St Thomas of Canterbury will remain a Catholic college

A legal case to have the college’s land and buildings sold by the Christian Brothers was amicably resolved.

A joint statement from Catholic Bishop of Christchurch Michael Gielen and St Thomas’ principal Steve Hart on August 21 said that the Catholic Bishop of Christchurch would “take over as proprietor”.

“For more than six decades, St Thomas’ has been an integral part of Catholic education in Christchurch, with the Christian Brothers serving as custodians of the site the then-Bishop of Christchurch transferred to them,” read the statement.

Earlier this year, the Trustees of the Christian Brothers of New Zealand asked for court permission to sell the college’s land and buildings to help pay reparations to victims of sexual abuse in Australia.

The statement from Bishop Gielen and Mr Hart stated, “We are pleased to announce that the legal case has now been amicably resolved. We have both been very vocal in recent weeks about our commitment to the future of St Thomas’ as a Catholic college, forming young men of faith, character and intellect.”

The Catholic Bishop of Christchurch will assume the role of proprietor for the college once necessary approvals had been obtained. The relevant parties will work with the Ministry of Education to “facilitate the smooth transfer of the proprietor responsibilities”.

“The college will therefore continue in full operation and provide complete ongoing education of its students, and the promise of many more decades of Catholic education has been sealed.”

FULL STORY

Future of St Thomas of Canterbury Secured (Catholic Diocese of Christchurch)

St Thomas of Canterbury College: Christian Brothers land sale case resolved (New Zealand Herald)