MDCCE Director visits ACU, Melbourne
MDCCE Director visits ACU, Melbourne
Last Spring, Professor David Hall, Director of the La Salle Academy for Faith Formation and Religious Education at Australian Catholic University (ACU) visited DCU Institute of Education, making connections that have initiated an important dialogue focused on Catholic education into the future. As a result of that visit, Dr. Gareth Byrne, Associate Professor and Director of the Mater Dei Centre for Catholic Education (MDCCE), took up the invitation to represented DCU Institute of Education at a gathering of Catholic Education leaders, on 14th-16th November 2017, organised by ACU around a number of events at its Melbourne campus.
At a conference entitled, Catholic Leadership: Inspiring Leaders in a Globalised 21st Century, Dr. Byrne responded to a keynote address by Dr. Paul Sharkey, Director of Catholic Education Services, Melbourne: ‘Refracting the many colours of Catholic leadership through a hermeneutic prism’. Another keynote saw Professor Gerald Cattaro, Fordham University, New York, reflect on encounter, dialogue and interconnectedness. Catholic education leaders, university faculty, diocesan leaders and school principals, from across Australia, were present and participated fully in the lively discussions that followed each presentation.
Other international contributors at the Conference were: Dr. Roisin, Coll, University of Glasgow; Dr. John Lydon, St. Mary’s University, Twickenham, London; Sr. M. Paul McCaughey O.P., DePaul University, Chicago; Professor Teresa O’Doherty, Mary Immaculate College, Limerick; Professor Michael Sampson, St. John’s University, New York.
Following the Conference, a series of meetings was held, chaired by Professor Geraldine Castleton (ACU), focused on enhancing collaboration between the attending Universities and their Centres for Catholic Education. In particular, the question of how best to promote Catholic Leadership through Masters-level study, globally, was discussed and will be followed through in the coming months.
A visit was also made to the headquarters of the Catholic Education Services, a division of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne, which oversees hundreds of schools, at primary and second-level.
The generous hospitality provided by ACU, created a very welcoming space for encounter and dialogue among the attending academics and with Catholic education personnel on the ground in Australia. We look forward to further collaboration along the way.