Professor Emerita Anne Cummins is the latest Sydneysider to be awarded a Papal honour.
In a ceremony conducted in Cathedral House in Sydney, the quiet achiever became a Dame of the Order of St Gregory the Great and was presented with a medal on behalf of Pope Francis by Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP.
The Order of St Gregory the Great is characterised by a an eight-pointed, gold rimmed Maltese Cross of deep red enamel, with a blue medallion bearing the image of the saint in gold relief, with the phrase “for God and prince/ruler” inscribed in the back in Latin.
Papal honours are granted to Catholic women and men in recognition of their service to the church through their work and community impact.
“I worked for nearly every congregation in Australia and across all states,” said Cummins, who first started volunteering with the church at 12 years old as a distributor of flyers for the Oblate Fathers.
She has a long history of service, particularly in the field of education. The long-term educator has served as principal at several Catholic schools in New South Wales and the ACT, as well as serving as Director of Catholic Schools NSW Ltd.
She had a long stint at the Australian Catholic University, first as a member of the University Senate from 1992 until 2006 before her appointment as Dean of Students in 2008.
In that role she led the Students, Learning, and Teaching portfolio, until her retirement from ACU as its Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Students, Learning, and Teaching).
Cummins also helped to establish Catholic Schools NSW, which became operational in 2019.
“I’ve been trusted to work in education, community services, governance, strategy, reviews, restructure, facilitations, and recruitments,” she said.
“In all these areas, I’ve encountered people of faith who lived the Gospels, served others and did so with joy.”
In addition to the archbishop’s attendance at the ceremony, archdiocesan Chancellor Chris Meney, and Cummins’ family members and friends were also present.
