Give generously to those around us who are in need

In 1802, Blessed Edmund Rice established his first school to teach to poor boys of Waterford, Ireland. Their poverty and that of their families was intense. The legal and social system of the time worked very well at keeping them very poor. Blessed Edmund could have helped the poor by just providing their families with food, but he did more than that, he saw that education would empower those boys to change their circumstances while respecting the dignity given them by God. The result was to make an enormous change to society in Waterford and, through the Christian Brothers, Ireland and other parts of the world. Blessed Edmund recognised a need and with God’s grace, acted upon it.

We, as an Edmund Rice school, are also called to action. In the Spirit of Edmund Rice we are called to give generously to those around us who are in need. This is a fundamental characteristic of being a Christian.

The value of Justice rises out of the Spirit of Blessed Edmund Rice and requires of us a commitment to serve those in our community who are disadvantaged and marginalised.

Social Justice is an integral part of life at St Patrick's. The values and ideals of social justice at the College are based on the teachings of Jesus Christ, reflected in the work of Blessed Edmund Rice, the founder of the Christian Brothers, who worked with the marginalised of Waterford, Ireland.

The goals of the Social Justice programme at St Patrick's are to challenge the College community through education and action, and to empower the students to interact with the poor, the disadvantaged and the marginalised in the wider community. Students work with the marginalised through weekly participation in community service and with the homeless of Sydney at St Vincent de Paul’s Night Patrol. After school and lunchtime meetings focus on the issues confronting our society such as reconciliation, the environment, religious and racial tolerance and war. Our curriculum incorporates justice and Gospel values in the outcomes of all teaching programmes. Social Justice is doing your share for the community, which is what the staff and students do every day. This is the core of our community, which is highly valued by the entire College Community.

All School Activities

The College participates in St Vincent de Paul's Winter and Christmas Appeals. The Salvation Army’s Red Shield Appeal.

Year 11
Every student in Year 11 completes the Community Outreach Programme. They complete 20 hours Community Service, journal and a reflection essay.

Year 10
The Social Justice programme in Year 10 consists of the Social Justice forum. The forum is a two day conference where a variety of guest speakers conduct workshops for small groups. The forum seeks to integrate the Religious Education and Social Justice programme.

Year 9
Each Homeroom in Year 9 spends a day at St Edmund’s school for the vision and intellectually impaired. The students are given an introduction to the issues faced by the St Edmund’s students and spend time interacting with the St Edmund students.

Social Justice Co-Curricular

As part of the College’s co-curriculum students can undertake a Social Justice co-curricular as part of the Social Justice Action Group. The students are required to undertake 40 hours of community service and attended afternoon meetings for two terms. The Social Justice Action Group meets on a Wednesday afternoon between 3:30 – 5:00.

The Social Advocate

The Social Advocate is the social justice newspaper of the College, produced by the Social Justice Action Group.