Why choose us?
At St Patrick’s College Sutherland, we embrace our Catholic heritage. Our community cultivates an environment that fosters faith, courage and resilience. Each student is offered a wide range of co-curricular opportunities to extend their experiences, including The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, band, competitive sport, debating and public speaking.
Our highly professional and dedicated dynamic team of teachers deliver a differentiated curriculum that meets the diverse needs, interests and learning styles of our students. At the heart of what we do is to inspire, challenge and encourage our students to be motivated, independent and persistent life-long learners.
Principal’s Message
Welcome to the St. Patrick’s College Sutherland’s website, and a warm ‘electronic welcome’ to our College community.
St. Patrick’s College has long been recognised for its commitment to providing a vibrant educational foundation for life, while upholding a Christ-centred approach to learning. We take pride in our Catholic heritage and celebrate the College’s transformation into a 21st-century co-educational institution, adept at meeting the evolving demands of academic and vocational expectations.
At the core of our mission is the Catholic ethos of service, compassion, and faithfulness, which underpins our dedication to instilling passion and integrity in our students. We draw upon the inspiration of Blessed Edmund Rice and Venerable Nano Nagle to educate young people to develop them into honest citizens and good Christians. We have cultivated a safe environment that fosters individual learning and success for all our students.
The strength of St. Patrick’s College lies in its exceptional staff, fostering a genuine sense of community among teachers, students, and parents alike. The College offers a diverse range of opportunities, including university and vocational pathways, to best cater to the varied interests, needs, and abilities of our students.
We highly value the involvement of our families and encourage parents to become integral members of our College community. Your participation contributes significantly to the development of your daughter’s or son’s individual goals, supporting them in achieving academic and co-curricular aspirations. We aim to instil in all our students high expectations for themselves, their work, and their behaviour.
In a modern society that rewards perseverance and initiative, our students graduate well-prepared for life, whether it be in tertiary education, vocational training, or employment. We take pride in the significant accomplishments and positive outcomes that our College consistently achieves. We aim to have graduates who embody truth, curiosity, collaboration, the pursuit of excellence and empathy, making them exemplary young Australians.
I extend a genuine welcome to you, and I am confident that you will appreciate the dynamic and caring culture that is integral to our wonderful College.
Mr James Corcoran
College Principal
History
St Patrick’s College Sutherland is a Catholic co-educational secondary school, operated by Sydney Catholic Schools, that has a long and interesting history in the Shire reaching back to 1924.
It was then that the Three Sisters of Mercy opened a church-school, known as St Patrick’s School, in Robertson Street with 26 primary students.
In 1928 the school moved to Belmont Street where the present church hall is located, and the Mercy Sisters reluctantly withdrew in 1950 because of expanded commitments in the Sutherland Shire. The Presentation Sisters from Wagga replaced them, and in 1953 St Patrick’s expanded with a secondary department for girls. The school was renamed to Mary Immaculate College in 1959.
On the other side of Belmont Street in 1956, the Christian Brothers founded St Patrick’s Christian Brothers’ College, a school for boys in Years 7 to 12.
Both schools expanded rapidly in the 1960s, and by 1975 Years 11 and 12 began to operate as a fully co-educational group in order to extend the curriculum opportunities for senior classes. Pressure at Mary Immaculate College was relieved when primary classes were finally phased out in 1977.
The year 1985 saw the first step towards the amalgamation of the two colleges, under the name of St Patrick’s College, which was one of the first to be attempted in the Archdiocese of Sydney and was a long, challenging process that took until 1992 to complete.
Mrs Dianne Kennedy was appointed the first lay principal in 1994.
A long tradition of education has been fostered and there has always been the promotion of quality learning, fidelity to the Gospel, academic excellence, and an orientation to the service of young people and their families.
Charisms
St Patrick’s College Sutherland is influenced by the charism of both Nano Nagle and Edmund Rice, the founders of the Presentation Sisters and the Christian Brothers.
