7 September 2021
Dear friends of Catholic education,
On behalf of the Bishops Commission for Catholic Education, I am pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Francis Campbell and Mrs Kate Rayment to the National Catholic Education Commission. Kate Rayment will also take up the position of Chair of the Faith Formation & Religious Education Standing Committee (FFRE).
Francis Campbell is the Vice Chancellor of the University of Notre Dame Australia and was previously the Vice Chancellor of St Mary’s University in London.
Francis has extensive experience in governance, advocacy and policy having earlier served in a number of senior diplomatic and government posts, including as a member of Her Majesty’s Diplomatic Service, the United Nations Security Council in New York, the European Union, as a Policy Adviser and Private Secretary to Prime Minister Tony Blair, and as Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Holy See.
Kate Rayment is Principal of St Scholastica’s College, Glebe. Kate has worked across the Catholic education sector in Australia for almost 40 years, serving in various leadership positions in a number of dioceses, most recently as the Principal of McCarthy Catholic College, Tamworth (2009-2014).
Kate is currently the Chair of the NSW Catholic Secondary Schools Association, a member of the Reference Group for the development of the new Stage 6 Catholic Studies syllabus, and a member of Catholic School NSW Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Reference Group. She brings extensive experience in education, Mission and Identity, and Catholic leadership.
I am delighted that both Kate and Francis have agreed to join the Commission. They will take up their roles in October for a four-year term.
The Bishops Commission for Catholic Education gratefully acknowledges the substantial contribution of outgoing Commissioners, Sr Elizabeth Dodds RSC and Emeritus Professor Greg Craven AO.
Sr Liz has served on the Commission since August 2013. As Chair of the FFRE Standing Committee she has guided the work of this committee in the development of the Framework for Formation in Mission, the Religious Education Framing Paper and a number of formation resources.
We have been blessed by her passion for learning that she happily and humbly shares with all those she encounters.
Professor Craven AO has been one of the Church’s most outstanding lay leaders, having served the Church in Australia in a variety of ways over many decades, including as a member of the NCEC on and off for more than 20 years.
Greg has played an enormous role in the strategic and policy directions of Catholic education in Australia; his strong advocacy and his regular public commentary on any number of topics has also contributed to the evangelising mission of the Church through education and beyond.
I extend my deepest appreciation to Sr Liz and Greg, and my congratulations and welcome to Francis and Kate.
Yours sincerely in Christ,
Most Reverend Anthony Fisher OP
Chair, Bishops Commission for Catholic Education
