St Benedict's was among one of a variety of charities to benefit from a new initiative of the religious education department of St Edmund's.

Director of mission Nathan Galea said traditionally, students were given a day off each year so the staff could participate in group activities designed to share knowledge and build rapport.

As a change from the normal, about 120 teachers and support staff from St Edmund's took to the streets around Canberra and Queanbeyan to lend a helping hand.

From visiting aged care facilities, to laying pavers and cooking meals, Mr Galea said the staff enjoyed the new challenge.

"The church has called for a special year, called a year of mercy," Mr Galea said.

"They have asked for, well there are many different facets, but one of them is doing works of mercy, going out and volunteering, giving your time to those in the community in need."

Mr Galea said as part of this, the staff decided to put their thoughts into action.

"We split up into teams of 10 to 20 and gave up three hours of time, and we went out and blitzed Canberra for the day."

The teams were given an iPad each to record their adventures, and the afternoon was dedicated to sharing their experiences.

Hospitality teacher Dean Parkes took a small team out to cook lunch for the people doing it tough in Queanbeyan.

While it was a regular event for the students at the college, it was the first time for staff.

"We cooked for about 70 residents [of Home in Queanbeyan] and visitors," Mr Parkes said.

"We put on a three course meal, with an Italian theme."

The staff prepared the meals with ingredients purchased by the school.

Mr Parkes said it was nice to get away from the formal style of staff retreat they were used to.

"You talk about what can be done in the community, and I think this was a great initiative - it made us get in there and actually do it rather than just talk about it."