Conference organisers, Siobhan Dilly, NZCEO, and Susan Apáthy, Deputy Director, NZCEO.
WelCom April 2018:
‘Christ’s call: to love, to be, to do – Ko Tā Te Karaiti Karanga: kia aroha, kia tūturu, kia ora.’
Annette Scullion
Over 800 delegates and presenters involved with Catholic Education throughout Aotearoa New Zealand will come together in Wellington for the eight triennial Catholic Education Convention, 13 to 15 June this year.
Susan Apáthy, Deputy CEO NZ Catholic Education Office, who is overseeing the convention, says, ‘It provides people involved in Catholic Education the opportunity to come together for a range of seminars, workshops and connections that they can take back to their place of work feeling revitalised and with even greater enthusiasm for Catholic Education.
‘Every three years we have a convention to enable people to come together from all over the country to develop their knowledge about Catholic Education. By hearing a broad range of presentations and views and working together collegially, they are able to find out more about what they should be doing in their particular areas of Catholic Education.
‘In the education and teaching profession it is vital for practitioners to draw on these learning relationships, to develop leadership among the teachers and to put in place specific knowledge on topics for Catholic schools.’
Staff and practitioners from most of New Zealand Catholic Schools will attend, including principals and/or deputy principals and directors of religious studies. Also attending will be the six NZ Catholic Bishops, parish priests, and religious and clergy with close connections to schools, members of boards of trustees, including parents of children in Catholic schools, staff from the diocese Catholic education offices and tertiary education offices.
Susan Apáthy says, ‘A number of topics will be drawing on the NZ Bishops Conference 2014 document, The Catholic Education of School-Age Children, and in particular taking on board what the Bishops are saying about the encounter with Christ and the goals of Catholic Education, teaching about Catholicism by example and dealing with the diversity of New Zealand Aotearoa.
Three international key-note speakers include: David Hall, a Marist Brother and the foundation Dean of the La Salle Academy at the Australian Catholic University; Daniel Horan ofm, a Franciscan friar of Holy Name Province (NY) and assistant professor of systematic theology at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago; and David Wells, the Director of Adult Formation and Youth Ministry in the Diocese of Plymouth, UK.
A special feature of the convention will be an optional tour of Wellington sites association with Venerable Susan Aubert.
Assistant conference organiser, Siobhan Dilly, says, ‘Attendees will discuss trends, hear about national and international initiatives and participate in thought-provoking seminars showcasing innovative ways schools respond to the challenges they face in delivering high-quality programmes. Hopefully, they will be inspired and can take the experience back to their schools and communities and share a renewed sense of enthusiasm in their work.’