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STEP UP TO THE PLATE!

Campaigning Champions!

Last year, 60,000 children and young people in Catholic schools across England and Wales took part in CAFOD’s ‘Eyes of the World’ campaign, calling on the UK government ahead of the COP26 climate meeting in Glasgow to show leadership on tackling the climate crisis that is forcing so many communities around the world into poverty.

It is evidence that children and young people want their voices to be heard. As Pope Francis wrote in Laudato Si’, “Young people demand change. They wonder how anyone can claim to be building a better future without thinking of the environmental crisis and the sufferings of the excluded”. They really are campaigning champions!

A New Campaign

“Each of us has a role to play in transforming food systems for the benefit of people and the planet.” Pope Francis, World Food Day 2021

This summer, CAFOD is building on its climate campaigning and focussing on the way that food is produced and shared around the world – our global food system. Schools are asked to learn more about the ways that our food system is broken, and to call on the UK Government to Step up to the plate and start to fix it.

Why Campaign on the Food System?

So, why is CAFOD campaigning on such a complicated issue? There is enough food in the world to feed everyone. Yet, shockingly, one person in every ten is hungry. As well as the communities that CAFOD sees around the world being driven into hunger by our broken food system, food poverty in the UK is rising, and the Ukraine crisis is increasing hunger within Ukraine and beyond. It is essential that we improve how our food is produced and shared.

Helen Moseley from CAFOD’s campaign team said: “Nourishing food is a basic need and a basic right. Yet millions go hungry. And the people who are hungry are often the same people who are growing the world’s food. This is a scandal. It has to change.”

What is Broken About our Food System?

Two aspects of the global food system that students can explore with CAFOD this summer term are the way that the seed industry is run, and how our food system worsens the climate crisis.

In some of the countries where CAFOD works, big companies own many popular seeds, through a system called ‘patents’. This means only those companies can sell the seeds, and farmers are not allowed to share them with their neighbours. Also, the seeds have been engineered so their crops do not produce good quality seeds for farmers to plant the following year. The farmers are forced to buy the seeds every year. And they require special fertilisers and pesticides to flourish. Yet more expense. Many farmers are driven into debt.

Children and young people who campaigned ahead of COP26 last year may be surprised to hear that our global food system causes about a third of all greenhouse gas emissions. This speeds up climate change, making it harder to grow food. The climate crisis is made even worse by fertilisers made from fossil fuels, as well as destruction of the rainforest to breed cattle or to grow large areas of single crops for export.

Resources at cafod.org.uk /schools

CAFOD’s website has primary and secondary downloadable Step up to the plate resources to help teachers and school chaplains explain these issues at the level of the students, including:

• A five-minute activity in which participants make choices about how to grow food and experience some of the injustices of the food system.

• An engaging short animation, in clear language with visual examples that explain some of the ways our food system is broken.

• True stories of communities supported by CAFOD who demonstrate some of the solutions in the ways that they grow food.

• Campaign action templates – images of a cracked plate on which pupils can draw food or write messages to the UK Government, asking it to Step up to the plate and start to fix the food system

• MOST IMPORTANTLY – for students’ campaign actions to count, fill in the form online to let CAFOD know how many took part, so that CAFOD can tell the government. Share photos of your completed tem’plates’ on social media tagging @cafodschools or email them to schools@cafod.org.uk.

Toma is ten years old and lives in southern Bangladesh.

Bangladesh Association for Sustainable Development (BASD) trained members of Toma’s community in “permaculture”. This is a way to grow food and live sustainably, without wasting anything. Food scraps are used to make compost. No chemical fertilisers are used. Toma says the food is tastier. She has encouraged friends to plant trees and vegetables too. Now Toma’s village is an eco-village, a village where the community is committed to living sustainably. The world can learn from communities like Toma’s.

“We use permaculture here - we make our own fertilisers at home so it helps plants to grow.”

Toma, 10, Bangladesh

Jesus, who welcomed everyone to your table, remind us that all are invited to share the feast, as one family, who share one common home. Amen

We would like

to

say a huge thank you to schools across England and Wales for the money you raised this Lent.

You were amazing! This Lent CAFOD challenged you to walk, stomp and stamp your way around the world to fight hunger. At the time of writing this article, schools collectively walked 170,000kmsthat’s four times around the world!

There were many incredible fundraising efforts from schools. Children in the CAFOD Club at St Chad’s primary school in Croydon laced up their trainers and beaded bracelets this Lent. Faith in Year 5 said:

“In our St Chad’s CAFOD Club we are making bracelets. We are doing this because after watching the clip of Lombeh, we realised that people across the world need our help and we can help them. We want to try and help our global neighbours, we are all part of God’s family, and all families take care of each other.”

We our

Wimbledon College in South London raised an amazing £3,480 by walking over 44,000kms – more than once around the world! That’s an amazing achievement from staff and students at the college.

These are just a couple of stories of schools who stepped up and took on our Walk Against Hunger challenge. We can only do this work with the help of schools, so thank you so much to each and every one of you.

Each year we try to bring the world into your classroom, giving you the chance to learn more about the incredible people behind the stories we share. This year we told you about Lombeh and her community in Sierra Leone. When she was born, Lombeh was dangerously unwell, but thanks to a CAFOD-funded project, her mum Amie learnt how to make her a nourishing sesame seed paste using local ingredients. Now Lombeh is strong and healthy, and Amie teaches other new mums how to make the paste.

