The Archbishop's Charter for Catholic Schools
Catholic Schools are a vital expression of the mission of the Church in the Archdiocese of Hobart. They are the means by which not only students, but also families and the staff experience the richness and beauty of the Christian life.
Julian Porteous DD, Archbishop of Hobart
The Archbishop's Charter for Catholic Schools provides the basis for the Archbishop to ‘mandate’ Catholic schools and colleges within the Archdiocese of Hobart. The mandate of the Archbishop represents his formal commissioning of a Tasmanian Catholic school or college to act as an evangelising agent of the Archdiocese.
The Charter, which draws inspiration from Sacred Scripture and key Church documents, focuses on four domains:
Catholic Identity
The person of Christ is at the heart of Catholic education. Therefore we are committed to nurturing our students to proclaim and be witnesses to a distinctively Catholic identity. All its members are called to a personal relationship with Jesus himself and each member of the Catholic school community strives to give Christian witness through words, attitudes and actions.
Christ’s teachings and the Gospel message permeate Catholic school life. School communities give witness to their distinctive educational, spiritual, moral and social purpose within the evangelising mission of the Church.
Learning
All our learning programs enable students to have an opportunity to hear the Gospel message in such a way that they make a personal decision to embrace the Christian faith and become disciples of Jesus Christ. All our learning programs support students’ growth in human and Christian virtues so that they grow as integrated human beings.
Our entire curriculum, including Religious Education, seeks to promote and deepen each students’ understanding of the Catholic faith and their commitment to Christian values. All teachers, across all areas of the curriculum, have a responsibility to inculcate in their students Christian values and a capacity for moral and ethical judgment. In essence our challenge is to evangelise the curriculum.
Leadership
Leadership is Christ-centered and is marked by a spirit of service. It is dedicated to the building up of the school community as a community of faith. Leadership that is Christ-centered is open to the working of the Holy Spirit and should be prayerful, collaborative and consultative, respecting the dignity of all.
Catholic leadership is about responding to Christ’s command “go into the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15). This is fundamental to our baptismal call to evangelise through the proclamation of the word, through personal witness and through service.
Mission
The Catholic school exists as part of the evangelising mission of the Church. It is ecclesial in nature, a place where faith, culture and life are brought into harmony. The Catholic school is a place of real and specified pastoral ministry in communion with the local Bishop.
By reason of their evangelising mission the Catholic school should be available to all families who desire a Catholic education for their children. We are committed to be in solidarity with the powerless and the marginalised, to live out Catholic social teaching promoting social justice, stewardship and the common good.
These domains influence priorities at both the school and system level.