The long-awaited religious freedom legislation which is expected to be tabled in the Australian Parliament today (25 November), is an important step towards protecting religious freedoms in this country.

For Catholic, and other faith-based schools, the legislation will support us to operate, in identity and mission, as faith-based schools. 

Governments should respect and protect the religious freedom of parents who choose to send their children to a school where they will be taught in accordance with their religious convictions.

The curriculum, pedagogy and day to day activities of the school, including liturgical activities, are underpinned by a Catholic worldview and this could be compromised if Catholic schools don’t have the freedom to employ staff who are supportive of their mission.

It is encouraging to see that both major parties, and their leaders, have indicated that religious schools, and parents of students, are entitled to require employees to act in their roles in ways that uphold the ethos and values of that faith, and that this requirement may be taken into account when a person is first employed and in the course of their employment.

The legislation is not about extending discriminations regarding other civil or political rights, but is about ensuring religious rights in Australia are protected. 

The federal legislation needs to be finalised as quickly as possible to set national leadership on this issue, as we have seen some states seeking to curb religious freedom through their own legislation.  

Catholic Social Teaching and Australian Policy Making

I was pleased to moderate the recent panel discussion at the launch of Emeritus Professor Greg Craven's book, Shadow of the Cross, last Thursday evening with former Prime Ministers Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott, and host of the event, Archbishop of Melbourne, Peter A Comensoli (see story below). 

The panel offered an interesting dicussion on the role of Catholic social teaching principles in policy making with education being a key area where Prof Craven argued that it would make a beneficial contribution. 

We've seen in recent decades education become a battleground for a range of ideological viewpoints. Catholic social teaching - and its key principles of the dignity of the human person, the common good, subsidiarity and solidarity - offer a lens that can contribute to a vision for Australian education or, at the very least, Catholic education. 

I would encourage you to read the book which offers responses by Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott, among others.

Jacinta Collins 
National Catholic education executive director

A new book, Shadow of the Cross, by former Australian Catholic University (ACU) vice chancellor Emeritus Professor Greg Craven AO has been launched at an online event featuring a panel discussion with Archbishop of Melbourne Peter A Comensoli and former Prime Ministers' Tony Abbott AC and Kevin Rudd AC. 

The panel, moderated by National Catholic education executive director Jacinta Collins, explored the themes raised in the book on the past influence of Catholic social teaching on Australian politics and policy making, and whether it could be used to offer a vision for how Australian political debate might be done better.

Throughout the evening the two former leaders discussed concrete examples of worker wages, education, and climate change, both offering their differences of opinion on how specific policies might or might not be able to reflect Christian values.

Tony Abbott spoke forcefully about the toxic political climate that has developed in recent years.

"I don’t like the tendency which has crept into so much of our public life to be too judgemental about people with whom you disagree. People aren’t necessarily bad people just because they don’t share our views on particular issues."

The role of the Church in Mr Abbott’s view is to form the character of people who go into public life whilst leaving the details of policies themselves to those actually in public life.

Parts of this article are extracted from an article first published on the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne's website 

NSW vice chancellors L-R: Professors Alex Zelinsky, Zlatko Skrbis, Andrew Parfitt, Ian Jacobs, Brigid Heywood, Patricia M Davidson, and Barney Glover with moderator Tim Orton from the Nous Group.

Australian Catholic University (ACU) vice chancellor Professor Zlatko Skrbis was part of the NSW Vice Chancellors panel discussion held in Sydney last week (18 November).

The panel, hosted by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, explored how the higher education sector will ensure universities remain resilient and sustainable.

According to The Age, NSW vice chancellors’ committee convener Professor Barney Glover, from Western Sydney University, said if borders remained open and international students were allowed to return, a resurgence in enrolments could be expected to start next year and in 2023.

“I think we will see a return to 2019 levels over the next two years,” Professor Glover said. 

University of NSW vice chancellor Ian Jacobs said he expected international students to flood back to Australia once allowed, but cautioned universities against putting “all our eggs in one basket”.

“I’d love to see online embraced in a massive way by Australian universities. Australia can be genuinely educating millions and millions of people around the world, who can’t access a good quality education, through using online technology.”

Prof Zlatko Skrbis said he was “slightly less optimistic” than his colleagues about “where we are going to land in a few years time” with the return of international students.

