Holy Cross College is an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

secondary

day school A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children are given instruction during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when compared to a regular s ...

for boys, located in the

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

suburb of

Ryde Ryde is an English seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight. The built-up area had a population of 24,096 according to the 2021 Census. Its growth as a seaside resort came after the villages of Upper Ryde and ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. It is administered b
Catholic Schools New South Wales
with an enrolment of 736 students and a teaching staff of 55, as of 2023. The school serves students from

Year 7 Year 7 is an educational year group in schools in many countries including England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand. It is the seventh full year (or eighth in Australia and England) of compulsory education and is roughly equivalent to grade 6 ...

Year 12 Year 12 is an educational year group in schools in many countries including England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. It is sometimes the twelfth or thirteenth year of compulsory education, or alternatively a year of post-comp ...

, and was originally conducted by the

Patrician Brothers The Patrician Brothers officially named Brothers of Saint Patrick (), abbreviated F.S.P. is a Catholic lay religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men founded for the religious and literary education of the youth and the instruction of th ...

History and tradition

In 1808, Bishop

Daniel Delany Daniel Delany DD (February 1747, in Paddock, Mountrath, Laois, Ireland – 9 July 1814, in Tullow, County Carlow) was the Roman Catholic Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin. Educated at the Irish College in Paris, he taught at thEnglish Boys Coll ...

established in Ireland the Congregation of the Brothers of St Patrick and sought to have the youth of his native land instructed in the principles and lifestyle of the Gospels. The Patrician Brothers arrived in New South Wales in 1883, opening a Boarding College at Ryde in 1891, and by the end of 1892, the college had an enrolment of 20 students. The College moved to its present site in 1896, and was set to open in 1897, but the building was not completed until June 1898. The official opening and blessing occurred on 3 July 1898. The great sandstone edifice which is now a landmark of the district gradually rose on the heights above the Parramatta River. It celebrated 125 years in 2016.

Motto and crest

The Crest was designed in the early 1900s, and was installed in a stained glass window of the Oratory in the Monastery building. In 1959, a larger replica was installed in the new College Chapel. The Crest features the Waratah and Shamrock entwined, symbolising the shared Patrician Apostolate of Australia and Ireland. In one adaptation, the Harp is replaced by the Southern Cross. The overall design of the Crest is technically termed "Quarterly per Cross" and "Cross Fillet". The stars indicate the Southern Cross. Clockwise, from top left, the Quarters symbolise: * The Bishop's Mitre, for Bishop Daniel Delany, founder of the Patrician Brothers (and the Brigidine Sisters). * The Heart, as the universal symbol of love of God and mankind. * The Book of Learning (education), as the embodiment of the Scriptures, the humanities and the sciences. * The Harp, as the national emblem of Ireland, the country of origin of the Patrician Brothers...

Sport

Holy Cross College was previously affiliated with the Metropolitan Catholic Colleges Sports Association (MCC).

Principals

The following individuals have served as Principal of Holy Cross College:

Notable alumni

* Chris Anderson – boarded and attended 6th form (Yr 12) 1971 while playing reserve and first grade for the

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the NRL Telstra Premiership, as well as competitions facilitated by ...

Mark Beaven Mark Beaven is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. He played for Eastern Suburbs, Western Suburbs and Balmain in the NSWRL competition. Playing career Beaven made his first grade debu ...

–

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

footballer *

Paul Beaven Paul Beaven is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s. He played for North Sydney, Western Suburbs and Balmain in the NSWRL competition. Background Beaven is the younger brother of former rugby leag ...

–

footballer * Luke Brooks –

footballer for

Wests Tigers The Wests Tigers is an Australian professional rugby league football team, based in the Inner West of Sydney and South Western Sydney. The Tigers have competed in the National Rugby League (NRL) since being formed at the end of the 1999 N ...

Matt Cecchin Matt Cecchin (born 1973) is an Australian former rugby league referee who officiated in the NRL between 2001 and 2021. Cecchin officiated international matches at the 2011 Four Nations and 2017 World Cup, and domestic representative matches in ...

– former NRL Referee * Darren Clark – former Australian 200m and 400m sprint champion and dual Olympic Representative at the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games * Joseph Clark – Federal Parliament Member for seat of Darling for 35 years from 1934 to 1969. * Paul Clarke –

footballer * Peter Clarke –

footballer * Greg Cox – rugby league footballer * Bradley Deitz – rugby league footballer * Ignatius John Doggett – Catholic Bishop *

Benny Elias Ben Elias (Arabic: بن الياس; also known as Back Door Benny born 15 November 1963 in Tripoli, Lebanon) is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. He played primarily as a for Balmain in the New S ...

– former rugby league footballer for

Balmain Tigers The Balmain Tigers (also known as the Sydney Tigers from 1995 to 1996) are a rugby league club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain, New South Wales, Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and on ...

, NSW State of Origin,

Australian Kangaroos The Australian national rugby league team, the Kangaroos, have represented Australia in senior men's rugby league football competitions since the establishment of the game in Australia in 1908. Administered by the Australian Rugby League Comm ...

Anthony Fisher Anthony Colin Fisher (born 10 March 1960) is an Australian prelate of the Catholic Church and a friar of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans). Since 12 November 2014, he has been the ninth Catholic Archbishop of Sydney. He served as the third ...

