ENLIVENED BY THE SPIRIT A brief History Aquinas College is a Catholic co-educational College for years 7-12. It was opened in 1993 to cater for the growing population and need for a Catholic high school in the district. Prior to this, Holy Family Primary School was opened in 1989 and the Holy Family Parish Church was opened in 1991. The first Parish Priest was Father Denis Foley. The founding principal of Aquinas College was Mr Peter Turner. The college is operated and controlled by the Catholic Education Office, Sydney. The current Parish Priest is Father Phillip Zadro. The current principal is Mr James Corcoran.
The College opened with 50 students and 7 staff and they operated out of demountable classrooms. It currently houses over 900 students and over 50 teachers. Facilities such as science labs, a library and classrooms were added progressively over the years. The latest facility added was the John Paul II Hall. This hall was designed to cater to the needs of both Aquinas College and its feeder school, Holy Family Primary School. It is a multipurpose Hall suitable for assemblies, Mass, music and sporting events.
The College currently offers over 25 different HSC subjects, many different sporting and cultural opportunities. It caters for students wishing to do further studies as well as Vocation Education Training. It also caters for children with different needs ranging from special needs to gifted and talented. It will also accept people of different religions and backgrounds even though it is a Catholic school.
Aquinas College has also been involved in many special events. From the Western Shire Music Festival, World Youth Day 2008, the bi-annual Spring Fair, Aquinas College has seen it all!
St. Thomas Aquinas was a priest and doctor of the Church. He is the patron saint of universities and students and his feast day is January 28th.. He was born toward the end of the year 1226. He was the son of Landulph, Count of Aquino, who, when St Thomas Aquinas was five years old, placed him under the care of the Benedictines of Monte Casino. His teachers were surprised at the progress he made because he was a gifted learner and virtuous. As a young adult, St Thomas decided to enter the Order of St Dominic in spite of the opposition of his family. In 1243, at the age of seventeen, he joined the Dominicans of Naples.
All his family's efforts to persuade him to change his mind were unsuccessful as St Thomas persevered in his vocation. As a reward for his fidelity, God conferred upon him the gift of perfect chastity, which has merited for him the title of the "Angelic Doctor".
After making his profession at Naples, he studied at Cologne under St. Albert the Great where he was nicknamed the "dumb ox" because of his silent ways and huge size, but he was really a brilliant student. At the age of twenty-two, he was appointed to teach in the same city where he began to publish his first works. After four years he was sent to Paris where he was a priest. At the age of thirty-one, he received his doctorate.
In 1261, he declined an offer from Urban IV to teach in Rome. St Thomas not only wrote, but he preached often. Clement IV offered him the archbishop of Naples which he also refused. He left the great monument of his learning, the "Summa Theologica", unfinished, for on his way to the second Council of Lyons, ordered there by Gregory X, he fell sick and died at the Cistercian monastery of Fossa Nuova in 1274.
St. Thomas was one of the greatest and most influential theologians of all time. He was canonized in 1323 and declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius V. Key People in our school community.
1. Mr J. Corcoran: School Principal 2. Mr S. Gough: Assistant Principal 3. Mrs J. Hughes: Religious Education Coordinator 4. Father P. Zadro: Parish priest
Important Rules Rule One: Do not bring banned objects to school.
No student is allowed to bring any items such as: • Fireworks • Electronic devices • Weapons • Liquid paper • Chewing gum
to school without a note from their parents or without turning it over to the office.
Rule Two: All uniforms must be worn neatly and with pride.
Aquinas students are encouraged be proud to of their school. A perfect way of showing this is by wearing your uniform correctly and neatly.
Rule Three: Respect your teachers as well as your peers.
Everyone around you deserves respect because showing respect to others is a brilliant way to make great friends. Also by showing respect to others, respect will be shown to you.
Rule Four: Don't go out of bounds.
This is a very important rule and must be followed to ensure your safety. For example, if someone strayed out of bounds and they hurt themselves, there would be no teachers to help them.
Rule Five: Do not make phone calls between 8.30am and 3.05pm.
Students are discouraged from bringing mobile phones to school. However, mobile phones can be brought to school but must be dropped off at the office before 8.30am and picked up no later than 3.05pm.
House Patron Saints Edmund Ignatius Rice Edmund Ignatius Rice was born in Ireland. He was the fourth of seven sons. He grew up in Ireland where he received a good education at home with his brothers. In 1785, he married Mary Elliot. Little is known about their married life, but in January 1789, Mary died. He was devastated over the loss of his wife and so he dedicated his life to helping others. In 1808, he formed the Presentation Brothers. He died in 1838. He showed great love for all around him which is why he is a patron saint of our school.
Mary Mackillop Mary Helen Mackillop was born in Fitzroy, Victoria. She was the eldest of eight children and so given the responsibility of looking after her brothers and sisters. She grew up in Sydney, Australia where she was first employed. Her most important job would have been becoming a governess to her aunt and uncle in Penola, South Australia where she met Fr Julian Woods. They established a Catholic school in Penola. In 1867, she became the first nun and Mother Superior of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Cross. The Order flourished and soon there were more than 70 nuns in the Order. She moved back to Sydney in 1883 to help expand the Order. She died 8th August 1909. She will always be remembered for the work she did with the poor, especially little children.
Honara “Nano” Nagle was born in Ballygriffen Ireland. She was the eldest of seven children. She grew up in Ireland a devoted Catholic. Nano had a very good life, but all that changed when in quick sucession, her father, mother and sister, Anne, all died in Dublin. Devastated, she returned to her home in Ballygriffen where, very slowly, she began to realise that she would be better off helping the poor people. So, she began to live with her brother in Cork. Here she began to provide education to the poor. Eventually, with the help of her family, she opened schools all over Cork. When the school day was over, she could be seen walking down the street with a lantern, going to find more poor people to help. This is how she got the nickname “The Lady with the Lantern”. She helped a lot of people in her lifetime which is why she is remembered so well. She died April 26th 1784.
St John Baptist De Lasalle St John Baptist De Lasalle was born in Reims France April 7th, 1651. He was the eldest of ten children. He grew up in France where, at the age of 18 he was sent to the College des Bons Enfants where he studied the arts. He graduated with flying colours, but eventually, he found out he had his heart set on joining the church. Soon he was sent to Paris where he began his studies for the priesthood. But within nine months, his mother and father died. After this, he became the head of the family and it was his sole responsibility to provide his family with an income. Soon he began to realise God was calling him to help the poor. So he began to devote himself to it particularly, helping young boys. He soon opened a boys’ school and it spread everywhere across the world. He died on Good Friday at the age of 68.
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