He stressed that many students wanted to return to campuses for face to face learning.

“I think we will need to think about how we calibrate the online and face to face modalities because the fundamental urge to be social and to create those communities and enjoy them is going to be there."

National Catholic education deputy director Sally Egan attended the panel and said Prof Skrbis challenged tertiary educators to emulate school educators and get back to face to face teaching and to consider the pedagogy required to maintain online learning.

"Our school communities understand the value of onsite learning for students' social, academic and emotional wellbeing, and tertiary-level students also need to be connected to their learning communities to give them the best support for post-school education." 

Some parts of this article are extracts from an article that was first published in The Age

L-R: Sally Egan, Prof Zlatko Skrbis, and Jason Flynn and Lee Hickin from Microsoft. 

Students from St Fidelis School, Moreland 

The inaugural national Catholic schools STEM MAD (Making a Difference) showcase was held on 16 November with student and teacher state finalists from 22 Catholic schools around the country.

The event was held virtually and showcased how participants are prepared to push the boundaries to solve problems for the future.

Themed 'Learning from the past to build a better future', students were challenged to present solutions designed to make a difference by addressing a service, the environment, or a product, through the lens of Catholic stewardship, solidarity, common good, citizenship, humanity, and wellbeing.

Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools acting executive director Dr Paul Sharkey said Catholic schools aim to not only be innovative and leaders in teaching and learning, but also to make a positive difference in the world.

"What better way to bring this philosophy to life than by challenging students to address real world science and engineering problems in a way that also acts for justice and the common good," Dr Sharkey said.

Judges considered design process, innovative application of scientific and mathematical concepts, engineering and communication principles and the distinction of making a difference in the world by acting for justice and the common good.

The event was made possible with the generous support of Catholic Network Australia.

Congratulations to the major award winners:

STEM MAD National – Primary Schools Award
St John's Catholic School, Richmond, Tasmania
‘Capaci Carbon Scrubber’

STEM MAD National Secondary Schools Award
St Eugene College, Burpengary, Queensland
‘Beach Mate’

*STEM MAD National – ‘Future is STEM’ Primary Schools Award
St Vincent’s Primary School, Clear Island Waters, Queensland
‘Vision Buddy’

*STEM MAD National – ‘Future is STEM’ Secondary Schools Award
Magdalene College, Narellan, New South Wales
‘CLT Eco Office’

*(The 'Future is STEM' category recognises and encourages students creating projects which demonstrate all the STEM capabilities but don’t quite meet the 'MAD' criteria)

Read more via CNA's website

Over 300 students from 36 schools across the state attended the NSW Catholic Earthcare Youth Summit on 10 November. The event was hosted by Mount St Benedict College in Pennant Hills, attended by Bishop of Parramatta Vincent Long OFM Conv. 
 
Catholic Earthcare Australia, a program of Caritas Australia, collaborated with students at Mount Saint Benedict College, Saint Scholastica’s College, Glebe, Saint Mary Star of the Sea College, Wollongong and Stella Maris College, Manly to design and lead the one-day event, covering environmental advocacy on the personal, community and international level.   
 
Caritas Australia’s youth coordinator Sabrina Stevens said the focus of the day was to empower students to advocate for and take action on ecological justice and sustainability.
 
“This year, the theme is: ‘from little things, big things grow’, which reflects how the youth summit is created by students, for students, with a view to develop their capacity to advocate for the future they want to see.”   
 
“I’m excited to see so many young people who are invested in the future of our planet, and through these events Catholic Earthcare supports young people to take leadership and take action to care for creation. It’s really thrilling to see students respond to the call to care for our common home and put in the time and effort to build an event like this.”  
 
Families and parish and school representatives are all welcome to attend the Earthcare Families Zoom launch  where they will learn about the program, process and how to get involved. 

Australia’s Catholic bishops have endorsed the Uluru Statement from the Heart at the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference biannual meeting earlier this month.

Chair of the Bishops Commission for Relations with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Bishop Columba Macbeth-Green OSPPE said, “we are very grateful for the reflections of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council in helping shape our thinking on this important subject.

“We also heard from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members of the Plenary Council at our recent assembly of their desire for the Church in Australia to follow NATSICC’s lead."

