In my opinion: Catholic schools are part of the solution, not the problem [Independent.ie]
- Published: 16 February 2011
Catholic Schools Week was recently celebrated throughout Ireland. The 2011 theme, Rooted in Jesus Christ, is inspired by Pope Benedict XVI's Pastoral Letter to the Catholics of Ireland which was published last March.
So what are we celebrating and what is unique about a Catholic school? In our schools pupils learn of the world and themselves in a context shaped and sustained by the extraordinary reality of God who became man in Jesus Christ. Our pupils are invited to engage with Jesus Christ who gives life a new horizon and a definitive direction.
If the Christian faith is about an encounter with the person of Jesus, then our catechesis has to move beyond the "discourse, concepts and rules" of which Pope Benedict XVI has spoken and which has for so often dominated our catechesis, into a catechesis which introduces us more directly into knowledge of Jesus the person.
Accordingly, on January 5 last, Irish bishops published Share the Good News, the first National Directory for Catechesis in Ireland. This directory sets out a 10-year strategy for the Irish church. It has many implications for schools and is receiving the close attention of the school community.
This directory says that parents/guardians hold the key role in the faith formation of their children, supported and aided by the parish and the school. For this reason, in baptism, parents pledge themselves to become their own children's catechists.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
