Bishop Anthony Randazzo today launched Towards 2025, the strategy for the Diocese of Broken Bay ensuring authentic, professional, Catholic education delivered with care and compassion to the 17,000 students enrolled in the diocese’s Catholic schools.
On the last day of the school term, streamed live across 47 locations to 2,600 staff, Bishop Randazzo accompanied by Danny Casey, Director of Schools, encouraged his people to inspire the hearts and minds of their students to know Christ, to love learning and to use their talents to be the very best persons they can be.
“Towards 2025 is a plan for a strong, vibrant and authentic Catholic education system in our Diocese,” said Bishop Randazzo, “one that promotes learning for life, and the flourishing of human and faith development.”
Key to the success of strategy is that the Catholic Schools Broken Bay (CSBB) office staff and school communities work in partnership to ensure alignment and unity of vision. Bishop Randazzo reinforced the collaboration and co-responsibility required for this task.
“The Church is not a building” said Bishop Randazzo, “it’s a community. Education is central to the mission in Broken Bay and you principals, school and CSO staff are among my closest collaborators.”
Mr Casey promoted the “strategy on a page” that captures the vision, purpose, priorities and values of Towards 2025. The one-page strategy was a take-home for all participants of the day, who were encouraged to use it as a visual focus for all their work going forward.
“We are committed to maintaining focus on our purpose” said Mr Casey, “to collaborating in the mission; to applying evidence-based practice in all our endeavours and to delivering the vision as we strive to be at least as good as the very best.”
A visual marker of the strategy is a colourful logo which Bishop Randazzo explained in his presentation. The colours, cross, waves and beams of light all reinforce the key principles of the strategy.
“The Towards 2025 strategy is about us working together to strive for excellence and achieve something great” said Bishop Randazzo. “The person of Jesus Christ, and his message of Good News is central to who we are and all that we do.”
The day was marked by interaction and discussion as those gathered with the bishop and those gathered in groups online, were invited to respond to the vision and offer their questions and feedback.
Bishop Randazzo and Mr Casey addressed some of the concerns which arose around the impact of a new agenda which inevitably brings reform and change. They assured staff that the well-being for the students, staff and families is of the highest priority and the values that underpin the strategy are for the good of all.
Those assembled in the primary location of The Light of Christ Centre in Waitara with appropriate social distancing, included principals and staff from Our Lady of the Rosary Waitara and St Leo’s Wahroonga.
Jacinta Crowe, Principal of Our Lady of the Rosary, said “It was reassuring to hear such clarity around the strategy and to be given the opportunity to align our plans with those of the vision that the Bishop has for the Diocese”.
The Diocese of Broken Bay is one of three dioceses within the Sydney metropolitan area and stretches from the North Shore, through the Peninsula and up to the Central Coast. Its name was chosen because Broken Bay, the mouth of the Hawkesbury River, unites the north and south of the diocese. It has 44 Catholic schools.