The money you raised will help CAFOD ensure that other children like Lombeh can grow up healthy and strong.

Thank you for everything you do to support CAFOD and to make your students more aware of global justice issues and how they can support the poorest communities. Please visit cafod.org.uk/Education/ Thank-you-schools for a short film of thanks to share with your students.

With GCSE RE exams starting in May, CAFOD has resources to help your students revise.

There’s a new video and activity sheet to help Y10 and Y11 RE students revise poverty, sustainability and the work of CAFOD, whatever exam board your school uses.

Students can also explore CAFOD’s wide range of global justice resources, including:

• Case studies from CAFOD projects around the world

• Scripture reflections

• Classroom activities

• Films

Students can find CAFOD’s RE resources at: cafod.org.uk/homeworkhelp

Diary Dates GCSE Religious Education Resources

For the summer and autumn terms:

• Summer term: We have Step up to the plate resources to engage children and young people in our campaign, calling on the UK government to start to change how food is grown and shared around the world.

• Early September: Look out for packs arriving in schools, including a two-sided Brighten Up/World Gifts poster

• Thursday 15 September: Join our Primary national assembly for Harvest

• Friday 7 October: Brighten Up for our Harvest Family Fast Day

• Advent: Primary and secondary Advent calendars will be available as PowerPoints with daily class prayers and activities.

• Thursday 1 December: Join our Primary national assembly for Advent

• World Gifts: Our simple grid posters will help classes raise money together for a World Gift, during Advent or at any time of year.

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Editor - John Clawson News Roundup - Willie Slavin MBE

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Professor Gerald Grace KSG, Research, Publication and Development in Catholic Education Visiting Professor of Catholic Education at St Mary’s University, Twickenham

CATSC - John Nish

CISC - Dr Maureen Glackin

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CAFOD - Lina Tabares

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Closing Date for Copy - Autumn Term 2022 edition Copy to Editor by 11th August 2022. Published to schools 20th May 2022.

By Fr Neil McNicholas

By Maureen Glakin

By Fr Davod O’Malley

Dame Sue McDermott

By Raymond Friel

By Carl Chudy

By Kevin Quigley

For Services to Education in the U.K. and for Services to his Community in Cumbria, especially Disadvantaged Children. Recognised in The Birthday Honours List 2020.

Readers of this journal will be pleased to learn that Willie Slavin’s long and dedicated work for the good causes named above, has been recognised by the Queen with the award of an MBE. Willie received the honour at the Howgill Family Centre in Cumbria, where he is a Trustee, with his family (pictured). The COVID delayed ceremony was performed by The Lord Lieutenant of Cumbria, Mrs Claire Hensman as the Queen’s representative in December 2021.

We add our congratulations to Willie whose dedicated work reminds us all of the words of St James - Faith, without good works is dead. Willie would be the first to acknowledge the invaluable support of his wife Monica.

If Only We Had Known Better

By Fr Neil McNicholas

This article addresses the sensitive and difficult issue of child abuse by priests –not in any way to lessen or excuse it, but in an effort to paint a better picture of the priesthood and to remind people of how the “abuser” tag can do great harm to the ministry of dedicated priests who are, we need to remember, far more typical and in the majority.

As accusations of sexual abuse by priests continue to surface, I’m sure Catholics are looking for reassurance that the Church and the priesthood aren’t crumbling around them and that things are not as desperate as the picture often painted in the media.

There is no question whatsoever of the basic moral evil underlying all instances of the sexual abuse of children. It is a misuse of power and a betrayal of trust on the part of the abuser and it can result in tremendous long-term psychological harm and damage to the victim. There are no excuses, no mitigating circumstances. Children should be, and must be, completely safe and totally protected, and those who abuse children must be held fully accountable in law. I make these points right at the start because I don’t want anyone to misinterpret what I am going to say, or to think that I am in any way lessening the extreme seriousness of the situation of child abuse, in particular on the part of priests.

I had been looking once again at two books that I had read a while ago on the subject of child sexual abuse, books that at the time were considered expert presentations on the subject and that were published as recently as the early 1990s. Both of them went in the bin shortly after I re-read parts of them. I couldn’t believe how out-dated they had become in so short a space of time and how wrong they now were in some of the recommendations they made. For me this confirms just how

ignorant we were as a society on the subject of paedophilia and how much we have learned and how much our approach has had to change in just the last few years.

Much of what we have been hearing in the media recently has had to do with the mismanagement of priests suspected of sexual activity with children. By and large the abuse itself occurred many years ago at a time when the subject of paedophilia was little understood. It was treated in much the same way as priests were dealt with who had a drink problem. At least with alcoholism a priest could be sent to Alcoholics Anonymous for help. He would typically also have been moved to a new parish with the hope of new beginnings all round, and to protect the reputation of the priest and the priesthood by avoiding any more scandal than might have already been given to those who were aware of his drinking problem.

