STONEWORK AND SCHOLARSHIP APPEAL
Victoria’s Catholics showed extraordinary vision in undertaking the establishment of Newman College. Ever since our foundation in 1918, we have been very fortunate in our benefactors. Prior to the opening, many thousands of Catholics from Victoria gave of their pounds, shillings and pence to assist in the building of the College. Thomas Donovan, from Sydney, was also extraordinarily generous in providing a large sum for the building as well as a trust fund (which still exists today) to offer bursary support. Since that time, we have been blessed by the many women and men who have given of their time, their labours and their resources to assist the College in providing opportunities for young people to benefit from a university education through Newman College.
In acknowledgement both of this long history of generosity and of the needs of students we must continue with this work. Our benefactors are extraordinarily generous but relatively few in number. Our hope is that more will emerge from the 3,500 on our mailing list and assist us with carrying the vision of the founders into the future. As they say, a generation's task is to plant trees under which their grandchildren may sit and play.
Each generation faces challenges peculiar to its time. University education is becoming ever more expensive, and yet at the same time it seems to offer ever fewer supports to the rounded human and intellectual formation of its students. All donations to the Scholarship Fund and/or for Stonework Restoration will be gratefully received and are tax-deductible.
Gratitude is at the heart of Ignatian Spirituality. On behalf of the College and all my predecessors (Fathers O’Dwyer, Power, Murphy, Gleeson, Daily, Scott, Fleming, L’Estrange, Uren and Brennan) I thank all who continue to support the College in so many ways, and may I encourage others to consider joining us in preparing for our future.
Daniel Madigan SJ, Rector
Newman College