Western Australia’s Catholic bishops have launched a new mandate document for Catholic education in the state. Source: The Record.
In the document, the bishops mandate the Catholic Education Commission of Western Australia “to foster the continuous development and improvement of Catholic schools in Western Australia, and to act on behalf of the Catholic community for the benefit of all Catholic school-aged children, be they in Catholic schools or not”.
“Our aim has been to produce a document which speaks to the reality – the challenges and opportunities – of our present situation,” Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB said at the launch of the document Charting New Maps of Hope, Peace and Joy in Christ: Shaping Future Directions for Catholic Education in Western Australia.
The launch brought together more than 350 principals and representatives from Catholic schools across WA and the state’s bishops: Archbishop Costelloe, Perth Auxiliary Bishop Don Sproxton, Broome Bishop Tim Norton SVD, Geraldton Bishop Michael Morrissey and Bunbury Bishop George Kolodziej SDS.
They were joined by Catholic Education Commission of Western Australia chair Tim Shanahan, CEWA executive director Annette Morey, deputy executive director Julie Hornby, former CEWA executive director Wayne Bull AM and other CEWA leaders.
Ms Morey opened the forum with the question: “What happens when a system stands at the crossroads; grateful for the road that has brought us here, but called by faith, service and mission, to choose the path that will carry us into the future?”
“It is not simply a document to be received, placed on a bookshelf or referenced when required. It is an invitation. It is a call to renewal,” she added.
“What has helped us get to where we are as a Catholic education system today, may not necessarily be what will drive us to success in the future.”
Commissioned by the bishops to develop the mandate, Mr Bull spent 12 months consulting bishops, principals, teachers, parents and student representative councils.
Referring to the previous mandate that was produced in 2007 and 2008, Mr Bull said: “It has served us well, but it is time for us to be looking at some new directions”.
He said the mandate, focused across the five pillars of Catholic identity, education, community, stewardship and governance, was not designed to be read in a single sitting but rather as a “reference that you can go to”.
FULL STORY
WA Bishops launch new Mandate for Catholic Education; focus on fidelity to the Gospel (By Jamie O’Brien, The Record)
Bishops Mandate for Catholic Education in Western Australia 2027–2033 (CEWA)
