“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20
In 2026, our theme ‘Faith Can Move Mountains, Whakamaunga ake tō whakapono” (Matt 17:20) invites us to trust that even small acts of faith, rooted in God’s grace, can bring about real change. Grounded in Catholic teaching and lived through our Domincan pillars of prayer, study, community and service, this theme calls us to courageous, hopeful action, for our students, one another, and our wider community.
Meaning
Jesus reminds us that even the smallest, most genuine faith holds extraordinary power when it is rooted in God. It is not about physical mountains, but the challenges that confront us: fear, injustice, doubt, hardship, or indifference.
Faith is not passive; it is not just believing quietly or waiting for change to happen. True faith is active trust in God that moves us to action, to courage, and to love. When we have faith, we allow God’s grace (the free and undeserved gift of God’s love and presence in our lives. God’s help to us, His strength, wisdom, and love, given to us so we can live as His children and do good in the world - Grace is not something we earn; it’s something we receive.)to work through us, inspiring us to bring hope, healing, and justice into the world. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1814) reminds us that faith “works through charity.” This means that faith is alive when it expresses itself through our words, choices, and actions. As the letter of James teaches, “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
For Dominicans, faith is never passive; it seeks understanding (Veritas) and moves us to preach the Gospel through both study and service. When we cooperate with God’s grace, our faith becomes a living force for transformation, helping us face and move the “mountains” in our lives and in the world around us. Faith grows through prayer, reflection, study, and service; the pillars of Dominican life. This theme is not about perfection, but about faithfulness, choosing again and again to act with hope, with compassion, and integrity in the midst of real pressures and challenges.
