IPPN

Published: 26 November 2008

Source : Irish Independent

Why Catholic schools still have a role in our society
By Dr Leo O'Reilly
Wednesday November 26 2008

In recent years education, and its future, has been central to public policy debate. This development is welcome. It is timely that the Catholic Church, as a major education service provider, highlights the specific contribution our schools make to society.

A new all-Ireland initiative, Catholic Schools Week, begins on January 26 next, with the theme 'Catholic Schools -- A Vision for Life'. The Bishops' pastoral letter on education, Vision '08 -- A Vision for Catholic Education, and its application to the day-to-day life of our schools, will be the focus of this week-long celebration.

Catholic Schools Week will be launched in Dublin and Belfast with conferences on education addressing the role of Catholic schools and this will be followed by events in schools and parishes around the country.

One question will be central to the week: 'What does it mean to be a Catholic school?' All stakeholders in Catholic schools -- pupils, teachers, parents, managers and the Church community -- are invited to share the vision that gives life to the school.

In this way the mission of schools as an integral part of the life of the parish, the Church, and indeed of society at large will be highlighted.

During his address to the Catholic University of America in April, Pope Benedict XVI emphasised the importance of the Catholic school. He stated that: "Education is integral to the mission of the Church to proclaim the Good News... God's revelation offers every generation the opportunity to discover the ultimate truth about its own life and the goal of history. This task is never easy. It involves the entire Christian community and motivates each generation of Christian educators to ensure that the power of God's truth permeates every dimension of the institutions they serve."

The aim of all Christian education is to lead the believer to an adult faith that can form the person into a 'new creation', capable of bearing witness in their surroundings to the Christian hope that inspires them. This aim goes to the core of the identity of the Catholic school and raises the question of conviction: Is the faith tangible in our schools?

Such a straight question deserves the unambiguous reply contained in the Vision '08 pastoral letter: "Religious education, prayer and worship form an essential part of the curriculum, functioning at its core. Such learning is founded on faith and inspired by wonder at the transcendent mystery of God revealed in the complex beauty of the universe."

While we celebrate the outstanding contribution that Catholic schools make to Irish society, we also support choice for parents so that no child has to attend a school where their family's faith or conscience is compromised. The Church acknowledges the rights of parents to decide, in accordance with their own religious beliefs, the kind of religious education that their children are to receive.

We view it as important to work with other patron bodies and the Government so as to respond to Ireland's ever changing educational and religious needs.

In this context, there is also a need for Catholic schools to be more conscious and confident of their own identity and mission -- and this is the main purpose of Catholic Schools Week.

- Dr Leo O'Reilly