PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
During the last few weeks the attention of Australia has been on the incredible revelations of sexual abuse against women in Parliament House and the hundreds of school girls revealing the appalling treatment they endured in their teens. Thousands of young women have supported an online opportunity to reveal the disgraceful treatment they received as young women in their teenage years by male peers and the morally and illegal behaviours that have thrown a spotlight on. These were ‘accepted’ behaviours – but no longer.
The central theme to these behaviours has been the abandonment of respect for the human person to achieve what the perpetrator wanted. As Catholic educators working in Gospel based school settings these behaviours need to be called out for what they are. Illegal and punishable. As Catholics we are committed to the dignity of every person.
Further headlines focus on parliament, the armed forces (again) and teenage school girls abducted from their schools in overseas countries.
In April 2014 (276) Chibok schoolgirls were kidnapped by armed Boko Haram operatives. Sadly the world looked on. Last week (317) school girls were kidnapped and released a week later unharmed. But at what emotional and mental cost?
During last year's covid pandemic outbreak women lost more jobs than men, were paid less wages and had reduced hours.
Our Director of Schools, Peter Hill, is calling on each of us to acknowledge and celebrate women's achievements and the contribution they offer across society:
“The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on so many throughout the world, but particularly on women. We’ve made improvements when it comes to gender equality, but we have still a long way to go. Each one of us can be part of making change happen as we work to make a positive difference for all people who participate in Catholic Education in the Diocese of Wollongong, especially women and girls."
In today's world we need to acknowledge that women are as capable and more than capable as men and equality should not still be a dream.
200 YEARS OF CATHOLIC EDUCATION IN AUSTRALIA
This year, 2021, we celebrate 200 years of Catholic education in Australia. And our school has a direct link to it. Fr John Joseph Therry had lobbied the colonial government for an opportunity to provide a Catholic education for the children of the colony. At this point Catholic students could enter an Anglican school as long as they left Catholicism behind. Otherwise they had NO educational opportunity.
Fr Therry saw the injustice of this and fought to create a Catholic opportunity. This came with the acquisition of some land in Hunter Street Parramatta – well away from the fledging colony centre on the harbor. This site is now where the Diocese of Parramatta Cathedral stands and where Parramatta Marist was until its relocation to Westmead.
Fr Therry also pushed for land to provide a Catholic Church for the numerous Irish catholic prisoners, released and free settlers. Finally he was granted land where St Mary’s Cathedral stands near Hyde Park in Sydney today. At the time this was the tip for the colony and well away from the tank stream (fresh water source) and the main settlement. The colonial government was making a statement to Fr Therry. Nevertheless he accepted the land and built the first St Mary’s.
Fr Therry also built the first St John’s Church in Campbelltown; the first Church in
Balmain and Strathfield. We are John Therry Catholic College and we need to be proud of the fighting spirit of this small Irishman and his dogged determination to provide for his flock of colonial Catholics.