The home of Catholic students on campus
The ANU Catholic Society is the home of Catholic students on campus. As a society with strong Dominican origins, our motto - Fides et Ratio, Faith and Reason - draws from St Thomas Aquinas, who taught that rigorous intellectual inquiry and a life of deep faith are not opposing paths but complementary pursuits that lead to truth.
In this spirit, the Society provides a nourishing Catholic community that supports ANU students as they grow in faith and deepen their understanding of the world at university.
We organise a wide range of events: weekly Mass, volunteering initiatives, social gatherings and academic lectures. These provide opportunities for spiritual, intellectual and personal growth, while strengthening the bonds of friendship among our members.
- 15
- catechumens in the past two years
- 57%
- of the Archdiocese's current seminarians were associated with the Society
- 70
- current student members
- 5,500+
- social media followers
Pope St John XXIII · Fides et Ratio
Our patron is Pope St John XXIII, whose name is also carried by the Catholic residential college beside our chapel. His commitment to education and social justice is a legacy the Dominican Order has continued at ANU.
Our motto, Fides et Ratio - Faith and Reason - expresses the conviction at the heart of the Society: that the search for truth in the lecture theatre and the search for God in the chapel are the same search, seen from two sides.
Deep roots beside the university
Catholic life at ANU has deep roots. The Dominican friars established a presence beside the university, and John XXIII College - founded under Dominican auspices - has been a home for Catholic students since the 1960s. The St John the Evangelist Chapel on Daley Road remains the centre of Catholic worship on campus.
The Society today continues that tradition: Mass and the sacraments each week, formation in the intellectual tradition of St Thomas Aquinas, service with Caritas and Vinnies, and an open door for every student who walks past.
Who does what
The student executive runs the Society's events, communications and administration, and is elected each year at the AGM. The chaplain and visiting clergy celebrate the sacraments and provide pastoral care. Parish schedules belong to the parishes of the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn; we link to them but do not control them.
The ANU Catholic Society is a student society affiliated with the ANU Students' Association. Sacraments are celebrated by our chaplaincy and local parishes of the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn; the Society does not administer parish schedules.