Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP has appointed Professor Hayden Ramsay as the tenth president of the Catholic Institute of Sydney (CIS).
Professor Ramsay is the current Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) and Professor of Ethics at the Australian Catholic University.
Prior to his role at ACU, Professor Ramsay was the Senior Deputy Vice Chancellor and Professor of Philosophy and Ethics at The University of Notre Dame Australia.
Professor Ramsay received his doctorate in philosophy and a masters in mental philosophy from the University of Edinburgh and has lectured and spoken in philosophy, ethics and religion for close to 40 years at a range of institutions in Scotland, Melbourne and Sydney, including the CIS.
He served as Dean of Studies at Good Shepherd Seminary in Homebush and before that, played a key role in refreshing philosophy at CTC Melbourne. Most recently, he is a member of the Senate of the Institute and a board member of Sydney Catholic Schools.
CIS is an ecclesiastical educational faculty established under the auspices of the Holy See and offers ecclesiastical degrees. Open to all, it is primarily responsible for the theological and related education of candidates for ordination to the priesthood, permanent diaconate, or other kinds of ministry in the church.
Professor Ramsay’s appointment follows an extensive recruitment process, the recommendation of the interview panel, and the nomination by the institute’s senate.
In a statement Archbishop Fisher warmly congratulated Professor Ramsay on the appointment, saying he had known and worked closely with him for more than 20 years and was “delighted” he had accepted the role.
“Not only is he widely respected for his philosophical and ethical understanding with vast experience in Catholic higher education in Australia, but he is also a man with a deep knowledge and love of the Catholic faith and so will be an excellent example to students and a key appointment for seminarians,” he said.
Professor Ramsay will begin his role in late January 2025, in time for the commencement of the academic year. He will succeed Professor Sister M Isabell Naumann ISSM, who was appointed as the first female President of the Institute in 2018.
Professor Ramsay said he was looking forward to taking up the new position.
“I have been involved in the work of the Institute for many years, as a lecturer and a member of the senate and look forward to exploring with students, staff, senate and chancellor how we can best build on its current status as a superb faculty of philosophical and theological formation,” he said.
“I know many of the academic faculty and other staff and have always been impressed by their dedication and their commitment to the formation of the next generation of priests for the Archdiocese of Sydney and beyond.
“Building on this excellent work lead so ably by Professor Sister M Isabell Naumann ISSM and exploring how we can increase intellectual formation opportunities for lay folk and Catholic leaders will be key tasks.”
The Institute was established in 1954 under the authority of the Holy See and is the only educational institution in Australia that is permitted to offer ecclesiastical degrees. It welcomes clergy, seminarians and lay students for study in the fields the humanities, Sacred Scripture, theology and pastoral studies.
Archbishop Fisher expressed his appreciation to Sister M Isabell for her leadership of the Institute.
“I am deeply grateful for the excellent leadership that Professor Sister M Isabell has given to the Institute since 2017. She led CIS through a period of significant change implementing a fruitful partnership with the University of Notre Dame Australia.
“Further, Professor Naumann has been a great advocate of the Institute, especially with the Holy See, and her work in establishing the Higher Institute of Religious Sciences at CIS, ensuring that the church will have a new generation of academics for the formation of clergy and lay people.
“I am glad she will continue to be a member of the Institute’s faculty.”