St Stanislaus' College (Bathurst)

College motto

St Stanislaus' College shares its motto with its older sister St Vincent's College, Castleknock (Dublin): 'Nos Autem In Nomine Domini' ('We, however, in the name of the Lord'), which comes from Psalm 20:7 [Septuagint numbering 19:7]. The text in the psalm is "Hi in curribus et hi en equis; nos autem in nomine Domini Dei nostri invocabimus" ('Some trust in chariots or horses; we, however, [trust] in the Name of the Lord.'). However, considering 'invocamimus', it may be more accurately translated as "we, however, will call upon the Name of the Lord".

Patron saints

The main patron saint of the College is St Stanislaus Kostka SJ of Poland (1550–68). He walked all the way from Vienna to Rome to join the Jesuits (Society of Jesus). On the way he stopped at Dilingen in obedience to St Peter Canisius who tested his vocation there. On his seventeenth birthday achieved his aim and joined the Order. Partly because of the exhaustion from his arduous journey, he died about two months before he turned eighteen.

St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660), the other main patron saint of Stannies, is the founder of the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentian Priests and Brothers) who have had care of the College since 1889. The Charism of St Vincent underpins all that the College stands for. He is patron of St Vincent's House. St Vincent (1576-1660) also founded the Daughters of Charity and gave his life in service of the poor. He is known as the "Apostle of Charity".

St Charles Borromeo was the patron of the Seminary which was the sister institution of the College in the early years. The seminary was short-lived but St Charles remains as the patron of St Charles' House and his statue continues to grace the old part of the College. St Charles Borromeo (1538–1584) was the Cardinal Archbishop of Milan from 1564 to 1584. He is ranked high among the great reformers of the Catholic Church in the troubled sixteenth century.

St Joseph is Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He is patron of St Joseph's House.

St John the Evangelist is patron of St John's House.

St Justin de Jacobis CM was a great Vincentian Missionary Bishop in Ethiopia and is patron of St Justin's House.

St Francis Xavier SJ was a great Jesuit Missionary and is patron of Xavier's House.

College war-cry and song

The College war-cry is known as "The Rick". The words are:
Stannies 1,2,3… rick, rick, rickerty rick,
hoopra, hooopra, hey, hey hoopra, hey
hoopra, hey hey hey. Aussie, aussie ah,
who are, who are, who are we? We are,
we are SSC. Where do we come from?
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. Stannies, Stannies 'ray.

The College Song is the 'Vincentius', a Latin hymn about St Vincent de Paul which includes a rendering of verses 15 and 16 of Psalm 132.

Vincentius orphanorum pater
Pauperes Sion saturabo panibus
Sacerdotes eius induam salutari

English translation: Vincent, father of orphans
The poor of Sion I will satisfy with bread
Its priests I will clothe with salvation

History

St Stanislaus' College was established in 1867 with 14 boys, near the present St Michael and St John's Cathedral. Tuition occurred until 1873 in part of the Denominational School, which replaced the demolished St Michael's church, and the boarders lived nearby under the care of Michael McGirr; the first President was his cousin, Fr James McGirr. A quote from the Catholic newspaper, The Freeman's Journal, mentions the new College:

The school came under the control of the Congregation of the Mission in 1889, following the arrival of the Vincentian Fathers and Brothers from Ireland. Their task was to run the College and St Charles' Seminary on the same site. The seminary was founded in 1875 and closed at the end of 1891.

In 1892, the College became a member of the Athletic Association of the Great Public Schools of New South Wales (GPS). However, travelling to Sydney for sports was difficult and membership was relinquished some years later.

In 1896, the College received much media attention when it became the site of the first x-ray for medical purposes in Australia. This x-ray was taken by Father Joseph Patrick Slattery on 21 September, and showed the location of gunshot in the shattered hand of an ex-student.

The main oval was opened with a game of cricket on St Patrick's Day 1932, a College team pitted against an Australian XI captained by Alan Kippax and including Don Bradman.

The College has mainly played Rugby Union although Rugby League was played for several years in the 1940s and 50s. The First XV won the Waratah Shield in 1974, 1980, 1981 and 1995.

