Fr Rob Galea has been a long-time friend of Catholic Regional College, Caroline Springs. His testimony and witness to the transforming love of Jesus is such a powerful message that our Year 8 staff and students were blessed to hear.

Year 8 student Grace D, shares her experience of the day:

The 2023 Year 8 Faith and Formation Day involved hearing from a special guest, Fr. Rob Galea, engaging in group activities, and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Throughout the day, we also listened to many songs, including some that Fr. Rob had written himself.

We began the day with the first seventy minutes dedicated to learning about Fr. Rob Galea's life story and the challenges he faced growing up. He also spoke about his home country, Malta, and described what his city was like. He shared his regrets about things he wished he could have changed in his upbringing and how he felt different from everyone else. Fr. Rob talked about the things he believed he needed to do to be 'cool' and well-liked.

After a quick break, we reflected with our class on what we had just learned from Fr. Rob. We completed a worksheet that compared his story to those of other saints. Then, we gathered in the Performing Arts Centre again to learn more about the rest of Fr. Rob's life, with a focus on his family, especially his relationship with them when he was younger and now, emphasising how close he is with them.

The last part of our day was spent in adoration. During this time, we sang, prayed, and sat in silence, adoring Jesus's body and acknowledging the blessings that God has bestowed upon us for a happy life.

Overall, the day was fun, very inspiring, and enlightening. It encouraged us to reflect on our choices and think about the future. Each of us was able to take away at least one valuable lesson from that day, and I believe that for most people, it was the importance of keeping God at the centre of our lives to help us overcome life's challenges.

Grace D – 8 Kulin