No such options should have been considered when it came to priest abusers however, but like everyone else at the time bishops simply had no idea of the pathology of paedophilia or that, like alcoholism, it is an illness - in this case a mental illness - that isn’t going to go away and that can’t be cured. Simply moving the priest to another parish was certainly not the answer, nor was it realistic to expect an abusing priest to stay away from children by sending him somewhere where they weren’t immediately accessible. We now know better - at the time we didn’t and yet typically bishops are accused

of the mismanagement of priests suspected of abusing children.

If accusations of abuse were made against a priest and they were found to be true, legal process should have followed and the child(ren) involved given appropriate help and support. In practice, cases of abuse weren’t easy to prove because victims were afraid to tell anyone, especially when it involved their priest. Initially there would probably have been a degree of secrecy to overcome because the child would have been too afraid to say anything, or maybe didn’t realise that what was happening to them was wrong because they trusted the priest. Anyone who may have had their suspicions would typically have come up with other explanations first, giving the priest the benefit of the doubt, because the reality was too shocking to contemplate. Only, perhaps, after a considerable amount of time had passed would it have been impossible to continue denying the situation and something would finally have been said.

We can’t for a moment deny, or ignore, the effects that past abuse has had on someone as a child, and their needs must now be acknowledged and addressed. But some of the accusations that have been levelled at Church leaders and religious orders have to be seen within the context of our understanding at the time. No one can excuse the judgment and action of someone who should have known better, but by the same token we can’t look back with hindsight and condemn someone for not acting

Fr Neil McNicholas was ordained in 1993 and is a priest of the Diocese of Middlesbrough. Whilst serving in various parishes, he has been a member of the religious broadcasting team on local radio; worked as a prison chaplain; a port chaplain; and is currently a parish priest.

according to knowledge they simply wouldn’t have had at the time - and through no fault of their own.

But this leads to my next point: why has it taken so long for the current wave of cases to come to light?

I understand and accept the psychological damage and trauma that the experience of sexual abuse can cause and, therefore, how difficult it might be for someone to now bring out into the open past experiences they may have been repressing, or even denying, for so many years. Many of the cases currently coming to light seem to have happened in the 1970s and yet, while some made their abuse known let’s say ten or fifteen years ago, others have only been able to come forward more recently - which, of course, is quite understandable. However, one obvious consequence of this is that there seems to be no end to the revelations - they just keep coming, one after another. As a result the damage being caused to the Church and to the priesthood by what is actually a very small proportion of priests and religious is far greater than such a minority ought to be able to cause. It’s almost like the after-shocks of an earthquake which often cause far more damage later than the initial quake did at the time.

We had the scandal of priest-abusers here in England, but then eventually things settled down and we hoped it was over and we could move on. But then cases came to light in a number of American dioceses, and then in England once again, then Ireland, then Germany, then Italy and then Scotland. It seems like every time things begin to settle, and people start getting over their outrage, and the priesthood begins to emerge from the shadow that each case casts, along comes another and then another and so it goes on. Even when there is a case to be answered by individuals within a local diocese, the situation is doing untold and (in terms of the larger picture) undeserved damage to the wider Church. Yes, the Church has to be accountable for what has been

going on, but, as I have said, the past actions of what is a small minority of errant priests should never be able to cause so much potential damage.

In light of how long ago some of the cases of abuse took place, the question has been raised as to whether there should be a “statute of limitations”.

First of all there are grounds for concern regarding the reliability of memory with the passage of time. It could be argued that the trauma resulting from abuse may have etched that experience into the memory but, by the same token, if someone has actively repressed the experience over the years, how reliable is whatever remains of those memories? There is also the possibility of false memories created by the imagination or being suggested by what a person may have heard or read in the media for example. The more time that passes, the more risk there is that such factors could have an influence. These things are not easily proved or disproved and what would help is if accusations were made as soon as possible after the event while memories are more immediate and therefore more reliable. That might be possible in an ideal world, but if it were an ideal world there wouldn’t be any abuse in the first place.

Secondly, given that it has taken some victims of abuse twenty or thirty years to come forward, the situation isn’t helped by a recent newspaper report which stated that one victim “only complained about the abuse after hearing that another victim had won compensation”. Sadly it’s our pervading compensation culture that causes people to wonder. At first it seemed that victims were satisfied simply to see the perpetrators of abuse brought to book and therefore also preventing others from being abused. But more recent cases seem to have multi-million pound (or dollar) compensation claims attached to them and that can create its own problems. Also many dioceses are not in a financial position to survive such claims, and, whether they are or they aren’t, ultimately it will be

the people of those dioceses who, directly or indirectly, will have to bear the cost of the claims being made.

Another time-related concern has to do with accusations of physical, as opposed to sexual, abuse.

The way in which children are disciplined has changed considerably in recent years, in fact there seems to be very little discipline at all anymore and maybe that accounts for some of problems we see and experience in our society. Even though the ways in which children used to be disciplined (especially in institutions – and Borstal would be a prime example) would not be acceptable today, it seems unjust and unfair for people to be able bring prosecutions now on the basis of how they were treated thirty or forty years ago at a time when methods of physical chastisement and discipline were widely accepted. Where such acts were excessive and truly abusive, however, then individuals should, of course, be held accountable

As far as the grim picture of the clergy currently being painted is concerned, it has to be said that, statistically, the incidence of abuse by priests is no higher than in the general population – a fact that doesn’t seem to be quite as newsworthy. The point is sadly illustrated by recent high profile cases of the physical and sexual abuse of children by family members, something we find particularly disturbing. Interestingly we wouldn’t criticise the institution of the family despite whatever abuse might occur behind its closed doors, but certain elements (including the media) will seize on abuse by priests to criticise the institutions of the Church and the priesthood.

