Leading with Joy and Hope for the Future
The Loreto Schools of Australia Committee 2026 Leadership Conference was a great gift for leadership teams from each Loreto school and our associated schools, John XXIII College and Bayview College. It enabled staff from School Leadership Teams to come together to share in formation, learning and an exploration of the characteristics of leadership in a Catholic Loreto context. The Organising Committee, comprised of Carolyn Young (Director, Mission & Identity, Loreto Ministries), Kieryn Bateman (Director of Learning, Loreto Normanhurst), Lisa Sexton (Assistant Principal: Head of Junior School, Loreto College Marryatville and Lynn Long, (Deputy Principal, Loreto Normanhurst) put together a program that encouraged senior leaders within our schools to look to the future of Loreto education with a deep sense of felicity, grounded in faith, purpose, and service. Over the course of three days, keynotes, workshops, ‘Teach Meets’ and ‘Principals Panels’ invited participants to explore the place of faith, learning and leadership in the Loreto educational mission.
Conference attendees were challenged to lead with faith and optimism, to embrace change with courage, and to create learning communities that equip our students for an ever-evolving world. The program explored future-focused approaches to learning and teaching while remaining anchored in Mary Ward’s rich tradition. It was designed to empower participants to ensure the next chapters of Loreto education in Australia are filled with joy, hope and an enduring mission that enables our students to take their place as active global citizens; highly capable people imbued with hope, who seek truth and work for justice.
The first keynote, offered by Professor David Hall fms (and former board member at Loreto Kirribilli), was titled “Leading with Joy and Hope: Source, Sustenance, Sincerity”. Br. David encouraged us to nurture the heart, and therefore the soul, and challenged us reflect on what educating the whole person really requires in our Catholic Loreto context. The second keynote, from Professor Miriam Tanti, focused on “AI, Cognition, and Leading with Felicity: Charting a Joyful and Hopeful Future for Education”. Miriam’s study of the impact of AI on cognition raised important questions before the Honourable Mary Delahunty explored “Leadership in an Inauthentic Age”. It was a joy to hear how Mary’s Loreto education contributed to her service as both a journalist and politician! It was a great reminder too of the responsibilities that we have to educate for justice.
These keynotes were complemented by workshops where participants were challenged to apply their learnings to their specific contexts and roles. Participants gathered both within their schools’ leadership teams, and with colleagues in like roles across the country, to ground the challenges presented by our keynote speakers in local contexts and role responsibilities. These workshops sat alongside `Teach Meets’, where representatives of school leadership teams responded to one of three provocations that asked schools to showcase effective practice, innovative thinking, and success stories. Both experiences were wonderful examples of sharing skills, gifts and best practice across the Loreto network in support of our shared mission.
Loreto Principals also contributed to the program through participating in panels where they explored either “Pilgrimage to Promise: Legacy and Hope in Loreto Leadership” or “Leading Forward with Felicity & Hope: Future Focused Learning in a Changing World”. The first panel discussion enabled the audience to witness the profound importance of nourishing one’s faith and making time to intentionally connect with the tradition we all serve, in support of enlivening its capacity to affect positive impact in contemporary times. The second topic provided the opportunity to explore both the challenges and opportunities of contemporary educational leadership. These impressive leaders generously shared insights, not only about the educational landscape but also their own journeys as women and men committed to Catholic Loreto education.
Each day began and ended with reflective prayer, and a beautiful celebration of the Eucharist in Mary MacKillop’s Chapel offered us the opportunity to pray for our students, colleagues and partners in mission as we prepared to return home. As we joined together, the experiences of formation, collaboration and community strengthened our commitment to authentic leadership of Loreto schools: providers of Catholic education which liberates, empowers and motivates students to use their individual gifts with confidence, creativity and generosity in loving and responsible service – now and in the future.