The Catholic Weekly 19 June 2022

catholicweekly.com.au 2 NEWS 19, June, 2022 NO PARENT should fear fi- nancial difficulties when it comes to enrolling or keep- ing their children in Catholic schools, say education lead- ers. With latest research reveal- ing one in four Australians are struggling with the rising cost of living, scores of school fam- ilies are eligible for fee relief due to financial hardship. Lessons learnt through- out COVID combined with the current stresses on family budgets has led school com- munities to take a new ap- proach to fees and offer gener- ous support to parents to stop them making the heartbreak- ing decision of removing or not sending their children to Catholic schools. Vowing to “stand by our kids in time of crisis”, school communities are pleading with cash-strapped parents to put faith before finances when deciding on their children’s education. Acknowledging inflation, interest rate hikes, spiralling grocery prices and soaring energy costs are taking their toll, schools don’t want to be the reason for pushing already cash-strapped parents to the brink. Broken Bay Catholic Schools, which includes schools from Sydney’s north- ern beaches up to the Central Coast, said no family would be forced to make the choice because of a lack of financial means. Director Danny Casey said it had clear and compassion- ate channels for parents to ex- plore before making the diffi- cult decision to pull a child out of one of their schools. “We stand with our com- munities in challenging times, we did it twice during COVID and we continue to do it to- day,” he said. “We have always had a long standing agreement to make Catholic educationdoesn’t have tobe beyond the reachof families ¾ Debbie Cramsie Standing by kids sure no one is forced to make the choice of attending one of our schools because of a lack of financial means. “Adding to that the lessons we learnt in COVID, we have been able to streamline our approaches to people who have enough worries paying for things like electricity. “It’s taught us to look through parent’s eyes and how we can respond better when there is a need for help which we find works because it is simple, personalised, tailored and fair and equitable across our communities. “Obviously we need the fees to help finance our operation but we also want to make sure that people who, for what- ever reason, are in difficult circumstances don’t feel that they have to make a choice between their Catholic educa- tion for their child.” Executive Director of Syd- ney Catholic Schools Tony Farley said it also recognised the financial pressure being felt by families and offered fee relief for families with students enrolled from Kindergarten The Catholic education system in NSW is committed to helping families face beset by rising costs of living and wages unable to keep pace with inflation. PHOTO: ST MARY’S CATHEDRAL SUPPLIED through to Year 12 who are ex- periencing financial hardship. “From their very beginning, our Catholic schools have been open to all Catholics and fee relief is one of the many ways our schools remain faith- ful to that Christ centred tradi- tion,” he said. “For 200 years in Australia the Catholic Church has pro- vided a faith based education that is distinctly and unequiv- ocally grounded in the person of Jesus Christ. “The support we offer in- cludes partial and full bursa- ries for low-income families as well as short term support for families who find themselves with a sudden or unexpected change in financial circum- stances. “In 2021 we provided 6297 bursaries worth $12.3million. In addition, we provided $15.6 million dollars worth of fund- ing for COVID related fee re- lief. Sydney Catholic Schools Principals also have the dis- cretion to provide short term fee relief for families who re- quire financial support.” Adding to the assistance currently on offer is the shift in focus of school Parents and Friends groups, refocusing from a fundraising model to helping those on the margins in the community. President of Our Lady of Good Counsel Primary School Forestville’s P&F Justine Play- le said the help for struggling families was at the heart of Catholic social teaching. “As a parent community, we are extremely grateful for the position the Church has taken supporting families through this difficult time … It really makes us proud to be Catho- lic,” she said. “Our Catholic School P&F’s have moved away from fund- raising activities that put cost of living stresses on families and now focus on initiatives that support the local commu- nity. “We have moved to support local community charities, such as the women’s shelter at Mother’s Day and Men’s Men- tal Health at Father’s Day. “This is part of our Catholic Mission to help one another through difficult times.” I n this edition News Movies, books Archbishop’s homily Editorial & Letters 1-13 8-9 21 24-25 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michael Kenny (02) 9390 5348 EDITOR Peter Rosengren (02) 9390 5400 REPORTERS Marilyn Rodrigues (02) 9390 5410 Debbie Cramsie (02) 9390 5396 Adam Wesselinoff (02) 9390 5400 SUBSCRIPTIONS Rita Ng (02) 9390 5411 ADVERTISING AND MARKETING Steve Richards (02) 9390 5404 Katie Clarke (02) 9390 5402 DESIGNERS Renate Cassis Mathew De Sousa Our story begins in 1839 with the Australasian Chronicle, continuing with the Freeman’s Journal in 1850. Level 13, Polding Centre, 133 Liverpool Street, Sydney, NSW 2000. Phone (02) 9390 5400 | Vol 73, No 5239 The Catholic Weekly is published by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney ABN 60 471 267 587 and is printed by Spotpress Pty Ltd, 24-26 Lilian Fowler Place, Marrickville NSW 2204. I have not turned my back on those who remain in the Church of England and the Anglican Communion, I re- main with you in spiritual fellowship and make it my ear- nest prayer that all those of Anglican heritage will recover the faith brought to England by St Augustine of Canter- bury and his fellow missionaries ... Authentic renewal in the life of the Church will come only from such a recovery, for which we all must pray.” Fr Michael Nazir-Ali, former Anglican Bishop of Rochester, convert, on the reasons he became a Catholic, First Things, April 2022 QUOTABLE DOWNLOAD THE OUR FAITH OUR WORKS APP Your one-stop location for Mass and Confession times, spiritual reflections and meditations, podcasts, local Catholic news, the Go Make Disciples mission plan, and much more. To download the app visit ourfaithourworks.org/app or scan the QR Code. DONATE NOW TO RECEIVE YOUR TAX DEDUCTION BEFORE EOFY. 2022 PUBLISHED 26 JUNE 2022 Call Steve for details on (02) 9390 5404