St Bede's College, Christchurch

Infobox NZ school
name = St Bede's College
motto = Fide et Opere
(By Faith and By Works)
badge =
type = State Integrated Single Sex Boys College (Year 9-13) with Boarding Facilities
established = 1911
address = Main North Road, Papanui, Christchurch, New Zealand
coordinates = coord|43|29|S|172|37.1|E|display=inline,title
principal = Justin Boyle
head_label =Rector
roll = 800
decile = 9
MOE=315
homepage = [http://www.stbedes.school.nz/ www.stbedes.school.nz]

St. Bede's College is a Roman Catholic day and boarding school in Christchurch, New Zealand for boys aged 13 (Year 9) to 18 (Year 13).

St. Bede's College is the oldest Catholic Boys' College in New Zealand's South Island. It is also the only Catholic Day and Boarding College for Boys in New Zealand's South Island. Students at St Bedes are colloquially known as Bedeans.

St Bede’s College was founded in 1911 by the Society of Mary (Marists), a religious congregation founded in Lyon, France in 1816.

t. Bede

The College bears the name of The Venerable Bede (AD 673-735) an English Benedictine Monk, Scholar, and Saint. Widely regarded as the Father of English History, Bede is most famous for his "Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum", recognized as the first ecclesiastical history of Britain. During his time, Bede was regarded as the finest scholar in Europe. His shrine is at Jarrow, England.

Philosophy and Marist Tradition

The College is renowned for its high academic standards, proud sporting heritage and the distinctive educational philosophy of the Marist tradition. From its beginnings, St. Bede's College has taught its students by observing a tradition that combines Marian and apostolic elements. For the most part of the previous century, the College had residential Marist Priests and Brothers as teaching staff. There is still a significant Marist presence at the College.

The philosophy of Marist education is based in the Catholic notion that each individual is unique and created by God with specific talents. The task of education is to assist parents and the individual to recognise these gifts and to develop them. In the supportive community of the college each boy is called to do his best in every aspect of life. Wherever one's individual talents lie the person must endeavour to make the most of every opportunity to experience and rise to the challenges of being a Bedean - making sure that both Faith and Works are integrated into life. Within this supportive community opportunities exist to offer one's talents at the service of others, in the family, in the workplace and in the world. Thus the young Bedean is fitted for service as a man, God's Man and as a citizen of the world. Many Bedeans are proud of their school - 'Once a Bedean, always a Bedean'

The College Mission is "To help each boy develop fully by Faith and by Works".The College Motto is Fide et Opere (By Faith and By Works).

History of Foundation

The Society of Mary is a Religious congregation founded in 1816 in Lyon, France at the time of the French Revolution by a priest, Jean-Claude Colin (1790-1875) and twelve colleagues including Marcellin Joseph Benoît Champagnat, future Founder of the Marist Brothers, and Fr (later Bishop) Jean Baptiste François Pompallier, first bishop of the Catholic Church in New Zealand. The canonical approbation of the Society of Mary was given by Pope Gregory XVI in 1836. Fr Jean-Claude Colin had a close association with Pompallier who accompanied the French Marist Missionaries to New Zealand. The Society of Mary became involved in missionary work and teaching, work that was very similar to the missions of the Jesuits, but which had a distinctive Marian approach.

The first recorded Catholic school in New Zealand was established in Auckland in 1841 by Fr. Petitjean, SM (Society of Mary). Before 1877, education in New Zealand was a provincial jurisdiction, with many schools being established by churches or private funding. With the Education Act 1877, the New Zealand Government centralised control through twelve regional education boards to introduce free, compulsory and secular education. Schools intending to teach religious instruction could not receive Government assistance. The Society of Mary continued to build the foundations for a Catholic System of Education, sourcing religious teachers from Ireland, Europe and Australia. In 1885, the Society of Mary established St. Patrick's College in Cambridge Terrace, Wellington. St. Patrick's College was the first Catholic College for boys in New Zealand.

St. Bede's College, Christchurch was established in 1911 at the request of Bishop John Joseph Grimes, SM, and the first Catholic Bishop of Christchurch. The Society owned St. Bede's College. The school was originally located along Ferry Road but it outgrew its facilities. The college had the option of purchasing the current site or that of St.Andrew's College,Christchurch in Merivale. Some say that the choice made was a fine decision because due to the land being cheaper, the college was able to build magnificent stone buildings to accommodate the monks and to accommodate lessons. The chapel was originally used as a gym but with the building of Chanel Hall, it became obsolete and so was converted to a chapel. The chapel contains the Board of Honour, honouring Bedeans who fought and died for their country in both world wars. The College was moved in 1920 to its present site on 220,000 square meters of fields and trees at the northern entrance to the city. The original buildings of St.Bede's were magnificent in old design but unfortunately, most of them had to be demolished in 1981 due to new earthquake safety requirements. However the Chapel and half of Marist House remain standing. Over the years, buildings have continued to be added to the College, including the Alistar Macdonald Centre for the Performing Arts, Jarrow (a senior boarding dorm), and a new gym. The chapel is described as the heart of the school.

