Catholic Schools Week 2009 gets underway

23/03/2009

Year 12 students representing Borken Bay and Sydney dioceses presented a plaque commemorating the CEC's 300th meeting

Year 12 students representing Broken Bay and Sydney dioceses presented a plaque commemorating the CEC's 300th meeting

Moira Najdecki officially launched Catholic Schools Week 2009

Bishop Anthony Fisher and the Executive Director of the NSW Catholic Education Commission, Dr Brian Croke, have called on all Catholic schools to ‘stand up and be counted’ and to demonstrate to parents ‘what is valuable and attractive about choosing a Catholic school’ during Catholic Schools Week from March 22-28.

Speaking at the official launch at Cathedral House on Wednesday, Dr Croke introduced Catholic Schools Week 2009 as an event that marks 156 years of Catholic education and commemorates ‘the significant contribution that Catholic schools continue to make to the NSW community’.

A number of notable guests attended the first-ever NSW and ACT launch, including all 11 directors of Catholic education in the dioceses of NSW and the ACT, former and present commissioners, teachers and Religious from congregations such as Mary MacKillop’s Sisters of St Joseph and the Good Samaritan Sisters.

The event went statewide across NSW and the ACT last year for the first time, following the success of the inaugural event in the dioceses of Sydney, Parramatta and Broken Bay in 2006. Moira Najdecki, Director of Education of the Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn, officially launched Catholic Schools Week, taking the opportunity to thank Catholic school teachers for their dedication and for their generosity of heart and mind.

‘Catholic education has much to be grateful for in the Religious who began our schools, but the staff who continue to pass on the tradition and culture are magnificent in their work and in their care of students,’ said Ms Najdecki.

‘From Sacred Heart parish primary at Broken Hill in the far west; to St Joseph’s Eden in the deep South; to St Joseph’s primary in Tweed Heads, our northern most point on the NSW/QLD border; and to the busy schools of the Sydney metropolitan district, we have much to celebrate.

We are very good at offering a comprehensive and excellent academic education to prepare our students for their roles as 21^st century Australian citizens and leaders. Visit any of our schools and you will see this year’s CSW theme, ‘Youth in action: Active in Faith, Active in learning’, being lived out,’ she added.

Mrs Najdecki shared with the crowd one of her own recent positive experiences of Catholic schools after having visited a tiny school in Adelong.

‘They have a student population of only 21, yet they and their parents were busy fundraising and still raised over $1,200 for the Victorian Bushfires and the Queensland floods,' she said.

This week over 240,000 Catholic students from across NSW and the ACT will celebrate special events from concerts, open houses, and displays to fundraising activities on behalf of local charities, work on the local environment, career fairs, science displays, grandparent and volunteer days, technology demonstrations, workshops on computers and parenting.

For a listing of CSW events in local communities, members of the public should call their local school or visit the NSW/ACT Catholic Schools website for a directory of Catholic schools.