About the book
This book is intended as a resource to stimulate grass roots theologising and reflection among Catholic educators. The story of Catholic schools in Australia is one of vision and courage. For many years, Catholic schools survived and thrived without a cent of Government funding. The challenges facing Catholic educators in our times are more subtle in a highly secularist and consumerist society. All who work in Catholic education are now challenged to re-visit the primary reason why Catholic schools exist as a separate sector and to seek to ‘grow the story’ in alignment with the founding vision. Catholic schools with an authentic Catholic culture are a gift within the church and a transforming gift within Australian society. Topics and themes of this book will be of special interest to clergy and parents also. A major part of the book is devoted to a rich range of reflections and prayers suitable for use by adults working in Catholic education, but also suitable for personal prayer and for retreat settings. To read 'Why this book now?' click here |
About the authors
About Sr Leone Pallisier
Leone Pallisier osu has been a secondary school teacher and principal. She has also been Province leader of the Ursuline Sisters in Australia. As a school principal, she had as a priority the faith and spiritual formation of staff. Later, as a member of staff at the Catholic Education Office in Parramatta she had widespread experience working with school principals, leadership teams, and teachers as organiser and facilitator of a variety of faith development and renewal programs. She has also worked in a similar capacity with Catholic school educators and religious in Indonesia, Thailand, Kenya, and Myanmar. She continues this work of adult faith and spiritual development with schools and with women’s groups. Leone is a certified facilitator of the Centre for Courage & Renewal retreat programs: Courage to Teach, Courage to Lead, developed from the work of Parker Palmer. She spent thirty-six days walking the Camino, Spain, in April/May 2014. This was followed by some time in a hermitage at Glendalough, Ireland. |
About Br Aengus Kavanagh
Aengus Kavanagh fsp is an Irish-born Patrician Brother who has been actively involved in Catholic school education for over fifty years. He has been a Science and RE teacher and a secondary school principal. He has been a Province and international Congregation leader in the Patrician Brothers. For the past twenty years, Aengus has been on staff at the Catholic Education Office, Parramatta working mainly in the area of leadership development. He has also organised and coordinated professional learning and formation programs for educators in Catholic schools and systems in Ireland, Kenya, India, Pakistan, and Papua New Guinea. Aengus is a Fellow of the Australian College of Educators, a Fellow of the Australian Catholic University, and holds post-graduate qualifications from four different universities. Together, Leone and Aengus have facilitated retreat and leadership seminars for Congregational leaders and for clergy in Papua New Guinea. Also, together they have organised and coordinated the development and renewal program for Catholic school prinicipals – ELIM, from its inception in 1995 until 2013. |
About the contributors
Geoffrey Robinson
Geoffrey Robinson is now an emeritus bishop living in Sydney. In 1984 he was appointed auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Sydney, a role he held until retirement for health reasons in July 2004. For many years Bishop Geoffrey served as Chairman of the Sydney Archdiocesan Schools Board and Chairman of the Australian Catholic Education Commis- sion, NSW. As well as ministering as a priest, parish priest and bishop, Bishop Geoffrey has been a lecturer in Canon Law and is author of several books. For many years he presented theology and scripture courses to teachers in Sydney Catholic schools. |
Kelvin Canavan
Kelvin Canavan is a Marist Brother, who after experience as a teacher and school principal joined the Catholic Education Office Sydney as an Inspector of Schools in 1968. He subsequently served as Director of Primary Schools and became Executive Director of all Archdiocesan schools in 1987, a role he held with distinction until his retirement in April 2009. In between, Kelvin acquired a number of postgraduate qualification and public awards, and was guest lecturer on Catholic school education in several countries. He remains a visiting professor at both the Australian Catholic University and Notre Dame University. |
Dr Tony Whelan
Dr Tony Whelan is a Christian Brother who, after teaching and secondary school leadership, joined the Catholic Education Office at Broadway in Sydney as part of a team charged with restructuring the archdiocesan system of schools. In 1981 he was appointed as the founda- tion Regional Director of the Southern Region of the Archdiocese of Sydney and continued in that role until the end of 1986. He became a member of the Province Leadership Team from 1983 to 1996. He completed doctoral studies at ACU. From August 2000 to March 2012 he was Director of Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Broken Bay. |
