Baptism, Holy Communion, and Confirmation is offered to all students each year. Our local parish of St Patrick’s in Masterton provides support, and Religious Education Teachers from our college also prepare the students for the sacraments. Classes are held during school time, and we are supported by the Archdiocese of Wellington’s Secondary Religious Education Consultant, Kelly Ross.
Annual retreats are offered for each year level. These are special times allowing students to connect with each other and explore their faith through different themes, outside of the classroom. Our Year 12 leadership retreat is a particular highlight for our senior students.
Young Vinnies are the youth arm of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society. It is a platform to support our younger generation in their work to combat and understand the many Social Justice issues they see within their communities.
At Chanel College our Young Vinnies take part in four projects across the year inspired by the Catholic Corporal Works of Mercy; to feed the hungry, to give drink to the thirsty, to clothe the naked, to give shelter to travelers, to visit the sick, to visit the imprisoned, and to bury the dead. All students from Year 7 – 13 are encouraged to participate in at least one project, with many opting to participate in all.
O’Shea Shield is a public speaking Competition that is competed for each year by the 17 secondary Catholic Colleges in the Wellington and Palmerston North Dioceses. Our students showcase their skills through a range of events such as debating, religious drama, oratory and Māori scripture reading. This connection with the wider Catholic community is always a real highlight for our students.
Young Catholic Leaders (YCL) is a leadership programme offered annually by the Archdiocese of Wellington for school leaders. Each year our prefect team attends the five day camp, along with the Catholic Leaders of Seven other Catholic Colleges, to grow in their faith and their leadership skills.
Chanel College participates in two sporting exchanges with other Catholic schools during the year.
The Viard Shield Athletics Competition has been an annual fixture on our sporting calendar for over four decades. It is hotly contested by the five Catholic colleges in the lower North Island. This fixture pits together the best athletic champions across all five schools in honour of the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Wellington, Bishop Philippe Viard from Lyons, France.
Quad Tournament sees Chanel compete against four lower North Island Catholic schools across a range of winter sports including football, hockey, netball and rugby.