News: Principals' Conference

Principals All! at the Principals' Conference
Everyone in this photo is or was a Principal of a Patrician School,
but let's just mention those current:
1. Br Nicholas Harsas (Sadleir); 2. Mr Santo Passarello (Blacktown);
3. Mr Garry Williams (Ryde); 4. Mr Peter Wade (Granville);
5. Mr Michael Krawec (Fairfield Secondary); 6. Mr Tim Logue (Liverpool)
Absent: Mr Warren Loy (Fairfield Primary) & Mr Alan McManus (Narellan)
Four of these current Principals were once students at a Patrician school:
Nicholas at Ryde, and Peter, Michael, and Tim at Fairfield.
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In 1996 when we spoke of the Patrician schools in Sydney we were talking about Holy Cross at Ryde, Blacktown, Granville, Fairfield Secondary and Primary, and Liverpool, and in 1996 each of these schools had a Brother as Principal and several Brothers teaching in each of them. Today we have come to speak of "Patrician-linked" schools, that is, schools which were founded by the Patrician Brothers but which are now administered by lay Principals. These schools are Holy Cross at Ryde, Blacktown, Granville, Fairfield Secondary and Primary, and Liverpool. Of course, Holy Cross is a little more than linked as the land and most of the buildings belong to the Brothers, but still its Principal is a layman.

There are other schools in Sydney as well which have a special link with the Patrician Brothers: John Paul II at Marayong (now a part of the St Andrews school complex) in which the Brothers played a major role in setting up; Magdalene Catholic High School at Narellan which was once the site of the Brothers' novitiate; Freeman Catholic College at Bonnyrigg where one of our Brothers was a member of the pioneer staff for several years; and St Therese Catholic Primary School at Sadleir which has the only Brother who is ministering as a school Principal (Br Nicholas Harsas).

The conference members in session

Around three times a year, the Brothers get together with the Principals of the Patrician-linked schools to share and discuss how the Patrician charism and message is being maintained in the schools. Also, once a year a similar gathering