Anne Benjamin
Anne Benjamin is a woman of the church. She has been a school teacher, adult educator and academic and for sixteen years served in senior administrative roles in Catholic education, including nine years as Director of Schools in the Diocese of Parramatta. She has contrib- uted to governance with the NSW Board of Studies and Teaching Council, and at university level. She currently holds honorary roles as Professor with the Australian Catholic University and Honorary Fellow of the University of Western Sydney. She has worked with leaders in many Catholic dioceses and with Sydney Anglicare as well as projects overseas. Her published writings have focussed on Catholic education, ministry, leadership and, increasingly, poetry. |
Patricia Maidens
Tricia Maidens is Foundation Principal of Xavier College Llandilo which was established in 1999 and currently is a commissioner on the Catholic Education Commission of New South Wales. She has been teaching for 40 years in both the Catholic and the Public sector and has been involved in a number of working parties, especially in the area of curriculum develop- ment. She has enjoyed the opportunity to work cross sectorial with both Independent and Government Secondary Principals in pressing for action on a number of national issues. In her capacity as an executive member of the ACSP, she has also represented Catholic Secondary Principals (NSW) on a national level as a Director of CaSPA (Catholic Association of Secondary Principals Australia) In 2009 she was awarded the Brother John Taylor Award by the Catholic Education Commission for her contribution to Catholic education in New South Wales. After 16 years as principal at Xavier College, Patricia retired in December 2015. |
Dr Paul Monkerud
Fr Paul Monkerud worked for five years as an engineer before joining the priesthood. In 2013, he celebrated his Silver Jubilee of ordination. At present, he is Parish Priest of St Charles Borromeo Ryde and Our Lady Queen of Peace Gladesville. He is active in the spiritual and pastoral ministry of both parish schools and in the boy’s secondary school at Holy Cross College Ryde. As far as possible, he joins with staff on retreats and other faith formation initiatives. Fr Paul holds a Doctorate of Ministry from the Sydney College of Divinity. Currently(2015), he is the Vicar for New Evangelisation in the Sydney Archdiocese and is also a member of the Sydney Archdiocesan Catholic Schools’ Board. |
Stephen Aitken
Stephen Aitken has spent a majority of his life in Catholic schools as a student, as a teacher, and as a principal. He has given distinguished service as a principal in four Catholic Secondary schools including two schools where he was the founding principal: John Paul II Senior High School, Marayong, and St Mary MacKillop K-12 College, Warnervale. Throughout his professional career Stephen has shown a great capacity to relate positively with young people. Though retired from active service in schools and now a doting grandfather, Stephen continues to offer consultancy services to schools and dioceses. He is a member of the Catholic Schools Council, Maitland-Newcastle Diocese, and he is Executive Secretary to the Association of Catholic School Principals.) |
Brenda Kennedy
Sr Brenda Kennedy is near the last of a species that is becoming extinct in Catholic schools, namely a religious sister who is active as a school principal. There was a time when every Catholic primary school in what is now the diocese of Parramatta was led by either a religious sister or brother. Sr Brenda is now the only religious who is a principal in diocesan primary schools in Parramatta. Sr Brenda is a Holy Faith Sister who was born in Dublin and did some teaching there before coming to Australia in 1980. She has been a Catholic school principal for twenty-five years, which includes almost ten years in her present school, Holy Family, Emerton, Mt Druitt where she was the founding principal in 2004. Additionally, she served as an Area Administrator in the Catholic Education Office, Parramatta, for three years. In 2014, she was given the Vatican Award ‘Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice’, for her services to Catholic schools in the diocese of Parramatta. |
Nicholas Harsas
Brother Nicholas Harsas, fsp is Sydney- born and received his education at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary School, Gladesville and Holy Cross College, Ryde. On completion of his teacher training, he taught at St Charles Catholic Primary School, Ryde before joining the Patrician Brothers. Prior to his present position as principal at the parish primary school in Fairfield, Brother Nicholas was principal at Patrician Brothers’ Primary School, Fairfield and St Therese Catholic Primary School, Sadleir-Miller. He was among a group of schools’ and office staff from the Catholic Education Office, Sydney to participate in the canonisation ceremonies for Popes John XXIII and John Paul II in Rome in April 2014. Brother Nicholas is the last remaining Religious principal of a Catholic primary school in the very large system of schools of the Archdiocese of Sydney. |