Silver Jubilee - Our Story Reflection by Br Aengus Kavanagh FSP
Silver Jubilee - Our Story Reflection by Br Aengus Kavanagh FSP Celebrating Jubilee A time to look back on the Story... our shared narrative As Christians and as Catholics we are especially... A People of the Story & We are called to tell the story of God’s love ‘We come to tell our story...’ ‘Jewel in the Crown of the Church’ olic Schools At The Crossroads... Bishops’ Pastoral Le Catholic schools in Australia (2011) No. of Catholic schools 1,704 Students 25 years ago (1987) in 2011 723,472 586,757 Total staff (including non-teaching) 83,112 Over 17,000 non-teaching staff Public Instruction Act 1883 ‘From here on all education will be compulsory, free, & secular’ Catholic clergy and Catholic- Henry parents Parkes had always seen the school as an integral partner in the transmission of faith The Catholic church decided to ‘go it alone’ setting up its own schools. A TOUGH CALL: Relinquishing all access to any Government funding And thus it was from the 1880s until late 1960s 19th Century: A Springtime in the Church Birth of many Religious Congregations devoted to Catholic IRELAND Education (1775 Sisters) 1802 1807 1808 1815 1831 1867 Presentation Christian Brothers Brigidine Sisters Patrician Brothers Sisters of Charity Mercy Sisters Holy Faith Sisters 1817 1817 FRANCE Marist Brothers Marist Sisters AUSTRALIA 1857 Good Samaritan Sisters 1866 Sisters of St Joseph Late 19th century & early 20th century many Religious came from Ireland to work in Catholic schools...also some from Europe. Along with local Sisters of St Joseph and Good Samaritan Sisters, there was a large non-salaried workforce in Catholic schools by the early 1900s. Great sacrifices... great goodwill • Pioneer Religious • Local Catholic Communities 19th Century deaths of young Irish Patrician Brothers Name Year Age Place Benedict McSweeney 1885 24 Maitland Malachy Dwyer 1885 20 Albury Regis Keogh 1886 22 Maitland Ambrose Ryan 1889 23 Armidale Aloysius O’Leary 1890 20 Bathurst Lewis Hynes 1891 27 Goulburn Anselm Casey 1892 28 Wagga Wagga Timothy Dwyer 1894 24 11 Patricians died in 12 years...10 in their 20s Wagga Wagga similar sad James Ryan Other Congregations… 1896 23 stories Wagga Wagga Stanislaus Meagher 1896 34 Orange Peter Gaynor 1897 26 Albury 1958 Saturday Working Bee Sacred Heart Primary, Cabramatta Fr Kiely PP 77 students in one class in Yr 4 Patrician Brothers, Liverpool 1964 1960s - Near Breaking Point! • Huge Classes • Goulburn Strike • Major Curriculum restructure Wyndham Report • Very difficult to get trained lay Catholic teachers • Restlessness in society and in Church • Decrease in Religious • BUT… the line was held Break through in 1968! Government per capita funding From State Government only: Annual Grants: K-6 $12.00 7-12 $18.00 Towards a system of schools • Mainly autonomous up to mid 1960s ‘CEO’… staff of about 6 part-time mainly Religious & Priests + Mons Slowey (Director) • Expansion to Broadway staff build-up. CEO take-up of policies & admin from mid 1970s onwards. Establishment of CEC. Transition from Religious to Lay Staff in Catholic Schools Almost 100% Religious from 1880s to mid 1950s Between 1955 & 2005... almost 100% transition Religious > Lay Teachers in NSW Catholic schools 1965 -2005 CEC NSW 1965 Religious 3,654 69% Lay 1,628 31% 1985 Religious 1,168 9% Lay 11,688 2005 Religious 165 0.9% Lay 17,835 91 1981- 1986 Decentralisation of Sydney Archdiocesan System of schools Setting up of 5 Regions to correspond with existing 5 Pastoral Regions 1986 Regions: Eastern, Inner-West & Southern become Sydney Archdiocese Northern Region becomes Broken Bay Diocese Outer-West Region becomes Parramatta Diocese Principals in NSW Catholic schools 1965 2005 1965 Religious (668) 100% Religious (339) 2005 Religious ( 48 ) Lay (0) 0% 56.6% Lay (260) 43.4 8.2% Lay (537) 91.8% NOW (2012) OVER 99.5% Lay Opening of Diocesan Catholic Education Office Parramatta Diocese in January 1987 Principal ratio in the Diocese 1987 Almost 50% Religious 50% Lay Now (2012) 3 Religious Principals in systemic schools Maitland-Newcastle Diocese Wide expanse of Sydney Archdiocese prior to 1986 Central Coast Hawkesbury River Bathurst