Australia’s only dictionary dedicated to preserving the stories of Catholic educators since Australian colonial settlement has launched its first public lecture. Source: ACU.
The Biographical Dictionary of Australian Catholic Educators (BDACE) has published 130 biographies of lay, ordained, and consecrated men and women working in Catholic education since 1820.
The BDACE’s public lecture continues the work of honouring Australian Catholic educators throughout history.
Brian Croke, a former executive director of the NSW Catholic Education Commission, delivered the inaugural public lecture hosted by ACU’s La Salle Academy on August 14 at the university’s North Sydney Campus.
A tireless promoter of Catholic educator biographies and an accomplished historian of Byzantine and Classical Studies, Dr Croke was the original architect of the BDACE and the project’s first sponsor.
He said the BDACE held the stories of inspiring leaders, like Dominican priest Fr John Neill who helped establish the University of Notre Dame Australia, or teacher-turned-rock star Sr Janet Mead who, in 1974, released the Grammy nominated The Lord’s Prayer.
Not only did the BDACE immortalise the predecessors of Australia’s Catholic education workforce – which totals 50,000 Catholic school teachers – Dr Croke said the project documented the history of the sector from colonial times.
However, additional support was needed to ensure the project could “realise its full potential as a tool for research and a record of history”.
“The BDACE needs your stories, from your school, your family, your community,” Dr Croke said.
In his lecture, Dr Croke also gave a brief history of the changes to Catholic education in Australia, from the initial lay-led approach during colonial times to a dominant teaching force of professed women religious and Brothers.
He encouraged the audience to identify educators worth profiling, including teachers, parents, or family members of contributors.
The BDACE is a work of ACU’s Faculty of Theology and Philosophy. The project is headed by General Editor Dr Jo Laffin and consultants Dr Anne Benjamin and Seamus O’Grady.
Read the biographies at the Biographical Dictionary of Catholic Educators website or contribute ideas for new entries at [email protected].
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Dictionary of Australian Catholic educators launches public lecture (ACU)
