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Catholic Identity & College History

St Francis Xavier College was established in response to an urgent need for Catholic education in southeast Victoria. At the direction of Bishop Fox of the Diocese of Sale, an interim Board of Management worked towards the establishment of a Catholic
regional college.

College History

St Francis Xavier College was established in response to an urgent need for Catholic education in southeast Victoria. The school’s original buildings — which have evolved into our current Beaconsfield Campus — were constructed and the first meetings for prospective students and parents held in 1977. On 7 February 1978, St Francis Xavier College opened its doors to an initial intake of 72 students under the leadership of Mr Robert Schneider.

Today our College is a three-campus educational institution with several thousand students. Our Berwick Campus was established in 2003 and our Officer Campus in 2012 to support our development and vision.

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St Francis Xavier

Saint Francis Xavier was born into an aristocratic family on 7 April 1506 in Navarre, a province in northern Spain. A natural academic, he appeared destined to become an intellectual scholar, and at the age of 19 he travelled to France and began studying at the University of Paris. It was there that he met Ignatius of Loyola, a friend 15 years his senior who influenced him to dedicate his life to the service of God.

DOSCEL

Catholic Education in the Diocese of Sale is a vital expression of the mission of the Church. DOSCEL directs and serves 38 primary schools and 7 secondary schools. The Diocese spans metropolitan, regional and rural areas between Narre Warren and Cranbourne in the west of the Diocese, to Wonthaggi in the south and Orbost in the east.

Our aim is to deliver the highest quality educational opportunities and outcomes for every student in every school in the diocese.

About Doscel  Governance

Our Philosophy

St Francis Xavier College operates under the governance of the Diocese of Sale Catholic Education Ltd (DOSCEL) and supported by the Parishes of Berwick, Narre Warren, Pakenham, Iona / Maryknoll and Koo Wee Rup.

The College strives to achieve the best in educational opportunities and outcomes for its students. Specifically:

Our Mission

I am the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6)

St Francis Xavier College is a Catholic community that is educative and supportive of the whole person. We have a clear purpose: the individuals’ development of competence, conscience and compassion formed in the Christian tradition in light of the Scriptures; one who is guided by a sense of Christian faith, hope and love who will be of service to the world. We recognise God’s presence in our lives by being a living witness to Jesus, celebrating and pursuing excellence and by living courageously with optimism and respect for the dignity of all.

College Crest

The Eagle: Represents the Evangelists – ‘spreading the Good News’.

The Fish: Represents the secret symbol used as a password by early persecuted Christians. To non-Christians, it was just a scribble with no significance.

The Stars: Represent the Southern Cross on a cross signifying that Jesus and his teachings are for all.

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College Prayer

We believe that all people, young and old, are on a journey of life and discovery, where each of us is called by God to share our special and unique gifts with our world.

We believe that our role is to walk with our students on this journey, to nourish their gifts and talents, allow them to feel valued and valuable, and encourage them to grow as whole people.

We believe that our students should learn to discover their own unique gifts and talents, develop their creativity and originality, communicate and work with others, and see and seek the presence of God in their lives.

We believe that we should encourage in students the values of generosity and joy in good times, courage and faith in adversity, care and concern in others’ pain, indignation and action in the face of injustice.

In all these things, we believe that we should lead by example, by being positive, affirming and good-humoured, teaching with passion, conviction and integrity, making learning a pleasure, not a chore and encouraging all to look at the world with a simple and honest heart.

We ask these things through Christ our Lord.