– Archbishop of Sydney, Australia, 2014 * Maurice Fitzgerald –

footballer * Brett Gale –

footballer * Scott Gale –

footballer *

David Gower David Ivon Gower (born 1 April 1957) is an English cricket commentator and former cricketer who was captain of the England cricket team during the 1980s. Described as one of the most stylish left-handed batsmen of his era, Gower played 117 T ...

–

footballer for Wests Tigers, St. George Illawarra,

Parramatta Eels The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL). The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, and ...

Bronson Harrison Bronson Harrison (born 10 October 1985) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played as a forward in the 2000s and 2010s. He played for the Wests Tigers, Canberra Raiders and the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the ...

–

footballer for Wests Tigers,

Canberra Raiders The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugb ...

, St. George Illawarra,

New Zealand national rugby league team The New Zealand national rugby league team () has represented New Zealand in rugby league since 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the Kiwi (bird), native bird of that name. The team' ...

* Andrew Kazzi –

footballer *

Ben Keneally Ben Keneally is an Australian management consultant and politician. He was the Mayor of Botany Bay from 2012 to 2016. His wife is the former NSW Premier and former Senator Kristina Keneally. Early life and career Keneally grew up in Gladesvill ...

– former Mayor of Botany Bay *

Esan Marsters Esan Marsters (born 17 August 1996) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or for the Salford Red Devils in the Super League. He has played for the Cook Islands, New Zealand and the New Zealand Māori at international level ...

–

footballer * David Marando – former

footballer * Michael Marketo –

footballer * Krystian Mapapalangi –

footballer * Nathan Milone –

footballer for Wests Tigers *

Mitchell Moses Mitchell Moses (; born 16 September 1994) is a professional rugby league footballer who captains and plays as a for the Parramatta Eels in the National Rugby League, New South Wales in the State of Origin series and has played for Australia an ...

–

footballer footballer for Parramatta Eels and NSW State of Origin * Darren Nicholls –

footballer *

Justin O'Brien Justin O'Brien (2 August 1917 – 25 January 1996) was an Australian artist. He won the inaugural Blake Prize in 1951. Collections O'Brien's works are held in the collections of the National Gallery of Australia, the Art Gallery of New South ...

– artist * Dean Parata – former

footballer *

Troy Perkins Troy Perkins (born July 29, 1981) is an American former soccer player. During his career, he played for clubs in the United States, Canada, and Norway. The 2006 Major League Soccer Goalkeeper of the Year award winner earned seven caps with the ...

– former

footballer * Pat Politoni – former

footballer *

Jaxson Rahme Jaxson Rahme (born 4 December 2003) is a Lebanon international rugby league footballer who plays as a forward for the Wests Tigers in the NSW Cup. Background Rahme is of Lebanese descent. He was educated at Holy Cross College, Ryde. He ...

–

footballer *

Jack Renshaw John Brophy Renshaw (8 August 190928 July 1987) was an Australian politician. He was Labor Premier of New South Wales from 30 April 1964 to 13 May 1965. He was the first New South Wales Premier born in the 20th century. Early life Jack Rensh ...

– Labor

Premier of New South Wales The premier of New South Wales is the head of government in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Government of New South Wales follows the Westminster system, Westminster Parliamentary System, with a Parliament of New South Wales actin ...

from 30 April 1964 to 13 May 1965 *

Mark Riddell Mark Robert Riddell (born 9 December 1980) is an Australian rugby league commentator and former professional player who played as a in the 2000s and 2010s. A City New South Wales representative goal-kicker, he played in the National Rugby Le ...

– former rugby league footballer for St. George Illawarra and Parramatta Eels * Junior Roqica –

footballer *

Keith Rugg Keith Rugg is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. Rugg was a foundation player for Illawarra, playing in the club's first season. Playing career Rugg made his first grade debut against ...

– former

footballer * Alex Seyfarth –

footballer for the

* James Shepherd –

footballer * Jacin Sinclair –

footballer *

Bayley Sironen Bayley Sironen (born 23 December 1996) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a , , and for Catalans Dragons in the Super League. He previously played for the Wests Tigers, South Sydney Rabbitohs and New Zealand Wa ...

–

footballer * Curtis Sironen –

footballer for St Helens. He is the son of

Paul Sironen Paul Sironen (born 23 May 1965) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of Finnish descent who was a prominent Second-row forward for the Balmain Tigers during the late 1980s, and early 1990s. He was part of the team tha ...

– former rugby league footballer for Balmain Tigers, NSW State of Origin,

* Jim Stride – Olympian (Rowing) * Dion Teaupa –

footballer * Tevita Tatola –

footballer * Brandon Tumeth –

footballer * Eloni Vunakece –

footballer * Grant Wheelhouse –

footballer *

Aaron Woods Aaron Woods (born 13 March 1991) is an Australian former rugby league forward who captained Wests Tigers and played for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, St. George Illawarra Dragons and Manly Warringah Sea Eagle ...

–

footballer for Wests Tigers, NSW State of Origin, Australian Kangaroos

References

{{Patrician Brothers schools, state=collapsed Patrician Brothers schools City of Ryde Catholic secondary schools in Sydney Educational institutions established in 1891 1891 establishments in Australia

History and tradition

Motto and crest

Sport

Principals

Notable alumni

See also

References