Religious and lay stakeholders in education gathered at the Emmaus Retreat Centre in Dublin to celebrate, and defend, Catholic education in 2010, Paul Keenan reports
Authentically Catholic schools key to the future - Dr Brady
The future for Catholic schools lies in them becoming more ''authentically Catholic'', Cardinal Seán Brady has said.
Speaking at the Emmaus Retreat Centre in Dublin last week as he launched both Catholic Schools Week (January 31 - February 6) and the new Catholic Schools Partnership (CSP), Dr Brady said, in relation to the current debate on Catholic patronage of schools: ''We should not apologise for who we are. In an increasingly diverse culture the future lies in ensuring that our schools become more authentically Catholic, both in terms of the authentic Catholic doctrine they teach and the Christian environment which they create.''
Referring to the ongoing debate regarding Church patronage of schools in Ireland, Dr Brady pointed out that ''there is no such thing as a value-free school'', and it was for parents who want Government management of schools to ask ''what philosophy of life, of the human person, of the child would the Government of the day promote''.
But for a few instances, Dr Brady said on a positive note, a new maturity in the debate on Catholic patronage was now evident.
Such a reality, he acknowledged, ''clears the ground for what could be the most creative and constructive dialogue about the future of education in this country since partition. It is a dialogue in which the Catholic Church is willing to be an enthusiastic and constructive partner''.
Such a dialogue, if not a ''Trojan horse for removing faith from schools'', Dr Brady added, but ''based on mutual respect and a genuine concern for the rights of parents and children, [offers] scope for a wide range of creative and exciting possibilities''.
Welcoming the establishment of the Catholic Schools Partnership, Dr Brady said it ''represents a timely and forward-looking initiative. It is a logical next step towards the unified voice and vision for Catholic Education''.
The Partnership
The Catholic Schools Partnership (CSP) has been established by cooperation between the Irish bishops and the Conference of Religious of Ireland (CORI).
The main aim of the CSP is to support and develop Catholic schools in the Republic of Ireland through, among other goals, fostering coherence in Catholic education at a national level, offering a unified voice for Catholic education in the public forum, with educational bodies and the Government. Its equivalent in Northern Ireland is the Trustee Support Service.
A special video feature on the CSP, introduced by Chairman Fr Michael Drumm is now available at www.catholicbishops.ie
End to patronage 'not going to happen'
A Church withdrawal from education in Ireland ''is not going to happen''. This was the firm message delivered by the Chairman of the newly-launched Catholic Schools Partnership (CSP) last week.
Speaking at the official launch of the body, Fr Michael Drumm said: ''There is nothing more important in any society than schooling. Therefore, Churches, with their interest in handing on tradition, are naturally involved in schooling. For those who talk of seeing the back of the Church in this regard, it's not going to happen''.
Conceding that there are ''too many primary Catholic schools'', Fr Drumm acknowledged the modern need for diversity but warned, ''it must be planned carefully and be mindful both of the rights of parents and of local planning''. In this, he referenced the ''20,000 volunteers on schools Boards of Management demonstrating the level of interest of people and parents'' in Catholic schooling. ''Where is that reflected in any other area of society?''
On this, Fr Drumm issued a challenge to those calling for an end to Church patronage: ''Do not attack that which is currently provided. Work with us to provide the future educational needs of children.''
Fr Drumm expressed the hope that the CSP would act as ''an umbrella under which people can work together''.
He added that the CSP, with its council make-up of bishops, priests and laypeople, ''reflects the diversity of interested parties, including parents, who are key to education''.
Bishop confident for schools' future
Bishop Leo O'Reilly believes a recent poll on Church patronage of Irish schools ''bodes well for the future''.
Despite his criticisms of the recent Irish Times/MRBI poll which suggested that a clear majority want the Church to pull back from 'control' of schools, Bishop O'Reilly said the finding that 18-24 year olds were confident that, in the wake of the Murphy Report, the Church would change to prevent future abuse, was a positive element.
''This reflects a more recent example of Catholic education,'' he said of the age profile finding reason to be positive about the Church. Of the people who will offer the next generation to Catholic schools he explained: ''They don't carry 'baggage' or 'background' that some do. I find hope in that.''
