Holy Cross College is a Catholic

Catholicism

Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....

 high school

High school

High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

 in the suburb of Gladesville in Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 established in the tradition of the Patrician Brothers

Patrician Brothers

The Patrician Brothers, or Brothers of Saint Patrick, are a Roman Catholic congregation for the religious and literary education of youth and the instruction of the faithful in Christian piety.-History:This Brotherhood was founded by the Right Rev. Dr...

.

History and Tradition

In 1808 Bishop Daniel Delany established in Ireland the Congregation of the Brothers of St Patrick and sought to have the youth of his native land instructed in the principles and lifestyle of the Gospels.

The Patrician Brothers arrived in New South Wales in 1883, opening a Boarding College at Gladesville in 1891. The College moved to its present site in 1896. The great sandstone edifice which is now a landmark of the district gradually rose on the heights above the Parramatta River.

Motto and Crest

The Crest was designed in the early 1900's, and was installed in a stained glass window of the Oratory in the Monastery building. In 1959, a larger replica was installed in the new College Chapel.

The Crest features the Waratah and Shamrock entwined, symbolising the shared Patrician Apostolate of Australia and Ireland. In one adaptation, the Harp is replaced by the Southern Cross.

The overall design of the Crest is technically termed "Quarterly per Cross" and "Cross Fillet". The stars indicate the Southern Cross. Clockwise, from top left, the Quarters symbolise:

• The Bishop's Mitre, for Bishop Daniel Delany, founder of the Patrician Brothers (and the Brigidine Sisters).
• The Heart, as the universal symbol of love of God and mankind.
• The Book of Learning (education), as the embodiment of the Scriptures, the humanities and the sciences.
• The Harp, as the national emblem of Ireland, the country of origin of the Patrician Brothers.

Principals of Holy Cross College College (1891 - Present day)

Year	Principal	Notable Achievements
1891	Br Alphonsus Delany	Founder of Holy Cross College
1891-93, 1899-1904	Br Andrew Dwyer
1894	Br Stanislaus Bergin
1896	Br Louis Hunt
1897	Br Anthony Lee
1898	Br Dominic Rickerby
1905-07, 1912-19	Br Boniface Carroll
1908-11, 1923-24	Br Beningnus Kealy
1920-22, 1925	Br Canice Grimes
1926-28	Br Celsus Daly
1929-36	Br Austin O'Connell
1937-39	Br Alphonsus Eviston
1940-43, 1948-54	Br Aloysius Hannigan
1944	Br Charles Cody
1945-47	Br Anthony Phelan
1955-56, 1960-65	Br John Gallagher
1957-59	Br Norbert Phelan
1966-68	Br Patrick Lovegrove
May 1968-70	Br Mark Ryan
1971-80	Br Stephen Aitken
1981-86	Br Philip Mulhall
1986-97, 1999-2000	Br Anthony Visser
Acting 1998	Frank Malloy
2001-02	Br Matthew Mahoney
2003-08	Garry Williams	First Full-Time Lay Principal
2009-	Adam Taylor

Middle Schooling Program

Students entering the College in Year 7 have a core teacher who works with them in at least three subject areas. The team of core teachers work together to meld the curriculum outcomes across the several subjects they teach, thus ‘buying back’ class time and providing greater opportunity to engage in project-based learning, using notebook computers especially reserved for the Year 7 cohort. This approach to junior secondary schooling allows teachers to know students and their needs well and thus better cater for them. This approach to learning also encourages boys to ‘learn how to learn’, equipping them better for the greater independence and autonomy that come in the later high school years.

Information Communication Technology (ICT)

Higher School Certificate results in ICT have in recent years been up to ten points above State average. The College possesses extensive computer facilities, including a new state-of-the-art Technology and Applied Studies (TAS) complex. Notebook computers are widely used by students throughout the school, with the option of a purchase/lease program to assist families who with their sons to have a personal notebook for home and school.

Notable Alumni

• John Brophy ('Jack') Renshaw
  Jack Renshaw
  John Brophy "Jack" Renshaw AC was an Australian politician. He was Labor Premier of New South Wales from 30 April 1964 to 13 May 1965.-Early life:...
  
   - Labor Premier of New South Wales from 30 April 1964 to 13 May 1965
• Scott Gale - ARL
  ARL
  ARL may refer to:*Admiralty Research Laboratory, a UK military research laboratory.*Aero Research Limited, a UK company involved in the development of aircraft adhesives....
  
   player for Balmain Tigers
  Balmain Tigers
  The Balmain Tigers are a rugby league football club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful in the history of the premiership, with eleven titles...
  
   (teacher, 1980s)
• Paul Sironen
  Paul Sironen
  Paul Sironen is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who was a prominent second rower for the Balmain Tigers during the late 1980s and early 1990s...