Teachers, school leaders in good position to share message of the Gospel: Archbishop Costelloe
Bringing the joy of Jesus’ teachings to children and young people is a key responsibility for those working in Catholic schools, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB told attendees at a Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral during the annual Catholic Education Western Australia (CEWA) Board Chair Conference on Friday 19 May. Photo: Ron Tan.
By Caroline Smith
Bringing the joy of Jesus’ teachings to children and young people is a key responsibility for those working in Catholic schools, according to Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB.
Speaking at a Mass during the annual Catholic Education Western Australia (CEWA) Board Chair Conference on Friday 19 May at St Mary’s Cathedral, Archbishop Costelloe told teachers and school leaders that they were in a good position to share the message of the Gospel with their students.
Leaders from across Catholic Education WA (CEWA) were in attendance at a Mass as part of their annual Board Chair Conference on May 19. Photo: Ron Tan.
“Those called to leadership in the educational efforts of the Church in any way, whether it be as clergy, as leaders and teachers in our schools, or as Chairpersons of School Boards, have in the words of this afternoon’s Gospel, been chosen and commissioned by Christ to bear fruit that will last,” he said.
“For us that fruit, in the end, will come by working together to ensure that the joy of the Gospel, and the peace promised by the Lord to those who build their lives on him, and the serenity and security which comes from taking Jesus at his word when he calls himself the Way, and the Truth and the Life, are offered to our children and young people in a faithful, joy-filled and life-affirming way.
“None of us can do this on our own but each can play his or her part. It is together, with our eyes fixed on Jesus as our guide and companion, that we can enrich the lives of our children and young people with the joy of the gospel and the peace of the risen Lord.”
A Mass for Catholic Education WA (CEWA)’s Board Chair Conference was celebrated by Archbishop Timothy Costelloe and con-celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Don Sproxton, and held at St Mary’s Cathedral on 19 May. Photo: Ron Tan.
He added that CEWA schools offered students the unique advantage of a ‘Catholic worldview’ which included the belief in a loving God, in Jesus as Son of God who revealed His Word, and the importance of the Church as the place for people to encounter God fully.
“That there is a God, that God has come among us in Jesus, and that Jesus continues to be present to us in and through the Church – this is at the heart of the Catholic understanding of the world,” Archbishop Costelloe said.
“And it is this conviction which underpins the continued determination of the Church to support Catholic education as strongly and enthusiastically as we can. If our fundamental convictions are right, then it would be unthinkable for us to fail to offer this view of life, this way of life, to our children and young people as a precious gift.
“Our Catholics schools, not just because they have religion classes but because they are communities which in everything they do seek to live by these convictions, are at the heart of the mission of our Church.”
The 2017 CEWA Board Chair Conference was held at Perth’s Duxton Hotel, and included seminars and workshops throughout Friday afternoon.