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Preamble Why do we have Catholic Schools? What is distinctive about Catholic schools? |
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Preamble Catholic schools have been a major component of Australian education for over 175 years. During that time they have adapted to changing circumstances and changing times. In recent decades, as both the Church and Australian society have changed, Catholic schools have continued to develop and to grow in quality and public esteem. Compared to previous generations, today’s Australian Catholic schools are relatively well equipped and staffed by well-qualified, committed teachers. Parents, students and staff of Catholic school strive to be Christ-centred communities which witness to the Faith. Like all Australian schools, Catholic schools are accountable to governments and their local communities for meeting all the teaching and learning requirements of the state. They also have distinctive goals and features which derive from a core of philosophical and theological truths which are central to their character and mission. They are highly regarded by the Australian community. Catholic schools will strive to continue to meet the needs of the Australian people as they begin to confront the major national challenges such as Reconciliation and the demand for greater social equity. It is therefore timely to take stock of Catholic schools in Australia and the ways in which they are still relevant to meeting the needs of students and parents, the Catholic community and Australian society. To do so is to take up such major challenges as that recently issued by the Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education in its document The Catholic School on the Threshold of the Third Millennium (1997), namely to “devote careful attention to certain fundamental characteristics of the Catholic school, which are of great importance if its educational activity is to be effectual in the Church and in society” (#4). Changing Context Catholic schools in Australia operate in an ever-changing political and social context which shapes both the way they are organised and function, and their teaching and learning priorities. At present, Catholic schools are especially challenged by a range of issues emanating from Australia’s changing place in the world and its struggle for self-identity, as well as the theological and ecclesial transformations of the post-Vatican II Church. In this rapidly developing environment the Catholic school provides a potential source of stability and vision. Catholic schools seek to contribute to the creation of an Australian community that is highly educated, skilled and cultured with an ability to promote and embrace a critical analysis of social issues, the expansion of knowledge and the pursuit of truth. Such a community will be marked by a vigorous intellectual and cultural life, accessible to all. Education has individual and private benefits, but it is also very much a public good whose benefits enhance the whole community. Catholic schools emphasise the contribution of education to the common good of the Australian community. It is therefore timely to stress some of the fundamentals of Catholic education: education is for the person and for society, for inviting students to find meaning in their lives through forming a mature relationship with their God, for developing communal obligations and aspirations. The challenges for Catholic schools will continue to change, but their overall goals and ethos will remain and be incorporated into a new vision which is more appropriate to the multicultural and pluralistic faith dimensions of modern Australian society. Why do we have Catholic Schools? Catholic schools:
What is distinctive about Catholic Schools?
Catholic schools:
Catholic schools:
Catholic schools in Australia continue to respond to, and to serve, the needs of the parents who seek a Catholic education for their children. In the building up of Christ’s Kingdom and Australian society, Catholic schools play a deliberate and vital role. As explicitly acknowledged in The Catholic School on the Threshold of the Third Millennium (1997), “… now, as in the past, the Catholic school must be able to speak for itself effectively and convincingly. It is not merely a question of adaptation, but of missionary thrust, the fundamental duty to evangelise, to go toward men and women wherever they are, so that they may receive the gift of salvation” (# 3). This document is designed to show how the Australian Catholic school is able to “speak for itself effectively and convincingly”, and to highlight the fact that “the work of the school is irreplaceable and the investment of human and material resources in the school becomes a prophetic choice” (# 21).
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Photography by Bryan Chester and Ron Cottee.
Supplied by Queensland Catholic Education Commission.
Photograph at end supplied by Catholic Education Commission of Western Australia