From principals to parishes and healthcare in between, CDF experiences an Event-Full few months
October 13, 2022

After a near three-year hiatus, the events calendar was back in full swing with a surge of pent-up demand for face-to-face interactions. August through to October, proved to be the busiest event period for CDF in recent memory, with attendance and sponsorship of three major events alone, and with more events still on the horizon.


The season kicked started in August at the Principals Association of Catholic Secondary Schools (PAVCSS) Conference which took place in Healesville. CDF was proud to be a Premium Sponsor where we reconnected with the College Principals across Victoria, delving into the theme of ‘Church Renewal’ and sharing new initiatives with the group. With the PAVCSS Conference reverting back to regular programming next year, we look forward to meeting our Secondary School clients again at the event in 2023.

In the same week as the PAVCSS Conference, CDF sponsored the 22nd Annual Archbishop’s Dinner, an initiative of The Knights of the Southern Cross (KSC) Victoria, to support seminarians and the post-ordination of priests across the Archdiocese.

CDF have proudly supported the event for over 20 years and we are excited to participate again as a Gold Sponsor this year. It was a great evening, with over 400 in attendance, and was concluded with a silent auction and raffle generating over $85,000 for the Priests Support and Education Fund – the largest sum ever raised at the dinner event. You can read more about the work of the Knights of the Southern Cross here.


From Brisbane back to Melbourne, the CDF team enjoyed meeting with many Priests and Parish Staff at the Parish Administration Forum at Catholic Leadership Centre in East Melbourne. It was not only great to meet our community face-to-face, but also hear first-hand the stories, challenges and opportunities, faced by many parishes across the Archdiocese. We look forward to similar conversations within the Diocese of Sale and Bunbury in the coming months.

CDF’s event-spree continued into September at the Syro Malabar Cultural Centre Festival, held at South Morang Marymede College. The festival began with a church service at the college auditorium, followed by the symbolic creation of a large flower garden by the parishioners before concluding with plenty of dancing, music and delicious food. It was a fun-filled and culture-packed event hosted by the Syro Malabar community, who currently have a loan with the Fund for their new Cathedral, which is set to open in 2023.

The month of October has seen CDF continue its partnership with the Catholic Education Business Administrators (CEBA) group at their biannual conference which took place at Centrepiece, a newly constructed, state-of-the-art venue in the heart of the Melbourne Olympic Park Precinct. CDF is proud to be a Silver Partner with the CEBA group and is looking forward to continuing conversations and future engagement with members in the coming months.


Keep up with all the Good News and events from CDF on our social media channels. You can find us on FacebookInstagram and LinkedIn.

Share this article:

Related articles

By Michelle Ross-FitzGerald May 11, 2026
In the fast-growing suburb of Weir Views, Melton, a new chapter in Catholic early learning has begun. The St Lawrence of Brindisi Children's Hub has officially opened; the first of 12 purpose-built Children's Hubs that MACSEYE plans to deliver across Melbourne by 2029, and a significant milestone in the effort to bring high-quality early learning to families in some of the city's most rapidly expanding communities. CDF has been proud to support MACSEYE since its inception in 2024, providing vital operational support as it scales to meet growing demand while empowering children so they can contribute to a thriving, resilient, and compassionate society.
By Hillaria Juliana May 8, 2026
In the heart of Creswick - a historic gold rush town nestled in Victoria's central highlands, just 16 kilometres north of Ballarat - St Augustine's Primary School has been a cornerstone of community life for over 170 years. Established in 1855 to meet the needs of families during the Gold Rush, the school has grown and evolved across generations while remaining anchored in its Catholic faith and its deep sense of place. Today, St Augustine's is home to 144 students from Foundation to Year 6. Committed to the holistic development of students, the school focuses not just on academic excellence but on social and emotional wellbeing; and it does so as an integral part of the wider St Augustine's Parish and the Creswick community it has served for so long. Now, thanks to a $3.6 million redevelopment supported by CDF, the Diocese of Ballarat Catholic Education Ltd (DOBCEL), and the Federal Government, this much-loved school is stepping confidently into its next chapter.
April 17, 2026
For some children, the classroom can feel overwhelming. Anxiety, trauma, learning challenges or difficult life experiences can make it hard to concentrate, participate or feel safe at school. For these students, reconnecting with learning often requires more than traditional support approaches. Since 2018, MacKillop Family Services’ Paw Pals program has quietly been helping students take meaningful steps forward, one gentle interaction at a time. Through the presence of specially trained therapy dogs and skilled facilitators, Paw Pals creates safe and supportive environments where children can regulate emotions, rebuild trust and re-engage with learning. For the past five years, CDF has proudly partnered with MacKillop Family Services to support the continued growth of this program across schools.
More

CDPF Limited, a company established by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, has indemnified the Catholic Development Fund ABN 15 274 943 760 (the Fund) against any liability arising out of a claim by investors in the Fund. In practice, this means your investment is backed by the assets of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. The Fund is required by law to make the following disclosure. Investment in the Fund is only intended to attract investors whose primary purpose for making their investment is to support the charitable purposes of the Fund. Investors’ funds will be used to generate a return to the Fund that will be applied to further the charitable works of the Archdiocese of Melbourne and the Dioceses of Sale and Bunbury. The Fund is not prudentially supervised by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority nor has it been examined or approved by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). An investor in the Fund will not receive the benefit of the financial claims scheme or the depositor protection provisions in the Banking Act 1959 (Cth). The investments that the Fund offers are not subject to the usual protections for investors under the Corporations Act (Cth) or regulation by ASIC. Investors may be unable to get some or all of their money back when the investor expects or at all and investments in the Fund are not comparable to investments with banks, finance companies or fund managers. The Fund’s identification statement may be viewed here or by contacting the Fund. The Fund does not hold an Australian Financial Services Licence.