Nano Nagle, Foundress of the Presentation Sisters
Nano Nagle (1718–1784) was educated in Europe, but on returning to her native Ireland, she was confronted by people deprived of culture, religion, education, and livelihood because of the penal laws imposed by England in 18th century Ireland.
Nagle’s life of prayer, concern for her people, and courage and perseverance inspired her to establish schools and support other works of charity, and at the age of 57, she established the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (the Presentation Sisters), insisting that the sisters serve those who were poor in their own community.
In 1874 the Presentation Sisters answered the call from the town of Wagga Wagga to meet the needs of the Catholic Church in Australia which was struggling to provide its people with an education while at the same time nurturing their faith in a secular society. From Wagga Wagga, the sisters established other foundations including convents in Sydney.
Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice, Founder of the Christian Brothers
Edmund Rice (1762–1844) was also born in Ireland during ‘penal times’, but was fortunate as a Catholic to be educated. In 1789 his wife died after giving birth to a disabled daughter, which led to the deepening of his spirituality and his concern and care for the poor of those around him.
Rice established a night school for local uneducated boys, and soon a religious order was established. By 1825 Rice and 30 Christian Brothers were educating, free of charge 5500 boys in 12 different towns and cities.
The first group of Christian Brothers to arrive in Australia came in 1843 but, as they were unwilling to separate from their Superior General in Ireland, they returned in 1847. The Christian Brothers, however, came back to Australia in 1868, the year of cessation of transportation of convicts, and commenced a school in Fitzroy in 1869. From here there was an extraordinary growth across Australia as the Brothers adapted to conditions in the colonies.
Vision
Our motto, ‘Seek Wisdom in Christ’ was inspired by a student in 1987 when the school first became ‘St Patrick’s College’. It captures the philosophy that has always directed and encouraged the students and staff of St Patrick’s College Sutherland.
Mission
Inspired by the commitment of Nano Nagle and Blessed Edmund Rice to justice, compassion and hope, we ‘Seek Wisdom in Christ’ through:
- engaging and challenging students in a dynamic educational process that recognises their uniqueness and inspires in them a love of lifelong learning
- respecting the dignity and worth of each student within a caring and supportive environment
- developing an open and inclusive college community that values and sustains all relationships between its members and with the wider community
- deepening students’ understanding of Jesus and his message.
Values
As a community we value:
- the dignity and sacredness of the human person
- an education in faith and spiritual growth of our students
- the call to an active and compassionate role in social justice
- the provision of opportunities for students in all aspects of learning
our history and tradition.
The wellbeing of our students is our highest priority at St Patrick’s College Sutherland. We pride ourselves on our nurturing a learning environment where each student’s academic, spiritual, physical and social potential may be realised. The college is fortunate to be a part of the St Patrick’s Sutherland Parish and is blessed to share the same grounds as the Parish and the Primary School’ which allows us to build a strong faith community.
Liturgies held within St Patrick’s Church, provide wonderful occasions to celebrate and reflect on God’s great love for us. We celebrate Mass every Thursday morning for nominated classes, students and staff and join students from the Primary school to give authentic Witness to this great Eucharistic community.
For further information about St Patrick’s Sutherland Parish, please visit the website link below in the details.
St. Patrick’s Catholic Church
Parish Priest: Fr Dan McCaughan
Secretary: Kaylene Baumanis (Tuesday to Friday, 9.00am – 3.00pm)
A: 136 Flora St, Sutherland, 2232
P: (02) 9521 2356
E: admin@stpatssutherland.org.au
W: stpatssutherland.org.au
Mass Times
| Day | Time |
|---|---|
| Monday | 9.00am Communion Service |
| Tuesday to Friday | 9.00am |
| Saturday | 9.00am, 5.00pm Vigil |
| Sunday | 8.00am, 10.00am |
Further mass times and other Parish event dates, can be viewed on the Parish mass schedule here.
