The Religious Dimension of Lay Leadership in Catholic Schools: Preserving Catholic Culture in an Era of Change

Authors

  • Angelo Belmonte Catholic Education Offi ce, Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia
  • Neil Cranston University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

Abstract

This article is a qualitative study of the practice of leadership in Catholic schools in Australia. Within an interpretivist framework, a multiple case study of six lay principals was employed. Findings suggest that successful leadership in Catholic schools is highly influenced by the cultural and spiritual capital that a principal brings to a school, signifying a fundamental importance of appointing principals who are not only professionally competent, but who are spiritually competent as well. The relationship between the lay Catholic principal in the parish and the parish priest emerged as a challenging issue in many contexts. Indeed, it was highly problematic for some principals.

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Published

2009-03-01

How to Cite

Belmonte, A., & Cranston, N. (2009). The Religious Dimension of Lay Leadership in Catholic Schools: Preserving Catholic Culture in an Era of Change. Catholic Education: A Journal of Inquiry and Practice, 12(3). Retrieved from https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/cej/article/view/851

Issue

Vol. 12 No. 3 (2009)

Section

Articles

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