What needs to be said is that people have a right to expect better of their priests, a higher moral standard, and that the trust they place in their clergy should be well-founded. In the vast majority of cases – and that is the important point to remember – this will be so, even though priests are only human and have faults and shortcomings just like everyone else.

That said, sexual abuse is something that can, and will no longer be covered up or excused. If we had known better we would surely have done better and now that we do, we will, and we are.

At the same time the priesthood doesn’t deserve to be under the constant attack it is currently under as a result of the, albeit horrendous, actions of a minority. From a personal point of view it makes me very angry that they have caused (and continue to cause) so many problems for the rest of us who are simply trying to get on with our ministry. I know of colleagues who have been called (not accused, but called) child abusers in the street simply because they are priests. Why should we have to keep defending and justifying ourselves and our ministry all because of a few bad apples? And for how much longer are we priests going to have to keep proving we are not guilty of child abuse rather than, like everyone else under the principle of English law, being presumed innocent until proven guilty? Given that if enough mud is thrown some will stick, should those accused of abuse be granted anonymity until their guilt is proven? How else can you guard against false accusations being made?

Unfortunately priests are now at a point of paranoia in our contact with children (even my use of the word “contact” could be misunderstood - that’s how paranoid we have become). We are advised to avoid even the most harmless physical contact with children; we are wary of being alone in a sacristy with an altar server; and we must constantly analyse every situation we are in that involves children. From a pastoral point of view, none of this helps a child to experience their priest as being friendly and welcoming but, unfortunately, that’s how things have to be these days. It is also recommended that our confessional doors are fitted with a window so we don’t create a situation of compromise or risk by being in an enclosed space that cannot be monitored from outside – but isn’t that a basic requirement

of a confessional? So what are we supposed to do?

There is very little the Church can do to make up for incidents of abuse in the past or for its failure to deal with abusers the way they should have been dealt with had we have known better. However, she must ensure that if an abuser still in post is discovered, they are immediately and unconditionally removed from their ministry and held to account in law for their actions. Hopefully adequate systems are now in place (in our seminaries and afterwards) to safeguard children against physical or sexual abuse - by anyone involved in the Church, not just priests - and to identify the first signs of deviant behaviour on the part of individuals who, despite everything, may still have managed to slip through the safeguarding net. Even DBS (Disclosure and Barring Services) (previously CRB - Criminal Records Bureau) checks aren’t a watertight guarantee – all they show is that a person who may be an abuser hasn’t been caught yet. Therefore because there isn’t a one hundred percent guarantee, there must never be less than one hundred per cent vigilance.

While the tragic reality of child abuse by clergy cannot be ignored, I think it’s important to have a balanced perspective with respect to the vast majority of priests who are doing everything that their people expect of them spiritually and pastorally, and in no way deserve to be tarred with the same brush as the minority found guilty of abuse. However, as long as new cases continue to surface (and many are actually old cases from a time when we didn’t know what we know now), it’s difficult for priests not to feel that we and our ministry continue to be under a microscope. One way or another it puts that much more pressure on our ministry in an age when there is pressure enough already. I will always remember the occasion when, at the end of a diocesan celebration at the Cathedral in Middlesbrough, our late auxiliary bishop, Kevin O’Brien, spontaneously spoke in support of the priests of the diocese. His words, and the priests who were

present, received a very moving and prolonged ovation from a packed congregation. It was just what we needed at the time and it’s probably just what we need again now.

Finally it should be said that despite claims to the contrary, studies, case histories and professional experience show that there are no direct connections between celibacy and child abuse by clergy. The abuse of children by priests has to do with personal psychological and emotional problems and not the issue of celibacy. With procedures and psychological testing now in place before admission to and during the six years of seminary training, such problems will hopefully be identified long before ordination. The comforts and security afforded by priesthood have at times provided an ideal refuge for abusers and it has also, of course, given them ready access to children, children who trusted their priest. Only over time has their abhorrent behaviour come to light. While celibacy may have been a factor in some cases, if it were the only one then such priests would have been having affairs with adults, not abusing children. But the media has made that otherwise nebulous connection simply because it makes for a good story and because, by and large, they don’t understand vowed celibacy or even celibacy in general. This has resulted in a totally unjustified calumny against Catholic priests by giving the impression that they are all potential abusers because (so the argument goes) a choice for celibacy is suspect so celibates must be too. Little coverage is given to the fact that cases of abuse are not limited to celibate Catholics - whether priests, religious or lay-people - but have surfaced (and continue to do so) in all denominations, in all states of life and in particular within families where children should be at their safest surrounded by the very people they should be able to trust above all others.

by Dr Maureen Glackin

Challenges or Opportunities?

as rubrics and norms for their practical expression and celebration within the school community. As such it seeks to give ‘focussed guidance’ on how the document might be used to develop school policies and systems; plan prayer and liturgy; evaluate practice; support staff formation and provide reference points to evidence the judgements of Catholic school inspectors (DPLD, 2022:7).

