Term 3, 2026 Newsletter: week 8
Dear Parents,
When Australia's first national census was taken 10 years after Federation in 1911, there was no confusion about the religious question, nor about the answer. 96% of Australians were happy to report Christianity as their religion.
That 96% statistic was Lyle Shelten's point of departure for his address at this week's excellent Albury Wodonga Prayer Breakfast. The world needed God as much then as it does now. God doesn't change, but the world seems to have moved out of the neighbourhood.
At the 2021 national census, 'No religion' was the most common response, at 38.9% of the population (up from 30.1% in 2016). Christianity overall was 43.9% (down from 52.1% in 2016), with Catholic (20.0%) and Anglican (9.8%) the largest denominations. Non-Christian religious affiliation remained relatively low with Islam at 3.2% (~813,000 people) and Hinduism 2.7% (~684,000 people).
While this is an understandably lamentable situation, we are literally, through our baptism and the gift of faith, made for it. And there are signs of a reversal and growth in many places. For example, the Archdiocese of Sydney, together with the dioceses of Parramatta and Broken Bay are reporting a 57% increase in 2026 from last year in adults baptised and received into the Church at Easter, which was itself a 40% increase on 2024 — part of what church leaders are calling a broader worldwide trend of roughly 30% growth in adult baptisms and confirmations, concentrated among people in their 20s.
Among the places of Springtime growth, none is poised to have more evangelical impact than here in Albury through the devout Catholic families, orthodox and lively parishes. We play our part at SMMC by, among other things, graduating fine young disciples of Jesus who are on the cusp of post-school adulthood, and the annual community outreach of the SMMC Country Fete. I'd like to extend my sincere thanks to the great number of parents who have volunteered to run stalls and, in many other ways, contribute to the success of the fete. I met the pastor of one of Albury's larger evangelical churches at the prayer breakfast. When I introduced myself he immediately recognised our school name and the growth associated with it. It is at events such as the fete, along with the play, the netball, the gala dinner and myriad others that we do our bit, while the Holy Spirit does His.
Thank you for your support.
Warm regards,
Ian Smith
Principal
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