Catholic Education and the Call to Truth: Dallas McInerney Inspires at Campion Formal Hall

Campion College was delighted to welcome Dallas McInerney, CEO of Catholic Schools NSW, as guest speaker for our recent Formal Hall. With wit, conviction and clarity, McInerney delivered an address that ranged from Pontius Pilate and Victor Hugo to curriculum reform and the rise of liberal arts education.

McInerney emphasised the centrality of truth in Catholic education, reminding students that Veritas – truth – is not just a concept, but a calling. “Veritas, truth in its form, is something which is not relative. There is an absolute version of it and it’s divinely inspired,” he said. “If the question is, ‘What is truth?’ the answer is: God is truth. ‘I am the truth. I am the light.’”

He connected this theological reflection to the vocation of teaching, noting that Christ was referred to as “Teacher” no fewer than 45 times in the Gospels.

With over 250,000 students now enrolled in 598 Catholic schools across NSW, McInerney reflected on the system’s rapid growth, particularly among non-Catholic families. Rather than seeing this as a challenge to Catholic identity, he encouraged a mindset of evangelisation: “They walked through the gates knowing we were Catholic. They saw something. They were drawn to it,” he said. “Let’s give them an encounter with that.”

Not one to shy away from cultural battles, McInerney outlined recent curriculum wins – including the mandatory study of Shakespeare and the Magna Carta – as hard-fought but vital. “You never hear someone say, ‘I missed out on progressivist education,’” he quipped. “But you do hear people say they wish they’d read the canon.”

His remarks struck a chord with Campion College students, many of whom are considering careers in education.

The evening concluded with a performance of Bring Him Home from Les Misérables by students Miette Salinas-Byrne and Reshan Weerakkody. See below for photos from the night.