“To end let me leave you with the wish that this Vision Statement, even if good rather than perfect, might break through the “it has always been done this way” mentality. That it might perhaps agitate the waters a little. That it might ready and steady those who believe in the value of Catholic Education to knowledgeably, passionately and respectively present it in word and deed as something of real value … something of real worth to our world and to Ireland at this particular time in history.”- Bishop Michael
Good morning! I am delighted to be able to join you this morning as you gather around the new Vision Statement for Catholic Education in Ireland. The impetus for such a statement came originally from the Croí Committee of the Catholic Education Partnership. I think our gratitude is due to all who have been involved along the way.
I am conscious that my own involvement in the project was rather limited. It came as the document neared its completion. A large volume of ideas had been gleaned from a series of consultations among the various stakeholders. My remit on behalf of the Episcopal Conference was to review this treasure throve of ideas on Catholic Education and, with the help of Angela and Aidan, to condense and organize them into a single coherent Vision Statement. We do owe a debt of gratitude to Angela and Aidan for all the work they have put into this project.
Given the scope and richness of the material at hand, this was far from an easy task. As we progressed, Pope Leo’s apostolic letter Drawing New Maps of Hope was published. With the added light of the insights of this significant document the seven key sections of the final Vision Statement began to emerge from the data already collected along the corresponding “verbs” to add an active rather than static tone to the final overall document that was eventually approved by the Irish Episcopal Conference last December.
The challenge throughout was to be faithful to the preceding processes. To be comprehensive in our treatment of the topic, contemporary in our presentation and inspirational in tone. In the end, it was difficult to say whether we had achieved what we had set out to do. That phrase from the French Enlightenment author Voltaire came to mind: “perfection is the enemy of the good” (La Bégueule, 1772). While I am sure more could have been done in synthesising key concepts, pruning the text and focusing expression, a conclusion had to be brought to the project. In a sense, I see the current text as a snapshot of what we desire for Catholic Education in Ireland. A snapshot that is offered to the Catholic educational community and beyond for further unpacking, thought, reflection and concrete application in the everyday lives of Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools and Catholic Third Level Institutions. I welcome today’s gathering as the start of this further unpacking, deepening of thought and sharpening of practice when it comes to Catholic Education in Ireland.
I am conscious that I am speaking to a gathering of people involved in education at all levels. From personal experience and from the experience of being involved in teacher formation, I have always been conscious of the role good subject knowledge plays in educational endeavour. Standing in front of a class or a group without an accurate and fulsome knowledge and mastery of the subject you are supposed to be teaching can be an unsettling experience. It can lead to a very limited presentation of the topic at hand, poor choice of the topics to be treated … methodologies and visuals lacking creativity and a tendency to cut things down to simplistic understandings limited by our own genuine ignorance of the richness of the topic. Such a lack of confidence can, on one level, lead to a closing down of questions and debate and, on the other level, to a simplicist attitude where our perpetual response to every query is: “that’s a good point”, without ever having to rule something in or rule something out. The tendency is often to avoid coming down on one side or another because of our uncertainty about what we are talking about. Now, if there is anything worse than someone unsure of what they are talking about, it is someone who presents as knowledgeable while at the same time being oblivious to the fact that their knowledge is far from as accurate and comprehensive as they perceive it to be.
In the world in which we live in and in particular in the Ireland in which we live in, I suspect that the time has come when we who are involved in the adventure of Catholic Education need to be more confident in our knowledge of what Catholic Education is. More intentional in our approach to the matter at hand. We need to be able to make sense of it for ourselves. We need to be capable of explaining it in a respectful and attractive way to others. We need to be enthused ourselves and to enthuse others to put it into practice in the lived daily reality of our educational institutions. Given the pressures Catholic Education is facing from within and from without, I suspect that if Catholic schools, colleges and third level institutions are to continue to flourish in this country, this is not only a necessary but an urgent task.
The necessities of the age in which we live and the Vision Statement for Catholic Education in Ireland that we are gathering around today -call us to a renewed confidence in the Catholic Educational Tradition in its profound richness and fullest expression. It is my hope that such renewed confidence will in turn inform renewed and courageous action. Schools and educational communities will need to make choices – choices whether this Catholic vision of education is for them or not. If not, then that is fine too. As Catholic Christians, we believe in religious freedom for others, and we ask others to respect our religious freedom. However, if the Catholic vision of education is our desired vision, then energy and resources need to be deployed in making it a lived reality. Practical choices will have to be made to align the on-the-ground reality with the guiding vision. If I might take an example close to my heart and ask is there any point having a Catholic school with a substandard provision of Religious Education that is not on a par with other subjects. I am always intrigued by how many Catholic schools’ websites and social media platforms post on almost every aspect of school life except the religious one. Many do not even refer to the school’s particular ethos. What might this be saying? What might this Vision Statement say into such a reality?
In his recent Apostolic Letter, Drawing New Maps of Hope, Pope Leo reflecting on the fact that “no one educates alone” outlines how, and I quote, “this “we” prevents water from stagnating in the swamp of “it has always been done this way” and forces it to flow, to nourish, to irrigate.” (Drawing New Maps of Hope, 3) To end let me leave you with the wish that this Vision Statement, even if good rather than perfect, might break through the “it has always been done this way” mentality. That it might perhaps agitate the waters a little. That it might ready and steady those who believe in the value of Catholic Education to knowledgeably, passionately and respectively present it in word and deed as something of real value … something of real worth to our world and to Ireland at this particular time in history. Thank You!