In conversation with Catholic educators and educational leaders, all have acknowledged that having a single, evaluative, comprehensive point of reference for the prayer life of a school is a helpful tool and therefore they have welcomed the DPLD in principle. And, indeed, the publication of such a document is ever more significant given the contemporary context of Catholic schools both in terms of pupil population and staffing. The most recent CES Census shows the percentage of

A Personal Response to the Draft Prayer and Liturgy Directory

Catholic staff in Catholic schools has fallen from almost 50% in 2016 to 46.1% in 2021. In similar vein, the number of Catholic pupils is on a downward trajectory, falling by just over 6% from 66.6% in 2016 to 60.5% in 2021. What this figure represents in terms of commitment and ‘practice’ is a grey area. Therefore our Catholic schools in the 21st century are called to be places of inclusion and diversity: where all have life and have it to the full whether they are committed, casual or ‘cultural’ Catholics, people of other Christian denominations or those of other faith and life perspectives. All have chosen to be educated within a pedagogy that places Christ at its centre, one that forms the mind, body and spirit of the individual with equal focus and one that will enrich and be enriched by ‘the truth revealed by God about ourselves, our life together in community and our ultimate destiny with God’ (CBCEW, 2007).

Of course, for those leading the life of prayer and liturgy in their schools, this reality forms the imperative to create liturgical celebrations that have integrity in terms of our Catholic tradition but which also embrace the diverse community our schools serve. The DPLD acknowledges this:

‘The challenge for Catholic schools is to present in an authentic way our tradition of Catholic prayer and liturgy, whilst at the same time providing a welcoming environment for all pupils and staff. This challenge demands that we understand our tradition and maintain an approach that respects the integrity of all.’ (DPLD, 2022:7)

And it continues: ‘Unlike parishes, schools are made up of people who may not necessarily be Catholics or Christians. This creates a number of

challenges; one of the aims of the Directory is to provide support with these challenges’.

These are interesting statements from a number of perspectives. Firstly, as educationalists we are predisposed to focus on what pupils or colleagues can do rather than what they can’t. Therefore, instinctively from a professional, personal and experiential understanding I would want to see the word ‘opportunities’ used to provide a positive counter-balance to those ‘challenges’. Schools are challenged but also enriched by the diversity of their communities meaning that their prayer and liturgical celebrations are thoughtfully created to be representations and celebrations of this whilst remaining faithful to the rubrics of our faith. Secondly, the phrase ‘unlike parishes…’ is noteworthy: schools are not parishes, although they may be the main and possibly the only worship community for some of their pupils and staff, therefore any form of comparison is inappropriate particularly if it is used, as in this context, to imply a deficit model of community, that is ‘people who may not necessarily be Catholic or Christians’. I acknowledge that this may not be the intention, but this is how it reads and when this contextual section is considered in the fullness of the document, it is hard to ignore.

I am talking specifically about sections 3 and 4 of the DPLD, which focus on ‘Understanding Prayer and Liturgy’ and ‘Governance’ respectively. These parts contain much that is useful regarding ‘full, conscious and active’ participation in prayer and liturgy, how this is realised through conscious liturgical and ministerial formation and the policies, processes and people that one would expect to see leading and facilitating school prayer and liturgy. Its significance

in the life of a school is also duly noted: ‘In all Catholic schools – maintained, academies, independent, non maintained special, sixth form colleges – prayer and liturgy are crucial to the spiritual life of the school and to pupil’s moral and spiritual development. Taking part in daily prayer and liturgy helps build community cohesion….Prayer and liturgy are, therefore, an important part of a school’s distinctive character….. pupil participation and engagement in prayer and liturgy are crucially important criteria in the diocesan inspection of Catholic education.’ (DPLD, 2022:14)

In exploring how this is to be actualised and managed, the document acknowledges that involving staff and pupils from a broad range of religious traditions in this aspect of school life ‘can be a sensitive issue’ commenting that there ‘is no ‘one size fits all’’ and ‘ongoing dialogue to deepen mutual understanding is essential’ (DPLD, 2022:17). However, it then proceeds to make very clear that there is, indeed, a ‘one size fits all’ approach for sacramental celebrations. Whilst noting that ‘[o]utside the celebration of the Sacraments there is great scope for other Christians to take distinct roles in prayer’ (DPLD, 2022:19), it goes on to explicitly state that in sacramental celebrations, ‘the exercise of liturgical ministries should be carried out by those in full communion with the Catholic Church. Consequently, other Christians should not be invited to exercise ministries such as reading from the Scriptures during the celebration of the Sacraments’(DPLD, 2022:19). However there is a caveat in section 5, in which we are advised that ‘…this should not mean that others are excluded by liturgical ministries being reserved to a small group who exercise the same roles every time. Those invited to assist should be representative of the whole school community in age, genderbalance, cultural diversity and ability’ (DPLD, 2022:22).

So schools are directed to have sacramental celebrations that exclude non-Catholics from all ministries but build cohesion by not being exclusive in how this is exercised.

