Importance of Education
Catholic Education forms a large part of the outreach of the Catholic Church worldwide.
In the Townsville Diocese alone, there are 33 schools and flexi learning centres employing more than 2500 staff.
During his visit to Townsville, Archbishop Balvo got to experience Catholic Education by visiting St Margaret Mary’s College and Townsville Catholic Education as well as meeting many students from schools in Townsville at a special welcome Mass that was held at the Sacred Heart Cathedral.
During the opening and blessing of the new Benedictine Place at St Margaret
Mary’s, the Archbishop spoke of the special feature of Catholic education.
“I have discovered a real feature of Catholic Education here in Australia is to create a sense of community” he said.
“While at school you will learn those things you are expected to learn like maths, English, sciences and many more but one of the most important things in the life of community, to make friendships.
“Some of these friendships are going to last you for your life.
“Some of my classmates from my very small high school still get together after more than 50 years.”
Archbishop Balvo believed that wherever you end up after school, you will always have that connection, you will always be a member of this believing community throughout the world.
The archbishop took the opportunity to meet with Catholic School principals and spoke to them about what the Holy Father believes is the fundamental approach that Catholic Education has across the world.
He said that Pope Francis often speaks of the need for networking, “which means uniting schools and universities for the sake of improving the work of education and research, drawing upon everyone’s strong points for greater
effectiveness on the intellectual and cultural levels” he said.
“Networking means creating spaces for encounter and dialogue within educational institutions, and encouraging similar spaces outside our institutions, with people of other cultures, other traditions and different religions, so that a Christian humanism can consider the overall reality of humanity today.”
He said that Pope Francis speaks of the challenges facing our human family today are global, in a more wide-ranging sense than is often thought.
Catholic Education is not limited to forming minds to a broader outlook, capable of embracing distant realities.
It also recognised that [hu]mankind’s moral responsibility today does not just extend through space, but also through time, and that present choices have repercussions for future generations.
Archbishop Balvo joined with Bishop Tim and Executive Director of Townsville Catholic Education Jacqui Francis in blessing the new home of the Bishop Michael Putney library.
This collection is drawn from the books that were collected by Bishop Michael over many years and provides a great source of research for teachers and Catholic educators.
The final education stop of the Nuncio’s whirlwind tour of the Diocese was to preside over the celebration Mass at Columba Catholic College as the community celebrated 140 years of St Mary’s School and 120 Years of Mt Carmel College in Charters Towers.