The original part of the current building with its three towers was constructed in stages from 1872 to 1907. Other additions included the Gallagher Wing in 1942, extension of the Chapel and Marble Hall completed 1954, John Hall Wing (1962) and Slattery Wing (opened by Robert Menzies in 1965). The olympic swimming pool was opened in 1971 and the Guthrie Library in 1976. The McMahon Wing was opened in 1985, completing the Quadrangle. In 1989 the "Brothers" Industrial Arts Complex was constructed. In 2005 a large Indoor Recreation Venue and Performing Arts Centre was built, overlooking No. 1 Oval. Most recently, in 2011, the Trade Training Centre near the Fitz Oval was completed.

The number of College Houses was increased from four to six in the 1980s. The Houses are under the patronage of St Vincent de Paul, St Charles Borromeo, St Francis Xavier, St John the Evangelist, St Justin de Jacobis and St Joseph.

Since the coming of the Vincentians in 1889, the College's annual publication, "Echoes from St Stanislaus' College", has been published nearly every year. There were gaps of several years during World War One and Two. In 1989 "A Century of Echoes" was published, edited by Theo Barker.

College chapel

The chapel, part of the original building, was extended in 1954 and renovated in recent years.

The main stained-glass window depicts the Trinity, Angels, and several Mysteries of the Rosary: the Annunciation (including part the greeting of the Angel Gabriel to Mary in Latin "Ave Maria gratia plena", i.e., "Hail Mary full of grace"), the Nativity, the Crucifixion and the Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven (including the opening words of the Latin hymn "Regina Caeli Laetare...", i.e., "Queen of Heaven, rejoice..."). The two side-altars feature two beautiful Hardman & Co. stained-glass windows each. There are two series of stained-glass windows at the sides of the chapel. Towards the front the windows represent the College House Patron Saints. Behind these are symbolised the Four Evangelists (i.e. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John).

Two circular paintings have graced the chapel wall on either side of the main window for many years: St Vincent de Paul to the left and St Patrick to the right.

Leadership

In its early years the College had both a President and Headmaster. Michael McGirr was Headmaster alongside the first President, Fr James McGirr (1867-1871). The Presidents that followed were Fr Joseph Horan (1871-1873), Dr McAuliffe (1873-1878), Fr Horan again (1878-1883), Fr Pierce Corcoran (1883), Dr Joseph P. Byrne (1884), Fr William Byrne (1885-1888). During this period there were also Headmasters alongside the Presidents. Vincentians continued in the unified role of President and Headmaster at the College from 1889 until the commencement of 1993, when it was decided to separate the two roles again. John Edwards was Headmaster from 1993 to 2012; and he was succeeded by the current Head, Dr Anne Wenham.

Child sexual abuse

During 2007 former priests, chaplains and teachers came under investigation over alleged child sexual abuse that up to 40 boys were allegedly sexually abused at the school from the 1960s through to the early 1990s.

At least four people associated with St Stanislaus' College have faced legal proceedings due to alleged sexual abuse:

1. Brian Spillane, an ordained priest, was initially charged by police in 2008 with 33 sexual abuse offences, including six counts of sexual intercourse with pupils from St Stanislaus' College. In 2009 he was charged with a furher 113 offences. On a separate matter, Spillane was convicted in November 2010 of nine counts of indecent assault against three girls aged between eight and seventeen while he was based in both Bathurst and Sydney, for which he was sentenced to nine years jail in 2012 with a non-parol period of five years. After a court-ordered media blackout was lifted dating from 2013, it was reported in 2016 that Spillane was convicted of assaults on five St Stanislaus' College students after a trial in 2013, that in 2015 he pleaded guilty to assaults on four boys at the school in the late 1980s, and during 2016 Spillane was convicted of attacks on five students between 1974 and 1990. Spillane, who is currently serving a total 17-year jail sentence (non-parole period of 11 and a half years), is expected to be sentenced in early 2017.
2. Kevin Phillips, also an ordained priest, pleaded guilty to four counts of gross indecency with a child under the age of 18, resulting in concurrent sentences of 9 months under the first three charges, and an additional 9 months for the fourth.
3. John Gaven, a Vincentian Brother, was charged with 28 sex offences; and in March 2013 was found guilty on six sexual assault charges against former students.
4. Along with Spillane, Phillips and Gaven, one other man has been charged with sexual abuse cases related to the school: with five counts of indecent assault and one count of sexual assault.

Notable alumni

Years at St Stanislaus' College in brackets.