In some schools this may be feasible, although whether it is desirable is questionable. Certainly from those I have spoken to from across the sectors, I have yet to encounter a positive

response to this requirement. This includes ordained school chaplains, one of whom responded: ‘Well, I would have been in trouble this morning as I’ve just had a Christian student reading the scriptures!’ I return to the CES census and the stories behind the data. For example, and I realise that this may not be a common experience but it is an actuality, how is the head teacher of a maintained primary school with 13% Catholic pupil population expected to be able to celebrate sacramental liturgies which are inclusive of his/her school community? How will Catholic VI Form Colleges with 29% and Independent Schools with 32% of Catholic pupils be able to celebrate Masses which are ‘an intrinsic part of school life’ (DPLD, 2022:33) but which exclude the majority of their students from all ministerial offices? Schools are not parishes. Applying norms devised for parish worship is not only inappropriate but displays a lack of understanding of the contemporary context of Catholic schools in which the trend of a year on year incremental reduction in the number of Catholic pupils and staff is unlikely to be reversed (CES Census: 2016, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21). Some may see this as a failure of Catholic education, but as one who is called to work in this field, I cannot and do not: ‘For the Church is not in the world to be a monument to the past, it is there to be a leaven for the future. It is not there to be admired by people but to transform our society’ (Martos, 1983: 209). Our schools are witness to this, so how can we seek to transform if we exclude?

In the Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms of Ecumenism, it states: ‘The reading of scripture during a Eucharistic celebration in the Catholic church is to be done by members of that Church’. However, it goes on to say: ‘On exceptional occasions and for a just cause the bishop of the diocese any permit a member of another church or ecclesial community to take on the role of reader’(1993,n.133). This is the very least our bishops can do for their schools. Beyond this, it is clear that a conversation is required as to the purpose and mission of Catholic schools in the 21st century. The rich dataset that the CES census produces needs to be analysed and understood in terms of the story that it is revealing both now and for the future of Catholic schools. A future that, if the current

trend of a 1% decrease year on year continues, would see the overall number of Catholic pupils in Catholic schools at 50.5 % or even potentially less in 10 years time. Pope Francis tells us that ‘… the true defenders of doctrine are not those who uphold its letter, but its spirit; not ideas but people; not formulae but the gratuitousness of God’s love and forgiveness’(Pope Francis, October 2015). If it is to be meaningful and useful, the Prayer and Liturgy Directory must not simply pay lip-service to the changing demographic of our schools, but must be a ‘true defender’ of their contemporary reality and a champion of the opportunities they present to ‘encounter the living God who in Jesus Christ reveals his transforming love and truth’ (Pope Benedict, April 2008). If not, it risks being a somewhat unwelcome and a potentially outdated document by the time it goes to press.

References

CES, 2022, Draft Prayer and Liturgy Directory

CBCEW, September 2007, Pastoral Letter on Catholic Schools

CES, 2008, Catholic Schools, Children of Other Faiths and Community Cohesion: Cherishing Education for Human Growth Martos, J., 1983, The Catholic Sacraments

Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, March 1993, Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms of Ecumenism

Pope Francis, October 2015, Speech given at the conclusion of the Synod on the Family

Pope Benedict, April 2008, Address on meeting with Catholic Educators, Washington D.C.

The Future of Chaplaincy

By Fr David O’Malley

Chaplaincy, more than most other roles in school, is sensitive to change. Part of its strength is that it constructs its work around the perceived needs of those with whom the chaplain works. Therefore, any reflection on the future of chaplaincy has to take into account the wider trends in the lives of young people, families, teachers, religion and the wider community. As well as that wider focus, it is also important to look at the way that chaplaincy itself is changing and how we, as chaplains, might want to develop the role in the future. Therefore, there are two parts to this look into the future: a broad overview of the field of our work and how it might change and then a more specific look at how chaplaincy is likely to evolve. The first part is something we can do little about, the second part is something that the ACCE and CCE are in a position to shape to some extent in partnership with educational leadership.

At a world level the population is due to reach over 10 billion in the next 25 years. That will increase pressure on scarce resources, stimulate innovation and continue the trends to conservation and re-cycling. If food and water can keep pace with that expansion then the world will be a better place. If it does not, national boundaries will continue to be crossed in greater numbers and our schools will be welcoming more and more arrivals from the developing world. There are expected to be over 200 million climate refugees by 2050.

Technology will drive much of the needed change in agriculture and in medicine to increase the supply of food and medicines. Factories will be more specific in producing goods to order and using 3D printing to manufacture components. This technical innovation and growth will continue to put pressure on education to prepare young people with high levels of coding and design skills in IT. Technology will continue to dominate in the years ahead and the humanities will continue to be in their shadow in education. That leaves schools with a broad spiritual and humanistic ethos at risk of losing their focus and chaplaincy may become more important in the years ahead.

Healthcare will continue to be under pressure as the UK population rises to over 75 million in the next 25 years. The kind of treatments and medicines available will increase and diagnosis will be speeded up by an increasing array of “wearable” technology that will allow doctors to download your day to day vital signs and then provide a genetically matched solution to your health issues. Mental health provision will be less positive as we look ahead. Financial constraints will continue to limit its effectiveness and more work will be done to increase self-help solutions. Talking therapies will continue to develop but will employ more and more trained volunteers. The emphasis will be increasingly on prevention and early recognition of mental health issues in young people. Chaplaincy will be in a good position to meet some of the needs for preventative work but might be in danger of becoming “cheap counsellors” in school and lose their broader spiritual and community remit.

