Our People

Outcomes in Catholic Education

Address given at the Opening & Blessing of St Anthony’s School Refurbishment, Marsfield

By Most Rev. Julian Porteous
Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney
12/9/2007

I recall visiting the parish when the school was moving into temporary classrooms on the oval. Much progress has been made since then. I congratulate all those who have dedicated themselves to achieve such a wonderful result in these new facilities at St Antony’s.

The new facilities we have before us are a product of a partnership between parents, the parish, teachers and the government. Today gives testimony to the co-operation and dedication of each of these partners.

Parents have a deep desire for their children to have the best possible formation not only in academics, but also a formation in character and the nurturing of their gifts, physical, intellectual and spiritual. A Catholic school has that precise purpose, inspired by the great tradition of our faith with its central core, a personal knowledge and relationship with Jesus Christ.

St Anthony’s parish too has contributed significantly to this school. Catholic parish communities have committed themselves seriously to ensure that a high quality school is available to serve the needs of the children of the community. There has been traditionally a very close working relationship between the parish community and the school.

The quality of a school depends to a large extent upon the abilities and dedication of its teachers. Catholic schools have such a high reputation in the community as a whole, because of the standards of teaching and pastoral care that the teachers offer. I acknowledge the debt the Church owes to the teachers in its schools.

Finally, we recognize the contribution made by governments. The active support of governments in assisting parents to provide schools of their choice for their children is an important aspect of the partnership that enables schools to operate without becoming an impossible financial burden.

The Catholic Bishops of NSW and ACT recently renewed their belief in the importance of Catholic Education in a pastoral letter entitled, “Catholic Schools at a Crossroads”. The pastoral letter recognized that while so much has been achieved in the past, we must critically examine whether we are still achieving the results that parents and the Church would expect from Catholic schools.

The social environment in which schools operate is constantly changing. While excellence in education is a noble goal for Catholic schools, we need also to ask as to whether we are achieving the particular goal of producing young men and women whose character and view of life is firmly fashioned by a deep faith in Jesus Christ and a desire to live that faith within the Church.

I recommend the pastoral letter to all parents. It is a call for all of us, as stakeholders in Catholic education, to ensure that our schools do achieve the critical outcomes in terms of the quality of Christian life that our young people embrace. Our Catholic faith is, in the end, the wellspring that nourishes and inspires our human character in its moral and spiritual dimension.

Once again I congratulate all involved in bringing this refurbishment to its conclusion.