Acting Principal
During the last week, I attended an EREA NSW Colleges Principals' Retreat. It was designed by our CEO Ms Maura Manning to allow Principals the opportunity to nourish and develop our own spiritual growth. One of the activities we undertook was to take a closer look at Dilexe te, the apostolic exhortation released by the Vatican last month. It was a work that was started by Pope Francis and finished by Pope Leo XIV. The translation of Dilexe te is ‘I have loved you’ and the focus is on the Church’s care for the poor. I had time to reflect on several of the passages that I will share with you over the coming weeks.
In Paragraph 68, Pope Leo XIV writes: “Addressing educators, Pope Francis recalled that education has always been one of the highest expressions of Christian charity: “Yours is a mission full of obstacles as well as joys... A mission of love, because you cannot teach without loving.” [56] In this sense, since ancient times, Christians have understood that knowledge liberates, gives dignity, and brings us closer to the truth. For the Church, teaching the poor was an act of justice and faith. Inspired by the example of the Master who taught people divine and human truths, she took on the mission of forming children and young people, especially the poorest, in truth and love. This mission took shape with the founding of congregations dedicated to education.”
This paragraph stood out to me for several reasons. Firstly, he says that “education has always been one of the highest expressions of Christian charity”. We are blessed in Australia that every child has a right to an education no matter their gender or where they were born. This is not the case for all children around the world. Pope Leo writes that ‘knowledge liberates’, which goes hand in hand with our touchstone of a ‘liberating education’.
To understand what a liberating education means, we need to trace it right back to the mission of the Christian Brothers and that of Blessed Edmund Rice. Edmund Rice established the Christian Brothers and dedicated their congregation to the education of boys from poor upbringings. Edmund Rice Education has grown significantly over the past two hundred years and now educates both boys and girls. Around the world Edmund Rice Schools educate over two hundred thousand students daily. You can find out more information about the global network of Edmund Rice Schools here.
How do EREA NSW Colleges schools fit into the mission of educating the poor? We are a collective of seven schools in NSW. The mission of Edmund was to educate the poor. Our government funding is falling across all the seven schools as the families of the students that we educate are mainly middle class, not those who would be considered poor. Of course there are exceptions to this, however for the most part our families are doing favourably compared to those who would be considered in the lowest quintile of income.
How do we ensure here at St Patrick’s College that we continue to live out the mission of Edmund Rice Education? How do we ensure we rise to the challenge of Pope Leo XIV and care for the poor? We need to constantly challenge ourselves to care for all of those around us who are in need. When we face our own challenges, no matter how significant, there are others around us who may be in more need. How do we care for those who do not have a roof over their head? How do we care for those children, who even though they have access to an education, do not have access to regular food, or shelter?
St Patrick’s College is a school which is rich in spirit and generosity. We must always ensure that we remain faithful to the mission of educating the poor. We cannot simply be a school for middle class Australian families. We must challenge ourselves to always look after the marginaised. We must invite those families into our community who do not have the same means as most of our families to educate their sons so that we leave noone behind. That is the true essence of a liberating education and the call that Pope Leo XIV made to care for the poor.
Adrian Byrne
Acting Principal