In addtion to the surface buildings, the school has a number of tunnels and bomb shelters under the school, built for evacuation purposes.

The House System

A House system was instituted at St. Bede's College, with every student allocated to a House. The House system has several functions including administrative. Each House is named for a distinguished person associated with the College and its name. There are five Houses. These are:
* Benedict, yellow house, named for St. Benedict, Founder of the Benedictine Order at Monte Cassino of which Bede was a member.
* Colin, light blue house, named for Jean-Claude Colin, Founder of the Society of Mary in Lyon, France.
* McCarthy, green house, named for Major, Rt. Hon. Sir Thaddeus McCarthy, Alumnus, Jurist and the College's first Knight.
* Mannix, dark blue house, named for Fr. John Mannix, SM, Seventh Rector of the College and first Old Boy to become Rector.
* Redwood, red house, named for Archbishop Francis M. Redwood, SM, who successfully sourced Religious Teaching Orders from France, Ireland, and Australia, after the passage of the Education Act, 1877. He also served on the Senate of the University of New Zealand for more than 25 years. Redwood was Archbishop of Wellington.

Boarding Houses

The Boarding Houses are for boarding pupils and are located on the College grounds. These are:
* Grimes, named for John Joseph Grimes, SM, First Catholic Bishop of Christchurch (1888). Bishop Grimes oversaw the completion of construction of the Catholic Cathedral of Christchurch (1905), the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, designed by Francis Petre.
* Jarrow, named for the English town of Jarrow, on the River Tyne, and the Monastery where St. Bede spent most of his life.
* Durham, named for Durham Cathedral, England, where the remains of St. Bede were entombed after being taken from Jarrow ca. 1020.

College Old Boys

St. Bede's College Old Boys are notably represented in the New Zealand Parliament in the House of Representatives. Currently, they account for the greatest number of alumni of any New Zealand College to sit in the Legislature of New Zealand's 47th and 48th Parliaments. This also includes the Executive Council (Cabinet) of the current Labour Government, where three Ministers of the Crown are St. Bede's College Old Boys. They are: the Hon Clayton Cosgrove, the Hon Damien O'Connor, and the Hon Peter Dunne.

The former Deputy Leader of the New Zealand National Party, Mr. Gerry Brownlee, the Hon David Carter, a successful Canterbury businessman and National Party MP, and Mr. Mark Blumsky, Former Mayor of Wellington and a National Party MP are St. Bede's College Old Boys.

Distinguished Old Boys include Rt Hon Sir Thaddeus McCarthy, ONZ, KBE, a former President of the Court of Appeal of New Zealand. Sir Thaddeus is widely recognised for having made an outstanding contribution to Public Law and Public Administration in New Zealand. The Rt Hon Dr Frederick Vaka'uta Sevele, Prime Minister of Tonga, is also an Old Boy. A long-term advocate of increased democracy for Tonga's citizens, Dr Frederick Sevele is the first non-aristocratic Tongan citizen to be appointed Prime Minister of the Kingdom, and Anote Tong the president of Kiribati.

Several Catholic Bishops of Christchurch including Denis Hanrahan, Basil Meeking, John Cunneen and Barry Jones are Old Boys of the College. More than 180 priests are Old Boys.

Associations

Beyond Canterbury, St. Bede's College retains a special tradition of academic, cultural and sporting fixtures with St. Patrick's College, Wellington and St. Patrick's College, Silverstream.

Today, all three Colleges are part of the legacy of the Society of Mary in New Zealand.

Reputation

St Bede's College has a long indisputable reputation of brotherhood, sports and a homely atmospheric schooling environment of both safety and enjoyment. The BRA (Bedean Republican Army) is an group specifically used to promote and back the 1st XV Rugby team. Their chants include "Everywhere We Go", "Bedean Ranger" and many more captivating and intense chants, initiated to taunt and intimidate the opposition without personal attacks, which unfortunately is not often imitated by opposition schools. The school also has many proverbs to ensure the extended unity of the College community namely "Once a Bedean, always a Bedean". This simple well-known saying personifies what it means to be part of the St Bede's College community.