Education will continue to chase funding and will be increasingly involved with information technology. Partnerships across schools will continue to develop and the doors of the school will be more open to the local community. The focus on good teaching and learning will be maintained by a skilled group of educators who will continue to be accountable for the attainment data of their pupils. Schools will grow in appreciation of the need for a broad ethos to support the learning environment, but may not have any budget provision to support this area of school life. The pressure to ease back on the narrow measurement of schools will continue. The push to explore ways of widening the curriculum into experiential and reflective arts and sports will continue with more success but these will continue to be seen as less important than the hard science, numeracy and literacy areas of school life which the pupils will need for their survival in a more complex world.

These additional, softer, ancillary services, (including chaplaincy) will need to be funded in new ways. Chaplaincy will thrive where a core budget can be allocated and

where that is not possible part-time and volunteer chaplains will provide a chaplaincy that may not be as consistent or embedded in the school and its local church community. It is possible that a “lead chaplain” role may emerge that works across a number of schools to coordinate and integrate voluntary chaplaincy across the local community. That role would include supporting wider links between schools into the local and multifaith communities, establishing a pattern of shared events that link school and religious groups and also sharing a role in the appraisal and selection of volunteer chaplains in separate schools. These lead chaplains would be employed by a number of schools to ensure the quality chaplaincy provision in their school community. They would be commissioned by the diocese and the schools together so that strong links could be maintained between a changing pattern of parish life and the work of the schools. The absence of priest over the next decade will also create a sacramental vacuum in local churches, and it will be interesting to see how flexible the church will be in training and commissioning a wider range of eucharistic ministers in each school to ensure a strong sacramental life. That would include more training, mentoring and evaluation of sacramental events within the school community under the direction of the chaplain.

Church will continue to struggle with a number of internal issues that limit its effectiveness. The expectation of rapid change is not realistic since the decline of the church in all denominations has been an observable trend since before the first world war.[i] Rising out of this long decline will not be rapid. Moreover, it is not clear whether large attendance was ever a sign of a healthy church, especially when fear formed a large part of the motivation for attendance.[ii] The change being experienced in the church is momentous and youth are asking for that change in the synod feedback this year. The paradigm is shifting radically so that what was central is now seen as more peripheral. It has been difficult for many Catholics to find a common answer to the simple question “what is the church for?”

by Fr David O’Malley S.O.B

Is a priest who has been working in school ministry for over forty years, many of them as a school chaplain.

Part of the future of the church depends upon its ability to establish new, more open, relationships with other groups in society and be seen to be part of a tradition that can answer the deepest needs of the human heart.[iii] At present the church is still too full of nostalgia for a past pattern to be able to see clearly the opportunities of this era. In the background many lay people are developing a confidence and assertiveness that will be much needed in the years ahead. It is lay people, supported by a smaller number of clergy, who will translate the Gospel into the language of today and help create an earthy and inclusive sacramental life for a wide range of people within and beyond the catholic community.

Chaplaincy will be in a good position to support this broadening attitude and to find new language and settings to live the Gospel in a multi-faith and secularised society. They will become the experts in bridging the gap between the church and the world. They will be immersed in social action and yet also imbued with a balanced spirituality that can invite their church to recognise where God is already at work in the wider community. The importance of this coordinating role will increase in so far as the chaplain is empowered to act not only in the school, but also to gain recognition as a minister of religion in the local church. Where that recognition is not available, the chaplains role will be less effective.

Family life is a mixed picture in the UK. For every three marriages there are now two divorces which is the highest in rate in Europe. On the other hand, over 90% of people report that they are at least “fairly happy” with their family life. A quarter of all children live with a single mother now- again the highest rate in Europe. Children who have a less stable family foundation tend to do less well at school and the weakness of the home is a real concern for schools in maintaining the motivation of their pupils.[iv]

Which way will the family move? Towards greater diversity or to more stability?[v] That is probably the wrong question because family life is in flux and it has been suggested that change and constant adaptability will be the norm. The ability to manage diversity and change will determine how stable the family unit remains. People are living longer than before and many more people are living alone. As the trend to city living continues it is likely that more fluid family homes will develop in which two single mothers decide to raise their children together. These groupings may prove to be more stable than the “nuclear family” model of the 20th century.

For future chaplaincy this diversity means even more sensitivity and awareness of the relational network within which a pupil lives. It will require a strong pastoral sensitivity to the needs of these networks and a creativity in helping them to celebrate their lives and find meaning. For the individual pupil living in these creative relationships the chaplain will need to adjust language and recognise the uncertainties about core relationships that may be beneath the surface. For such families the home-school relationship may be very important and the chaplain can support the school in its relationship with the family when needed.

