Annual Conference of the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association ( 24 April 2009, Dublin, Ireland )

Catholic Primary Schools

• The vision for Catholic education today is rooted in faith as it always has been. It takes its inspiration from the person and the teaching of Christ.

• We need to encourage teachers who are capable of exercising leadership in schools to do post-graduate qualifications in Catholic school leadership. I believe we need to be preparing for the day when such qualifications will not be just desirable in candidates for leadership positions, but will be a requirement.
• Another important element of the Catholic vision for education is that it is person-centred. The aim is the full growth of the individual spiritually, socially and morally as well as intellectually, in communion with Christ.
• The Catholic view of Education is that faith cannot be compartmentalised. It must permeate everything that takes place in the school.
• Teachers teach by example as much as by words. Their Christian witness, the values and attitudes that they embody in their daily interactions with those around them, in the small and large events of school life, these can be a powerful influence on their students.
• An important aspect of the community dimension of Catholic schools is inclusivity.

Christ the Model and Inspiration

The vision for Catholic education today is rooted in faith as it always has been. It takes its inspiration from the person and the teaching of Christ. Its philosophy of life cannot be accommodated within the narrow bounds of a worldview that is confined to what can be seen and measured and tested. It embraces the big picture. It works out of a worldview that embraces time and eternity. It is a vision for life based on the words of Jesus: “I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance” (John 10:10). It is a vision for life lived to the full here on earth, and for eternal life in the presence of God hereafter.

We live in a world where people feel increasingly anxious about the future. We have the global threats of war and cosmic disaster on the one hand and the ever present threats to our individual existence, threats of adversity, violence, illness, and ultimately, death on the other. In such a world our greatest need is for hope. One of the most important and enduring characteristics of the Catholic vision for education in this context is the emphasis on hope. This is mentioned very early in the Pastoral Letter: “What is entailed here is not only the fullest possible human flourishing in this world but a hope for the world to come” (p. 2).

Source : Catholic Primary Schools

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