Pointing to experiences within his own Diocese of Kilmore, Dr O'Reilly said that the significant numbers coming forward to train in child protection revealed ''a lot of teachers and members of Boards of management'', which he described as ''a good overlap'' between the Church and schools.
''These people are serious about their Catholic schools,'' he said.
Taking time ahead of the Catholic Schools Week launch to speak with The Irish Catholic about the poll, Bishop O'Reilly, who is both Chairman of the bishops' Education Commission and Co-chair of the Strategic Task group on Education, reiterated that it had made for ''startling reading''.
''The poll,'' he said, ''was emotive and somewhat misleading. 'Control' is a negative word, and certainly, the Catholic Church is not there to 'control' the 'system'.''
Bishop O'Reilly went on to stress that participation by the Church was exercised no more than any other patron of a school, and must always be in accordance with the Education Act.
Pointing to the newly launched Catholic Schools Partnership as bringing a ''new coherence'' to the whole Catholic schools sector, Dr O'Reilly said the single vision for the sector was to be welcomed.
''Strength will come of this,'' he said.
'Catholic education not confined to doctrine'
The idea of explicitly faith-based education is facing ''many challenges'' in Northern Ireland, a bishop there has said. Writing as Catholic Schools Week got underway on January 31, Bishop Donal McKeown of Down and Connor, who also attended the official Dublin launch of the week at the Emmaus Retreat Centre, said Catholic schools were now faced with challenges from those who questioned a secular state's support for Church schools, and those viewing such schools as ''out of place in a post-conflict NI''.
Defending Catholic schools against such judgements, Dr McKeown pointed out that they, the largest provider of education in Northern Ireland, are not confined to ''children being inducted into what they [critics] consider a non-scientific religious mumbo-jumbo language''.
Pointing to ''core Catholic documents on education'', Dr McKeown said it was clear ''that the religious worldview is not just a number of teachings about God''. Rather, he said ''the (Catholic) school is a centre in which a specific concept of the world, of human beings and of history is developed and conveyed'' which offers students a distinctive world view.
''Schools that develop hope, freedom, joy, courage, creativity and solidarity are successful Catholic schools,'' Dr McKeown insisted.
Benefits of Catholic education must be remembered
Labour Deputy Ruairi Quinn believes that the positive aspects of Catholic education must be recalled in any debate towards reducing Church patronage of schools.
Speaking to The Irish Catholic at the launch of Catholic Schools Week, Deputy Quinn said any call for the Church to pull out of education had to balance this with the undeniable benefits Church patronage had brought.
''Let's start with the positives,'' Deputy Quinn stressed. ''The output of that system has been very good and it would be wrong in discussing its future to throw the baby out with the bathwater.'' Whatever is ultimately done regarding patronage, he said, that reality must be factored in. ''I say that,'' he added, ''as someone who received a wonderful education from the Holy Ghost Fathers.''
''We in Ireland have a system we inherited,'' he said. ''We have a relationship with the Church and we can't ignore that. But we must also respect that.''
The Labour Party, he reminded, is in favour of a pluralistic society. ''And that includes parents having a choice.''
The Labour Party is calling for a National Forum on Patronage in Primary Schools to involve all stakeholders, parents, patrons, teachers, principals and others.
Fewer but truer Catholic schools
Catholic schools find it harder these days to maintain their ethos because many parents and teachers are no longer practising, Iona Institute director and Irish Catholic columnist, David Quinn, told the conference.
He was reflecting on his own experience of Catholic schools. He said he had an eight-year-old and an eleven-year-old in the local Catholic primary school and that this had made him more conscious of the difficulties Catholic schools have in maintaining their ethos.
Mr Quinn said the current system had developed when the vast majority of the population were practising Catholics, but today with fewer than 50 percent practising, the number of Catholic schools did not reflect the true level of demand for them.
He said that the mix and variety of schools available in the country must reflect the wishes of parents above all, and not of the Church or the State. He pointed out that a Red C poll commissioned by The Iona Institute found that three in four adults support the principle of parental choice.
He also said that so long as there was a demand for Catholic schools those schools had a right to public money. He added that if there were fewer Catholic schools it would be easier for them to be true to their ethos.
