A STUDY OF THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THREE RELIGIOUS CONGREGATIONS TO THE GROWTH OF EDUCATION IN THE PROVINCE OF NEWFOUNDLAN

Newfoundland has a Public School Denominational System of Education. The Church and State have worked in partnership since the Education Act of 1874, when the Denominational Public School System was established. The system is unique in many respects. It is Christian in philosophy and conviction and operates in a free and flexible society, where parents have the right to have their children educated in the light of their deepest convictions, and to have it paid for primarily by the payment of taxes to the State.;The Churches have played an important role in education in Newfoundland. The three major religious denominations in the Province, namely, the Roman Catholic, the Anglican, and the Wesleyan Methodists have contributed greatly to the cause of education. The Catholic Church's contribution to the development and continuance of Newfoundland's school system has been made chiefly through her leaders in Church and State and through the zeal and dedication of the members of the Religious Congregations who have established teaching apostolates here.;The purpose of the sudy was to examine the leadership and functional roles of three Religious Congregations, namely, the Sisters of the Presentation, the Sisters of Mercy, and the Christian Brothers in education in Newfoundland. It was to investigate the contributions made by these Religious Congregations whose members have been engaged in educational work in the Province for over one hundred years.;The study traced the work of the Sisters and Brothers in the Province's educational system. The pioneer Brothers and Sisters came to Newfoundland from Ireland during the period from 1833 to 1876. The Presentation Sisters, who arrived in 1833, were the first English-speaking Sisters to establish foundations in Canada. The Sisters of Mercy foundation, which was established at St. John's in 1842, formed the first foundation of that Congregation to be established outside the British Isles. The Irish Christian Brothers, who came to Newfoundland in October, 1875, were the first Christian Brothers to come to North America, and it was from St. John's, Newfoundland, that the ideas and ideals of the Brothers spread to New York and to Canada's far west.;The pioneer Sisters and Brothers established their first school at St. John's, the capital of the Province. From there new foundations were opened and schools were established. As new members were added, the teaching apostolate expanded. Today their schools may be found in almost every Catholic section of the Island.;The particular points of significance to note in the study are: the factors which were mainly responsible for the establishment of the Congregations in Newfoundland; the Curriculum, Program and the competency of the Teaching Personnel of the schools which they established, and the basic philosophy of their schools as evidenced by the special services which were rendered to ensure the total development of their pupils spiritually, intellectually, culturally, socially and physically.;The Presentation Sisters sowed the seed of Catholic education in Newfoundland. Its growth was nurtured and enhanced by the arrival of the Sisters of Mercy. The seed was brought to fruition by the arrival of the Irish Christian Brothers. The system of education which they devised was founded upon basic religious principles, was strengthened by the use of a sound and well-balanced curriculum, and was directed and expanded by leaders who were competent and knowledgeable in their field. Throughout the century which followed, the Sisters and Brothers were clearly instrumental in raising the religious, intellectual and cultural tone of the communities in which they labored. By their zeal and dedication they enriched the lives of thousands of men and women and in large measure formed the deeply Christian Society which exists in Newfoundland today.