Education Sunday is celebrated in the Church annually on the second Sunday of September. To help schools and parishes celebrate the day, the Catholic Education Service has produced these resources 6a5103049f8cb432ee0f6762_Education Sunday 2026 FINAL.pdf including the following (abridged) statement:
Established by the Bishops in 1848, Education Sunday is one of the oldest Days of Special Prayer in the liturgical calendar of England and Wales.
Education remains the Church's biggest charitable activity, from establishing schools for poor immigrant children in the Victorian era through to welcoming pupils from Ukraine and Hong Kong today. In many other countries around the world governments do not fully fund Catholic schools, and a Catholic education is only available from a fee-paying, independent school. The success of Catholic education is, of course, dependent on many thousands of teachers, lecturers, academics, support staff, leaders, governors, directors, advisers and others who have found their vocation in Catholic education, and without whom this would be impossible. Catholic education continues to serve local communities and is an achievement worth celebrating - happy Education Sunday.
Paul Barber. Director of the Catholic Education Service
I hope that your school & parish are able to celebrate the day.
Education Mass – 13 September
Our annual Education Mass will again be celebrated on Education Sunday by Bishop Bosco at Ss Peter & Paul Cathedral, Clifton, Bristol, on Sunday 13 September at 6pm. As always, anyone involved in Catholic Education within the Diocese in any way is welcome to attend. We hope many of you will be able to attend – it would be great to see you there!