Bishops launch Vision 08 Catholic schools education letter

Irish Roman Catholic bishops have stressed the inclusive nature of their schools in a pastoral letter issued yesterday.

Vision 08 - A Vision for Catholic Education in Ireland
Press Release - Bishops' publish Pastoral Letter for Catholic education
Pastoral is launched at Pentecost in celebration of the coming of the Holy Spirit – Bishop O’Reilly
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Bishop Leo O’Reilly, Chair of the Education Commission of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference, launches a pastoral letter to the media on behalf of the Irish Bishops’ Conference: Vision 08 – A Vision for Catholic Education in Ireland. The launch took place yesterday at St Patrick’s National School in Drumcondra, Dublin.
The Pastoral Letter opens with a number of relevant questions of a contemporary nature: Why Catholic schools in modern Ireland? What is the special character of such schools? How do they contribute to society and educational system of which they form such a significant part?

Launching the Pastoral Letter Bishop O’Reilly says, “The Catholic Church has a long history in education in Ireland and its contribution has been widely acknowledged. It also has a very coherent philosophy of education which has been expressed in many Vatican Documents over the past fifty years.”
“Catholic schools are guided by a positive view of the person based on the teachings of Christ. Catholic schools help each student develop his or her potential as a human person. Our schools encourage students to look beyond the surface of things to find the face of God in ordinary human experience. The Catholic school is not just an organisation. It is a community. It is as members of communities that pupils grow to maturity. In addition, pupils are offered a rich history of learning and view of life. Knowledge and learning are key elements in Catholic education,” says Bishop O’Reilly.

Speaking at the launch of the Pastoral Letter, Sr Elizabeth Maxwell, President of the Conference of Religious in Ireland, says: “We the Religious of Ireland are committed to Catholic Schools. We are proud of our contribution to the education mission of the Church in Ireland over two hundred years. We have not withdrawn from Catholic education. On the contrary, we are anxious to contribute to the continuation of Catholic education in the tradition of our founders and foundresses into the future.”
“To ensure that this will happen Religious Congregations have devoted much energy over the past ten years to developing new models for the trusteeship of schools. Increasingly we have involved lay people in assuring the distinctive ethos of our schools into the future,” says Sr Maxwell.

Vision 08 – A Vision for Catholic Education in Ireland addresses the following themes: - Life Lived to the Full - Faith and Foundation - Religious Education and Prayer - Developing Human Persons - Education for Living - Education in a Time of Transition - Education for Excellence - Education and the Community - Parish Schools and the School as a Community Partnership - An Inclusive Community - The School and Society - A Catholic Education Service

Vision 08 – A Vision for Catholic Education in Ireland is being sent to interest groups in education including teacher unions, parent associations, patron bodies, trustee bodies, Boards of Management, policy makers, Oireachtas members and Members of the Legislative Assembly. The Pastoral is being translated in the Irish and Polish languages.

The launch of the pastoral letter for education
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Address by Bishop Leo O'Reilly, Chair of the Education Commission of the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference
at the media launch for the pastoral letter for education
St Patrick’s National School, Drumcondra, Dublin - 12 May 2008

Welcome
You are very welcome to this Press Conference to mark the launch of Vision 08 – A Vision for Catholic Education in Ireland. Vision 08 is a Pastoral Letter from the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference on the Catholic School in Ireland.

Questions for Catholic Schools
The Catholic Church has a long history in education in Ireland and its contribution has been widely acknowledged. It also has a very coherent philosophy of education which has been expressed in many Vatican Documents over the past fifty years. It is out of this background that our letter addresses the key questions arising from the current debate on education. • Why Catholic schools in modern Ireland? • What is distinctive about such schools? • What do they to contribute to society and our educational system?

Largely these are questions about vision and vision is what gives life to any organisation and particularly schools.

