Twenty years of serving the Josephite Mission

The 2025 AJASS (Association of Josephite Affiliated Secondary Schools) Principals’ Conference gathered at Mary MacKillop Place in North Sydney at the end of June with the theme: Pilgrims of Hope – Didn’t our hearts burn?! This was a special event as it marked the twentieth anniversary of the foundation of AJASS.

Sr Michele Connolly rsj opened the Conference by leading Principals in breaking open the Gospel of The Emmaus Journey (Luke 24:13-35). Michele posed reflective questions for Principals to consider in their leadership – where ordinary human situations are transformed, where leaders have their hope restored and are energised in a new way, and the importance of creating hospitality based on the Eucharist in school communities is prioritised.

Following this, Chris Gabbett, President of AJASS and Principal of Mary MacKillop Catholic College Toowoomba, addressed the gathering to set the scene for the opportunity and the challenge AJASS has “as Principals embodying the charism so that we bring the transcendental to the lives of our communities”.

Former Principal of MacKillop College Werribee and AJASS foundation Principal, Rory Kennedy, provided an inspiring and challenging presentation, challenging the conference to maintain the dialogue, inspiration and community of AJASS.

Several Principals shared vignettes of leadership practice informed by Sr Catherine Mead’s research ‘Characteristics of a Josephite approach to education evident in the leadership practices of principals and their leadership teams’. This enabled specific focus on enhancing an understanding of the Josephite charism through:

• Coherency of mission, tradition and practice
• Authentic Catholic Identity
• Mission-Driven Decision Making
• Serving and Forming Communities
• Excellence and Educational rigour

A session on ‘Answering the Call’ provided participants with time of reflection on the question “inspired by the Gospel, how am I embodying the spirit of Mary and Julian in leading the school community”. Principals gathered around St Mary MacKillop’s tomb to bring the reflection to a close. Participants also engaged in dialogue with Jane Woolford, CEO of Mary MacKillop Today, and with Sr Jan Barnett and Emilia Nicholas from the Josephite Justice Network on the formation experiences for students and staff through Mary MacKillop Today, JJAMM and the Josephite Colloquium experience.

A visit to Father Julian Tenison Woods’ gravesite at Waverley Cemetery provided the backdrop for Principals to enter an Examen based on the spirituality of St Mary MacKillop and Fr Julian Tenison Woods.

A highlight of the Conference gathering was the shared meal at Mary MacKillop Place with the Principals and Josephite educators from the Sydney area joining to share experiences and stories.

The AGM was held at the close of the conference and the new executive was confirmed as:

Chris Gabbett: President
Elizabeth McDougall: co-Vice President
Kate Dishon: co-Vice President
Elizabeth Clark: Treasurer
Chris Caldow: Secretary
Tanya Appleby
Sonia Nelson
Catherine Mead rsj: Executive Officer

Planning will soon be underway for an AJASS Principals’ pilgrimage to Tasmania in 2026.

Catherine Mead rsj in collaboration with Chris Gabbett
AJASS Executive Officer and AJASS President