Year 9 students celebrate 200 years of Catholic Education in Australia: Humble beginnings
Catholic Education has contributed greatly to Australia over the last 200 years, developing a sense of justice and Catholic values in students and families.
Where did Catholic Education start in Australia?
Catholic Education began from humble beginnings, with 31 students enrolled at Parramatta Marist High School, the first co-educational Catholic school to be founded by Fr John Therry in 1820. Over the next 13 years, nine more Catholic schools were founded in Australia and Catholic Education grew exponentially.
Congregations such as Sisters of Mercy, Christian Brothers and Sisters of Charity arrived in Australia to meet the growing population and demand for Catholic Education. While the Ursulines were establishing a school in Greenwich, London they met a young Capuchin priest named Fr Elzear Torreggiani, who promised to help them if ever he had the opportunity. In 1879, he was made Bishop of Armidale, New South Wales and promptly invited the Ursulines to his diocese. Around this time, many religious congregations came to Australia at the invitation of bishops, precisely to carry out the work of Catholic Education since, by 1882, the government had withdrawn financial aid from independent schools. In the second half of the 1800s, the Good Samaritan Sisters, Presentation Sisters, Dominican Sisters, Marist Brothers, Lorreto Sisters and Brigidine Sisters arrived in Australia.
Catholic schools continue to be the largest non-government provider of education in Australia, with one in five Australian students attending Catholic schools. Today, there are 1,755 Catholic schools in Australia and each school aims to empower students to live out their Catholic faith and contribute to the betterment of society.
This year marks 200 years of Catholic Education and we celebrate the dedication of passionate priests and religious and lay people, who have worked tirelessly to educate students and nurture faith. These efforts rely heavily on the support of staff, families and students.