Vision and the Catholic School
• Vision 08 clearly states that Catholic schools are guided by a positive view of the person based on the teachings of Christ. All pupils whether they profess a religious belief or not are important and schools exist to care for and facilitate their growth as individuals and members of society. Catholic schools propose Jesus as the model of humanity and the measure of maturity and human achievement.
• Catholic schools help each student develop his or her potential as a human person.
• The Catholic school encourages students to look beyond the surface of things to find the face of God in ordinary human experience, in the bits and pieces of everyday life. This reflects the Catholic sacramental view of life.
• The Catholic school is not just an organisation. It is a community. It is as members of communities that pupils grow to maturity and find happiness and fulfilment in life. The Catholic school is conscious that the young people who attend are part of the culture and tradition of their families and modern society.
• Catholic schools have a very distinctive tradition of education and are rooted in a distinctive view of life. Pupils are offered a rich history of learning and view of life and in turn they contribute to making the future to which they will belong.
• Knowledge and learning are key elements in Catholic education. Our schools are committed to the intellectual development of all our pupils without however neglecting their spiritual, moral, social, and physical wellbeing.

Partners in Catholic Education
This pastoral letter is the result of a fruitful engagement between the Irish Bishops’ Conference, the Conference of Religious of Ireland and our other partners in Catholic education.

Catholic Education in dialogue on the island of Ireland
The letter addresses the people of the entire country, North and South and insistently calls for dialogue on the future of Catholic schools in the decades ahead. There is no doubt that the profile of Catholic schools will change as they respond to new challenges and opportunities.

Catholic Education in a multi-cultural society
Catholic schools have always aimed to be open and welcoming communities as they sought to deliver education to all who came through their doors. As Ireland changes from a homogeneous country to a multi-cultural society, diversity in schools increases. We are conscious of this dynamic and we will play our part in assisting our schools in continuing to be places of welcome, respect and tolerance. This letter is being translated initially into two languages (Irish and Polish) to ensure that its message reaches the majority of parents and pupils associated with our schools.

We are very conscious that it is the boards of management and the teachers in our schools who ensure that our schools are actually welcoming and inclusive places for those who come to them. I would like to take this opportunity of paying tribute to the work that boards and teachers have done and continue to do in this regard, often in very challenging circumstances.

Teachers in Catholic schools hold a pre-eminent place in the life of the school. The Vatican Council stated that the role of the teacher is indispensable for the Catholic school. “But let teachers recognize that the Catholic school depends upon them almost entirely for the accomplishment of its goals and programs”

We owe a debt of gratitude to teachers and they are entitled to support in their professional lives and particularly in their efforts to promote the Catholic ethos of our schools.

Catholic Education Service
It is in part to meet this need that this letter announces the setting up a Catholic Education Service which will offer support and bring cohesion to Catholic education in Ireland, North and South. This letter contains the vision which will inspire and guide the work of this service. Without vision we lack direction and a sense of purpose. Schools without vision are in danger of being taken over by other agendas such as the points race or social elitism. It will be the work of the Catholic Education Service to promote the vision while developing a unified voice for Catholic education on the island of Ireland.

Vision in action
It is urgent that Catholic schools have a clear sense of identity and purpose so that they continue to make their valuable and unique contribution to education provision in Ireland. With this in mind the Bishops have published this letter. In the months ahead we ask all with an interest in Catholic education to reflect on the content of this letter and its implications for policy and provision. Also we look forward to dialogue with the education partners to enable the ethos of Catholic schools to reflect the vision outlined in this letter. As a follow up we will provide additional resources to encourage schools deepen their identity and claim their unique contribution in the Irish education system.

Vision and Pentecost
We chose to launch our pastoral letter at Pentecost when we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to remind us of all that he taught while he was here on earth. The Holy Spirit increases faith, enkindles hope, and enlivens love. On this day after Pentecost we entrust the ministry of education to the same Holy Spirit praying that he will bless Catholic schools in providing for the education of the young people of Ireland.

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