The Plenary Council’s agenda called for the Church to “honour and acknowledge the continuing deep spiritual relationship of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to this country and commit ourselves to the ongoing journey of reconciliation”. Among the key recommendations of the Uluru Statement are the establishment of a First Nations “Voice” to the Australian Parliament and a commission to supervise a process of “truth-telling” between governments and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The bishops’ consideration of the matter was informed by the words of St John Paul II, who in a visit to Alice Springs in 1986 said to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples: “Your culture, which shows the lasting genius and dignity of your race, must not be allowed to disappear… Your songs, your stories, your paintings, your dances, your languages, must never be lost.”

Read more

Image source: fromtheheart.com.au

The National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) is seeking a highly motivated and experienced Office Manager/PA for a full-time role based in The Rocks, Sydney.

To be successful in this role, you will need:

• 2-3 years experience in an Office Manager/PA role
• office administration
• excellent attention to detail
• be proactive and highly organised
• highly developed written and verbal communication skills
• a professional, welcoming approach
• a proven ability to manage priorities and meet tight deadlines
• a high level of proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite

Key responsibilities: 

• diary, phone and inbox management for the Deputy Director
• coordination and preparation of meetings and assisting with events
• recording minutes and preparing reports/presentations
• manage the administration of our Sydney office including monitoring of office supplies
• database maintenance
• correspondence and preparing electronic mailouts
• assisting with project management / delivery
• assist with budget and financial administration

Applications close 5pm Friday 3 December 2021

Visit our website for the position description and application details

Catholic educators recognised in Qld TEACHX Awards

Two Catholic school educators were recognised in the TEACHX Awards that celebrate the achievements of inspiring teachers from schools and early childhood education and care services across Queensland.

Ariel Hsu-Chia Chen (left) from St James College, a school in the Edmund Rice tradition in Brisbane, won the 'Excellence in Beginning to Teach Award' for challenging the stereotypes about what children can and can’t learn if they have a learning difficulty or disability and how languages have sometimes been taught.

Students are achieving astonishing results in Ariel's Chinese Language classes at St James where 62 per cent of the students, who come from over 50 different cultural backgrounds, speak English as an additional language.

“We don’t often see people with disabilities speak a foreign language, but we make it happen here,” Ariel said. “It doesn’t matter where you are from, what kind of challenge you have – you can succeed in my classroom. Education is the one thing that changes your life.”

Elyse Johnston (right) from St Laurence’s College, Brisbane, which is also a school in the Edmund Rice tradition, won the 'Outstanding Contribution to School Community Award' for leading the array of extra-curricular activities and assessments which see students at the all-boys school serve their local, state and international communities.

Elyse's idea for students to paint for charity in a new ‘Art in Practice’ subject was the catalyst for a much-loved, school-wide event, which raises money and provides food for charity.

“We would get someone from the community to come in and talk to the students about what their organisation does and why they do it. Then, the students would choose an organisation they aligned with and create an artwork for it,” Ms Johnston said.

“Then we thought, ‘No, this is bigger than just to show in class’, so I spoke to other Arts areas and we put on our first exhibition, which was artwork and performances. Since then, it has also included music, so we have school bands play, and this year we have Visual Art and Film and TV joining the line-up as well, which is really exciting.”

Elyse is currently co-facilitating a student-led Edmund Rice Beyond Borders project, which has connected ‘Lauries’ students online with pupils at St Patrick’s College in COVID-ravaged India, among many other initiatives. 

Ariel and Elyse both received a $5,000 prize for professional development.

Read more

We, gathered at the 2017 National Constitutional Convention, coming from all points of the southern sky, make this statement from the heart:

Our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander tribes were the first sovereign Nations of the Australian continent and its adjacent islands, and possessed it under our own laws and customs. This our ancestors did, according to the reckoning of our culture, from the Creation, according to the common law from ‘time immemorial’, and according to science more than 60,000 years ago.

This sovereignty is a spiritual notion: the ancestral tie between the land, or ‘mother nature’, and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who were born therefrom, remain attached thereto, and must one day return thither to be united with our ancestors. This link is the basis of the ownership of the soil, or better, of sovereignty. It has never been ceded or extinguished, and co-exists with the sovereignty of the Crown.

How could it be otherwise? That peoples possessed a land for sixty millennia and this sacred link disappears from world history in merely the last two hundred years?

Read full statement