Message for the Opening of Campion College
Apr 02, 2006
By + Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney (24/3/2006)
The opening of Campion College today marks an important early stage in one of the bravest and most important initiatives of Catholic education in Australian history.
In the United States Catholic liberal arts colleges have made a vital contribution to the renewal of university education. These colleges today serve as power-houses of the faith, like Benedictine monasteries in the Dark Ages, providing young people with the knowledge and resources to articulate their beliefs confidently, to engage with the secular world around them, and to shine the light of the Gospel on public debate. They have had an influence quite disproportionate to their size and to the number of their graduates, an influence that has been overwhelmingly for the good.
This too is my hope for Campion College: that it will be both a nursery and even an armoury of the faith in Australia. I rejoice that recent years have seen a number of important new developments in Catholic higher education, particularly in Sydney. Campion College is the object of great hopes among those who love Catholicism without apology, and they are hopes I share.
The achievement of liberal arts colleges in the United States has been hard-won, and Campion College will not find it any easier here in Australia. Its success will depend on the generosity of its supporters and the hard work of all those who have achieved so much in such a short time to bring the College to this point.
I am delighted to lend my continuing support to these efforts, and my only regret is that I cannot be with you today for this great occasion. It took an invitation from Pope Benedict to be present in Rome for the creation of new cardinals today to keep me away.
It is important to acknowledge publicly those who have made this day possible. In particular I wish to pay tribute to the courage, vision, and generosity of the Power family, especially that of James Power Senior, without whom the College would not exist. I would also like to congratulate Bishop Kevin Manning for his foresight and munificence, which has not only secured a site for the College but provided his diocese and western Sydney with its first Catholic University campus.
On this happy day my prayers and thoughts are with all those who wish Campion well: its founders, its supporters, its staff, and especially its students and their families. The opening of Campion College is a sign of the times, a strong sign of hope, and its success will work powerfully to change and renew Sydney and Australian society.
Message for the Opening of Campion College