Silver Jubilee - Our StoryReflection 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’ Catholic Schools At The Crossroads... Bishops’ Pastoral Letter

Catholic schools in Australia (2011)

No. of Catholic schools 1,704

Students 25 years ago (1987) 586,757

in 2011 723,472

Total staff (including non-teaching) 83,112 Over 17,000 non-teaching staff

Sir Henry Parkes 7th Premier NSW Died

1897

Public Instruction Act 1883 ‘From here on all education will be compulsory, free, & secular ’

- Henry Parkes

Catholic clergy and Catholic parentshad always seen the school as an integral partner in the transmission of faithThe 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 Education IRELAND

(1775 Presentation Sisters)

1802 Christian Brothers 1807 Brigidine Sisters 1808 Patrician Brothers 1815 Sisters of Charity 1831 Mercy Sisters 1867 Holy Faith Sisters

FRANCE1817 Marist Brothers1817 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 andGood Samaritan Sisters, there was a largenon-salaried workforce in Catholic schoolsby the early 1900s.

Great sacrifices... great goodwill• Pioneer Religious• Local Catholic Communities

19th Century deaths of young Irish Patrician BrothersName Year Age

Place Benedict McSweeney 1885 24 MaitlandMalachy Dwyer 1885 20 AlburyRegis Keogh 1886 22 MaitlandAmbrose Ryan 1889 23 ArmidaleAloysius O’Leary 1890 20 Bathurst Lewis Hynes 1891 27 GoulburnAnselm Casey 1892 28 Wagga WaggaTimothy Dwyer 1894 24 Wagga Wagga James Ryan 1896 23 Wagga WaggaStanislaus Meagher 1896 34 OrangePeter Gaynor 1897 26 Albury

11 Patricians died in 12 years...10 in their 20s Other Congregations… similar sad stories

1958 Saturday Working Bee

Sacred Heart Primary, Cabramatta

Fr Kiely PP

Large classes the norm in Catholic schools well into the 1960s

77 students in one class in Yr 4 Patrician Brothers, Liverpool

1964

AGILE learning spaces…had to be agile to get a seat!

Engaged Learning… Listen to Brother !

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 1950sBetween 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 91%

2005 Religious 165 0.9%

Lay 17,835 99.1%

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% Lay (0) 0%

Religious (339) 56.6% Lay (260) 43.4%

2005 Religious ( 48 ) 8.2% Lay (537) 91.8%

NOW (2012) OVER 99.5% Lay

Opening of Diocesan Catholic Education Office Parramatta Diocese in January

1987Principal ratio in the Diocese 1987 Almost 50% Religious 50% LayNow (2012) 3 Religious Principals in systemic schools

Maitland-Newcastle Diocese

Wollongong Diocese

BathurstDiocese

Wide expanseof SydneyArchdioceseprior to 1986

CentralCoast

Katoomba

HawkesburyRiver

PARRAMATTA

Diocese ofBroken Bay

Archdioceseof Sydney

Diocese ofParramatta

Cronulla

Katoomba

1986 Restructuring of Sydney ArchdioceseDIOCESAN BOUNDARIES (Approx only)

Sydney dividedInto 3 Regions--Eastern--Inner-West--Southern

Bishop Bede Heather

Inaugural Bishop of Outer West RegionLate 1970s -1986

Inaugural Bishopof Parramatta Diocese

1986 - 1997

Regional Schools’ Officers (RSOs) 1981 Regional Directors (RDs) 1982-

1986

Ann D Clark(East)

Aengus(Outer-West) Sr Patricia RSC

(Inner West)

Br Tony Whelan(Southern)

Br Norm Hart(Northern)

Development of CEO in Outer West Region1981-1982Desk at Broadway… part time presence in Region

1982-1985 Regional ‘CEO’ Wentworthville

Staff build-up to 18Dec 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

ShirleyHall

TerryKeogh Aengus Carmel B.

ComputerLady (1)

1985: Outer-West Office Staff (18) at Dunmore St

Wentworthville

Development of Region… Emergence of Diocese 1980s 13 New Schools in ONE

Decade 1981 John Paul Senior High, Marayong

1983 Sacred Heart Primary, Sth Mt Druitt1984 MacKillop Primary, Sth Penrith1985 Holy Spirit Primary, St Clair1986 St John Vianney Primary, Doonside1986 Corpus Christi Primary, Cranebrook 1986 St Patrick’s Primary… new site...new buildings Blacktown

Development of Region… Emergence of Diocese 1986 McCarthy Senior High, Emu Plains

1986 Bede Polding College, Sth Windsor 1987 St Madeleine’s Primary, Kenthurst 1988 Emmaus College, Erskine Park 1989 Marian College, Kenthurst 1989 Immaculate Heart Primary, Quakers Hill

Status Upgrade From 7-10 to 7-121984 Gilroy College, Castle Hill1985 Catherine McAuley, Westmead

First Diocesan Catholic Office Diocese of Parramatta Blacktown Opened as Regional Office in 1986

A Diocese on the move... New schools in recent decades

Holy Family Primary, LuddenhamTrinity Primary, Kemps CreekSt Francis of Assisi Primary, GlendenningLoyola Senior High School, Mt DruittSt Clare’s High School, Hassall GroveChisholm Catholic Primary, Bligh ParkBethany Catholic Primary, Glenmore ParkTerra Sancta College, Schofields-Quakers HillHoly Cross Primary, Glenwood

St Joseph’s Primary, SchofieldsSt Angela’s Primary, Castle HillHoly Family Primary, EmertonJohn XXIII & St Mark’s Stanhope GardensOur Lady of The Angels Primary, Rouse HillMother Teresa Primary, Westmead

Status Change Years 7 – 10 to Years 7 – 12St Columba’s Nagle Caroline ChisholmPatrician Bros St Paul’sMcCarthy Years 11 & 12 to Years 7 – 12Delany Years 7 – 10 to Years 7 – 12 & Co-ed

Keeping Pace with Needs

Ann D Clark

Inaugural Directorof Schools

Parramatta Diocese1987 – 1997

DiedJanuary 1997

Looking back over 50 + yearsTransition in staffing from 100% Religious > 100% LayRegrets? NO! A work of the Holy Spirit?

‘...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

Today for many teachers & leaders... serving

in Catholic education is beyond a job...

It’s a Vocation

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 of Parramatta

Diocese 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 legacywe now hold... especially in this

Diocese of Parramatta