About
SPIRITUS is an international Catholic movement dedicated to the Spirit-led renewal of Catholic education. Entrusted with a unique charism for evangelisation, Spiritus forms educators, leaders, and young people to become missionary disciples, transforming Catholic schools into vibrant centers of faith and witness.
Our Aims
Spirit-Led Renewal of Catholic Education To envision and enact a renewal of Catholic education—specifically Catholic schools—as centers of evangelisation animated by the grace and power of the Holy Spirit. This involves deepening Catholic identity and renewing formation cultures within educational communities to ensure they are places of faith, witness, and mission.
Empowerment of Youth through Peer-to-Peer Ministry To encourage, empower, and equip young people to exercise the Church’s mission of evangelisation among their peers. Through Spiritus Youth Ministry, students are formed as missionary disciples within the school setting, nurturing faith communities and awakening a desire to share the joy of Christ with others.
Formation of Educators and Leaders for Mission To equip teachers and school leaders with theological depth, spiritual renewal, and practical competence. This aim, delivered through Spiritus Leader Formation, helps educators rediscover their baptismal identity as evangelisers and empowers them to lead their schools as instruments of the Church’s missionary life.
Ecclesial Communion and Global Stewardship To foster a global community—the Spiritus Leaders Network—that connects educators and youth ministers in shared mission, prayer, and intercultural learning. This aim ensures that all activities remain in faithful communion with the Church’s teaching and are supported by a sustainable framework of canonical stewardship.
A Unified Vision
Ecclesial Foundation
The Spiritus Leaders Network
Our Mission
Spiritus advances two high-impact strategies to strengthen Catholic identity and renew school culture:
Spiritus Leader Formation: Equipping educators and school leaders through theological formation and spiritual renewal to lead their communities with missionary depth.
Spiritus Youth Ministry: Empowering young people through peer-to-peer ministry, curriculum pathways, and retreats to share the joy of the Gospel with their peers.
While these two streams operate with distinct professional and academic governance, they are united by a single vision and mission. Together, they provide a coordinated, "whole-school" approach to evangelisation that aligns leader and teacher formation with student faith formation.
Spiritus operates in faithful communion with the Catholic Church. It is currently seeking recognition as a Public Association of the Christian Faithful, ensuring its work remains grounded in Church teaching and under the stewardship of competent ecclesial authority.
Beyond programs, Spiritus is a global community. Our Leaders Network connects accredited educators and youth ministers across countries and cultures, fostering a relational space for shared learning, prayer, and mutual support in the Church’s mission
"The Holy Spirit is the principal agent of evangelisation... Spiritus affirms that the renewal of Catholic education is a work of grace under the Spirit’s guidance."
Where is Spiritus implemented?
Spiritus is now providing teacher and student formation programs and resources in East Africa, Oceania and The United Kingdom.
Development
The Spiritus charism originated from two independent yet complementary initiatives within Catholic education, both emerging from a shared grace of evangelisation to renew schools as centers of faith.
Spiritus Leader Formation was developed in 2016 by Peter Woods and Prof. Br David Hall at the Australian Catholic University (ACU) La Salle Academy. In collaboration with Church leaders like Archbishop Christopher Prowse, these programs were designed to provide educators with theological depth and spiritual renewal, equipping them to animate their school communities for mission. Since its Australian inception, it has expanded to include cohorts across Europe, Oceania, and East Africa.
Parallel to this, Spiritus Youth Ministry (formerly CSYMI) was founded in 2007 by Peter Woods. It pioneered a peer-to-peer evangelisation model, featuring a "Four-Phase Curriculum" to form student communities of leadership and witness. This model gained global recognition, spreading from Australia to Uganda and the UK.
The two streams formally converged through a long-standing collaboration beginning in 2016, integrating youth initiatives with adult leadership formation. Today, they operate as a unified international apostolic work, stewarded by the Spiritus International Council.
The story of the development of Spiritus is told in Waves of Grace: Evangelisation in Catholic Schools (2024) The book explores how the Catholic Church can connect powerfully with young people through the evangelising mission of the Catholic school. Click here to purchase paper back or ebook.
Governance & Leadership
1. The Dual Accountability Framework
2. International Canonical Stewardship
3. Local and Regional Leadership
4. Authorisation: Licensing and Accreditation
Spiritus operates under a structured governance framework designed to safeguard its unique charism while ensuring professional excellence and ecclesial accountability across its international apostolic work. The model distinguishes between the spiritual stewardship of the movement and the practical administration of its formation programs.
To ensure both mission integrity and operational compliance, Spiritus employs a Dual Accountability Framework:
Formation Accountability: The ACU La Salle Academy (for Leader Formation) and the Spiritus Youth Ministry International Board (for Youth Ministry) oversee theological standards, program fidelity, and accreditation.
Operational Accountability: Local Host Organisations or civil entities manage staffing, legal compliance, financial administration, and safeguarding requirements within their specific jurisdictions.
The Spiritus International Council serves as the non-executive canonical authority for the movement. Its primary role is to:
Safeguard the unity and doctrinal integrity of the Spiritus charism across different cultures.
Confirm key leadership appointments, such as the Moderator and Regional Coordinators.
Provide a space for synodal discernment regarding the movement's international expansion.
The Moderator acts as the chair of this Council, serving as a point of communion between Spiritus leadership and the wider Church.
SPIRITUS is implemented on the ground through a phased development model that empowers local authorities:
National and Regional Leadership Teams: These teams coordinate delivery across formation streams, ensuring programs are responsive to local cultural and ecclesial realities.
Coordinators: Accredited leaders are appointed to oversee the implementation and fidelity of Spiritus programs within a defined country or diocese.
Spiritus Leaders Network: A global community of accredited educators and ministers that fosters relational communion and shared mission without exercising juridical authority.
Integrity is maintained through two primary authorisation mechanisms:
Accreditation (Individual): Granted to educators and ministers who have demonstrated the competency to deliver Spiritus programs.
Licensing (Institutional): Granted to dioceses, systems, or universities, allowing them to host Spiritus programs while adhering to established formation standards.