Diocese PARRAMATTA Katoomba Wollongong Diocese 1986 Restructuring of Sydney Archdiocese DIOCESAN BOUNDARIES (Approx only) Diocese of Broken Bay Diocese of Parramatta Katoomba Archdiocese of Sydney Cronulla Sydney divided Into 3 Regions --Eastern --Inner-West --Southern Bishop Bede Heather Inaugural Bishop of Outer West Region Late 1970s -1986 Inaugural Bishop of Parramatta Diocese 1986 - 1997 Aengus (Outer-West) Ann D Clark (East) Sr Patricia RSC (Inner West) Br Tony Whelan (Southern) Br Norm Hart (Northern) Regional Schools’ Officers (RSOs) 1981 Regional Directors (RDs) 1982-1986 Development of CEO in Outer West Region 1981-1982 Desk at Broadway… part time presence in Regio 1982-1985 Regional ‘CEO’ Wentworthville Staff build-up to 18 Dec 1985 Regional CEO Blacktown (‘DAC’) Major Challenges • More schools/upgrade of schools • Building-up of a community of schools • Support services for learning & student care Shirley Terry Keogh Hall Aengus Carmel B. Computer Lady (1) Development of Region… Emergence of Diocese1980s 13 New Schools in ONE Decade 1981 1983 1984 1985 1986 1986 1986 John Paul Senior High, Marayong Sacred Heart Primary, Sth Mt Druitt MacKillop Primary, Sth Penrith Holy Spirit Primary, St Clair St John Vianney Primary, Doonside Corpus Christi Primary, Cranebrook St Patrick’s Primary… new site...new buildings Blacktown Development of Region… Emergence of Diocese 1986 McCarthy Senior High, Emu Plains 1986 1987 1988 1989 1989 Bede Polding College, Sth Windsor St Madeleine’s Primary, Kenthurst Emmaus College, Erskine Park Marian College, Kenthurst Immaculate Heart Primary, Quakers Hill Status Upgrade From 7-10 to 7-12 1984 Gilroy College, Castle Hill 1985 Catherine McAuley, Westmead A Diocese on the move... New schools in recent decades Holy Family Primary, Luddenham Trinity Primary, Kemps Creek St Francis of Assisi Primary, Glendenning Loyola Senior High School, Mt Druitt St Clare’s High School, Hassall Grove Chisholm Catholic Primary, Bligh Park Bethany Catholic Primary, Glenmore Park Terra Sancta College, SchofieldsQuakers Hill Holy Cross Primary, Glenwood t Joseph’s Primary, Schofields t Angela’s Primary, Castle Hill oly Family Primary, Emerton ohn XXIII & St Mark’s Stanhope Gardens ur Lady of The Angels Primary, Rouse Hill other Teresa Primary, Westmead tatus Change ears 7 – 10 to Years 7 – 12 t Columba’s Nagle Caroline Chisholm atrician Bros St Paul’s cCarthy Years 11 & 12 to Years 7 – 12Delany ears 7 – 10 to Years 7 – 12 & Co-ed Keeping Pace with Needs Ann D Clark Inaugural Director of Schools Parramatta Diocese 1987 – 1997 Died January 1997 Looking back over 50 + years Transition in staffing from 100% Religious > 100% Lay Regrets? NO! A work of the Holy Spirit? Today for many teachers & leaders... serving in Catholic education is beyond a job... It’s a Vocation ‘...the role of the laity in the Church. They should not be considered merely as ‘collaborators’ of the clergy, but as people truly ‘co-responsible’ in the work of the Church.’ Message of Pope Benedict XVI to International Forum of Catholic Action 23 August 2012 Change Tsunami… 50 shades of grey! However, NOW...the most professionally qualified leaders and teachers in the history of Catholic schooleducation. As a system, we will not be found wanting in the educational and professional stakes. BIGGEST CHALLENGE Will Catholic Schools Be Authentically Catholic 25 years from now ? Answer depends significantly on priority to policies and practices in faith formation of staff, now and in the years immediately ahead... Parramatta & Beyond… Places of growth and exuberance • Infrastructure investment - M2 M4 Rail & Bus • New sports teams - Western Sydney Wanderers, Greater Western Sydney (AFL)…. • Demographic heart of Sydney moving west Diocese of Parramatta of Parramatta A fertile vineyard for the Good News Today, we remember in gratitude the GIANTS on whose shoulders we stand in Catholic school education... We are now called to be the GIANTS on whose shoulders future generations of teachers and leaders in Catholic school education will stand. Let us ‘pay forward’ the rich legacy we now hold... especially in this Diocese of Parramatta
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