Bishops in Australian state wrestle with future of Catholic schools

Published: 2007-08-10

SYDNEY, Australia (CNS) -- Bishops of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory said they are wrestling with issues facing their schools, including the fact that they are well patronized by non-Catholics yet too expensive for poor Catholics. Their pastoral letter, "Catholic Schools at a Crossroads," published Aug. 7, ushers in a debate on the future mission of the Catholic school system in Australia's most populous state, where shifting demographics have seen record numbers of students, but with an increasing number of non-Catholic students. The bishops said their dilemma was whether to "resist the pressure of demand for Catholic schooling and downsize our school system to a scale at which we can choose students and staff who readily embrace the mission of the Catholic school" or "recognizing, and even embracing, changing enrollment patterns as 'signs of the times' and of a new mission for Catholic education."

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