Margaret O'Shea

Promoter of Charism
in Dominican Schools

The Dominican tradition has enriched the history of the Church for over 800 years. Dominican schools and centres of learning are one way in which the Dominican charism is made alive and given expression, enriching the lives of our students with the values which are central to the Dominican tradition: a passionate commitment to truth explored in dialogue, a critical appreciation of culture and cultures, a love of the beautiful and a vibrant preaching of the Gospel. In education, these values are fostered, together with a spirit of prayer and contemplation, respect for the uniqueness of each person, and the pursuit of excellence.

The Dominican charism is central to the educational experiences of the staff and students in our schools.  Handing on of this living and dynamic charism is an essential element of the stewardship of the Dominican Sisters.  The role of the Promoter of Dominican Charism is to work with School Boards, Executive and staff to foster, promote and develop the Dominican charism within our schools, and to support those responsible for promoting the charism in their school programs. The Promoter of Charism will work with the Dominican Education Council to provide resource and facilitation support to School Boards in their formation in, and understanding of, the charism. The responsibilities of the Promoter of Charism will include providing support to schools for their staff induction and professional development programs in the Dominican story and charism, and working to create a strong network across the various school personnel to share, support, encourage and celebrate the charism. An important focus of the role is the fostering of connections between school communities and the wider Dominican family, nationally and internationally.

Margaret O’Shea has been appointed to this role of Promoter of Charism in Dominican Schools. She has a long family association with the Dominican Sisters. She completed her Primary and Secondary education at St Mary’s, Maitland, where she returned later to become Deputy Principal.

Margaret  trained in both Primary and Secondary Education, and worked for the NSW Department of Education before moving to Catholic Schools in the Maitland Diocese, and later to Santa Sabina College, Strathfield. Here she held a number of positions, before becoming Head of the Secondary School.

Highly regarded and widely respected as an educator, Margaret has a strong commitment to Justice Education and Justice issues. Her wide understanding of, and interest in, social, political, historical and cultural matters have always enriched the students she has taught. Her love of, and commitment to the Dominican story and Charism make her ideally suited to this important role.