One of the many very positive practices in the life of the archdiocese is the Renewal Days for Catholic Teachers hosted by the Department for Catechetics.

The Renewal Days are celebrated on a vicariate basis. The theme for 2006 is, Catholic Teachers: Rediscovering Our Purpose.

I presided at the concelebrated Vicariate liturgies and preached the homily at each liturgy. As always, it was a joy to be with the Catholic teachers.

Since Catholic Education is important to the Church intrinsically and since education is a major discussion in the nation at the present time, I shall use my column this week to share a summary of my homily. My hope is that the readers will gain a new appreciation of the Church's view on Catholic education.

“My Sisters and Brothers,

Education on all levels, pre-school to university, has been and continues to be a major evangelisation instrument for the Catholic Church.

The Church always made its philosophy on education clear and communicated it with respect and without apology. It is important to note that the Church considers evangelization to be distinct from proselytizing – the practice of trying to force or manipulate people into accepting a particular faith.

I applaud the planners of these renewal days for Catholic teachers and for choosing this particular theme – the theme of rediscovering our purpose. Lent, as a time of fundamental faith reflection, provides the perfect context to examine the theme and our fidelity to its goals.

Two examples of reflection

As with many things in life, it is necessary periodically for the Church to return to its foundational philosophy for education and to examine honestly whether or not it has been faithful to its foundational philosophy.

The Church universal did just that during the Second Vatican Council. The archdiocese acted in a similar way and had high energy discussions on education at two consecutive Synod sessions.

After examination and analysis, both the Church universal and the archdiocese found that, in some cases , the Church had lost control of some of its schools.

Ordinarily, the academic programme and school discipline were excellent. However, the teaching of the faith was weak and the Catholic culture of the school was even weaker.

The Second Vatican Council, the Congregation for Catholic Education and eventually particular churches throughout the world began to issue documents that were intended to guide the renewal of Catholic Education. Let us review just five of the goals of Catholic Education articulated in these documents:

1) Catholic Education is a means of evangelisation i.e. of proclaiming salvation and of teaching people to live in the awareness that they are children of God;

2) Catholic Education is designed to promote the formation of the whole person i.e. the psychological and moral consciousness that are preconditions for the reception of truth and grace;

3) A Catholic school operates within a Catholic culture in the school i.e. it reflects a determined attitude on life and values which give meaning and direction to human life;

4) Catholic schools present intellectual knowledge in the context of pursuing the truth and developing moral and social attitudes that integrate faith and culture;

5) Catholic schools offer education/formation as an important means of improving the social and economic conditions of the individual. Although Catholic education is offered to all, there is a special preference for the poor, for those deprived of family help and affection or those who are far from the faith.

To act on these five norms, the Catholic Church asks for and needs the collaboration of parents, principals, teachers, students and the broader community.

Mutual support is essential to the implementation of these five goals and to facilitate peace and joy during the renewal process. To try to reclaim the Catholic culture of a Catholic school in an atmosphere of isolation and opposition is not a positive approach to this important issue.

Results of two Synod sessions

I am very pleased that since the Synod sessions major progress has been made by the Education Department of the Archdiocese. The CEBM has been totally restructured, interviews for the position of principals in the Catholic school system have been significantly strengthened, the visibility of priests and religious in the schools has been explicitly requested, the position of parish priest/parish administrator as manager has been given attention, the instrument for a comprehensive visitation of the Catholic school system is presently being finalised and the Church is significantly involved in the current discussion of the Memorandum of Understanding from the Ministry of Education concerning the denominational schools and its implications for the Concordat.

Conclusion

As mentioned above, the process of reclaiming the Catholic culture of Catholic schools must involve parents, principals, teachers, students and the broader community.

The goal of reclaiming the Catholic culture of the Catholic school will be achieved through the collaboration of all of us - together. It will take time and may have its challenging moments, but it will be done in a gentle, respectful manner.

When the process is completed, the Catholic school system will be authentically Catholic, open to ecumenical and inter-faith collaboration and will continue to make major contributions to the life of the nation.”