College Life and Heritage
The vibrant life of Catholic College, whilst attentive to the signs of the times and the demands of 21st Century learning, builds on the rich traditions and charisms that have been part of Catholic Education in Wodonga since the 1860s. Click on the links to find out more about the College's life and heritage.
Brief History
Mercy Charism
Catholic Education Wodonga Family
Catholic Education Wodonga Council
Brief History
Catholic Education begun in Wodonga on October 4 1860 when Bishop Goold
dedicated a chapel to St Francis. To this chapel was attached a wooden
school building. The story of St Augustine's and Catholic College
commenced in 1876 with a co-educational school situated on the corner
of High Street and Osburn Street. Dean Tierney of Beechworth and Father
M. O'Connor of Chiltern were responsible for the erection and
maintenance of this school up until 1892.
In 1892, four Sisters of Mercy from Albury were
invited to make a foundation at Wodonga, and thus began St. Augustine's
School. By 1899 they had completed new school buildings and Mother M.
Aloysius Tierney and the three Sisters moved from their temporary
classrooms. At this stage, St. Augustine's School was catering for
Primary, Secondary and Commercial classes and a Boarding School had
been established at the convent to provide for girls from outlying
areas.
By 1958, 520 pupils were attending St. Augustine's
School and additional buildings on a new site in Osburn Street were
opened. Staff had increased to seven nuns in the school and three lay
teachers. To cater for expanding numbers the boarding school made way
for classrooms.
In 1972 St. Augustine's School was officially
divided into separate primary and secondary schools, each with its own
Principal, the secondary school catering only for girls.
In the 1970s Albury-Wodonga was declared the
National Growth Centre. The expansion in numbers at St Augustine's
Girls Secondary College led to the relocation of the school to its
Wodonga West site in 1979 under the direction of Sister Mary Duffy. Its
name was changed to Catholic College Wodonga.
Today, Catholic College is a coeducational school
with over 1000 students. It continues to thrive with the Mercy charism
providing a solid base from which to grow. We continue to be grateful to the
men and women of Wodonga who had the vision and determination to create
and nurture this wonderful school for young people of the region.
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Mercy Charism
Mercy spirituality takes its life from the gift of God's mercy as experienced in both the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures. ‘Mercy' is seen as an inner feeling of sympathy or love that shows itself outwardly in action. Mercy feels deep compassion for those in need and seeks to meet this need in ways that are practical and kind.
The mercy charism comes through the foundress of the Mercy Sisters, Catherine McAuley. Catherine and her first companions felt themselves called to a new way of practising mercy. With their hearts centred on God, they moved out freely, despite difficulties and dangers, even to death, and met God's Mercy in courageous service of the poor. They trusted totally in God's providence and placed themselves under the special care of Mary, the Mother of Mercy.
Catherine McAuley was passionate about education and saw it as a vital way to assist those whom she served. The first foundation of Mercy Sisters in Australia was made by Ursula Frayne and her six companions in 1846. A group of four sisters travelled to Wodonga under the leadership of Mother Aloyius Tierney in 1892 and established what we know as St Augustine's as a secondary school. The co-educational secondary school, Catholic College, was officially named on 19th July 1979.
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Catholic Education Wodonga Family
Catholic College is part of the Catholic Education Wodonga (CEW) family. The College works closely with the associate CEW schools to provide quality Catholic Education experience for Prep-Year 12.
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Catholic Education Wodonga Council (CEWC)
CEWC governs the four Catholic schools in the Wodonga Parish; St
Augustine's (Prep-Yr 6), St Monica's (Prep-Yr 6), Frayne College
(Prep-Yr 8) and Catholic College (Yr 7-12).The Mission of Catholic Education Wodonga is to ensure the quality of
Catholic education in Wodonga through governance of the following areas
of operation of Catholic schools:
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Mission:
- Catholic Identity
Access:
- Strategic Planning, school provision and development
Quality:
- Evaluation, support of innovation and renewal
Common Good:
- Cooperative arrangements for school provision
- Efficiency: Corporate services
Catholic Education Wodonga acts as a conduit providing one voice for
Catholic Education in Wodonga. The Council supports the Parish Priest
through accepting the delegation of the Governance of Catholic schools.
On behalf of Wodonga Catholic schools, Catholic Education Wodonga:
- Lobbies Catholic and Government groups
- Supports innovation and renewal in Wodonga Catholic schools
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Promotes and resources the continuing Catholic identity of Wodonga Catholic schools
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Coordinates the long and medium term strategic planning for Catholic Education in Wodonga
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Supports schools to be self reliant and manage their budgets
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Provides for cooperative arrangements for the mutual benefit of Wodonga Catholic schools
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