Secularisation has been rooted in our British culture for many decades. It is not new. Neither is it a movement to be disowned by Christians because it has a large overlap with many of the concerns of Christians in how to live a good and virtuous life and build a strong community. The son of the famous evangelist Tony Campolo is now a chaplain in the USA and has written as follows:

Secular chaplaincies can engender a new paradigm whereby theistic and non-theistic communities are not hostile to each other, but rather work together to become part of the solution for the world’s great crises, and not part of the problem[vi]. This quote is a reminder that, as human beings, we have enough problems to face and enough common ground between church and secular thinking to work together for a better world. This approach to collaboration with those of other religions and none will continue to increase despite credal differences. This is a boundary where the work of healing, celebrating and nurturing can happen. It is also a common, flattened space, where beliefs can be explored and appreciated in a space where individual faith may grow to maturity. The chaplain will need the skills to engage with those of no faith and to root their own faith in an incarnational God who is ever present even when denied by others.

The future should see an increasing ease in the use of mindfulness, meditation, liturgy and prayer in a way that includes people of all faiths and none. In time it is to be hoped that such skills might feed back into a formal church setting and make the normal process of parish life more available to a secularised public. This may help the Catholic church to become more outward facing rather than self-preserving.[vii]

Healthy Religion is one of the themes that will continue to develop in the next decades because of the more regular interface between so many different traditions as immigration continues to increase world-

wide. The comparison between religions may lead to even more of a “pick and mix” approach to spirituality at an individual level which may not be healthy or balanced. The interface will also create many positive comparisons that may lead people to consider all religions as inter-changeable. The use of prayer, celebrations, ethics, authority and relationships in religious and secular settings will be brought into sharper focus and churches will need to justify or remove practices that are no longer appropriate. To some extent this process happens all the time. For example, the Catholic church no longer requires a woman to be “churched” after the birth of a child. In the future however, the need for change will be accelerated and those who are working across these boundaries will need to know clearly what is healthy and unhealthy if they are to guide schools and young people into positive engagement with different traditions and also challenge their own tradition where it maintains practices more suited to an older culture.

Conclusion

The chaplain is likely to be one of the key roles that has to manage the flux of change in church and society. They will need to be more informed, more reflective and have higher people skills than ever. They will need to draw on the mystical tradition that exists in many traditions and be able to root their accompaniment of others in a belief in the presence of God in both mystery and in human experience. They will need to be people who know how to be wise stewards who: “Is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom treasures new and old.”[viii]

Adaptability, openness, warmth, genuineness and faithfulness to the tradition will be core gifts for future ministry that also builds on strong ongoing formation and prayerful reflection. In other worlds, chaplains will need to be saints!

[i] Attendance in church fell up to 1913 when the onset of war raised attendance largely because of Belgian refugees, most of whom were catholic.[ii] That may have been fear of damnation or fear of the social stigma of non-attendance[iii] “The future is in the hands of those who can give tomorrow’s generations reasons to live and hope.” Gaudium et Spes42[iv] http://news. bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7078004.stm[v] See this presentation for some background factors https://www.slideshare.net/SteriaNorway/ six-forces-of-change-shaping-our-future[vi] Bart Campolo Future of Humanist Chaplaincy Huffington Post [vii] “When the Church becomes closed up on itself it gets sick” Pope Francis Pentecost Vigil 2013[viii] Matthew 13.52

By Dame Sue McDermott OBE, Executive Director of Rainbows Bereavement Support GB, is committed to helping children emerge

whole from the lifechanging experience of loss and

bereavement

Understanding a Child or Young Person’s Grief and how to Provide Support

The world has become a scary place for children over the last two years. With the effect of lockdowns, Coronavirus illness and deaths and now being bombarded with images of the war in Ukraine, our young minds are dealing with more emotional change than ever before. But how can we support children that are grieving, either through personal loss, or struggling to come to terms with death? Here Dame Sue McDermott OBE, former Executive Director of Rainbows Bereavement Support GB, and author of Children and Loss, offers practical ways to support.

Grief is a distinct human condition. It encompasses the emotions that are felt as a result of being deprived. An external loss event causes grief, but it is felt inside. Grieving is a process of working through loss and it is not a specific emotion, such as sadness, but rather a wide range of often conflicting emotions, beliefs and actions. When someone grieves, it involves the entire self and that is why grief is so exhausting.

A child or young person will grieve in spasms when there is a significant loss. She or he may not be emotionally mature enough to deal with grief throughout each day, so it will come and go, but this does not diminish how deeply he or she feels. We often explain this as “puddle jumping”. He or she will literally jump in and out of emotions, over a day or within an hour. An example of this is a child who has had the death of the parent explained and is very upset, but within the hour is asking to go out to play. This is normal and doesn’t diminish the loss he or she is feeling: it is appropriate behaviour and, in some ways, also protects him or her from being overwhelmed by grief.

It is also important to realise that children don’t always have the

vocabulary to explain their feelings. Are they happy or relieved at the death of someone who has been in a great deal of pain? This is where structured ageappropriate support groups can help and allow him or her to discover the emotional language they need.

The two key skills in supporting a bereaved child or young person are active listening and keeping a nonjudgmental view of all that is shared by him or her, both vocally and in less obvious ways, e.g. body language and/ or changes in levels of activity and alertness. When we are actively listening we need to “show” that we are listening by making small comments and by giving our full attention to him or her, rather than by looking at our watch or mobile phone. The child must be kept safe and we must “work” in a safe way, having full regard of all safeguarding requirements.

Children’s and young people’s questions

Children and young people may have many questions when hearing of a death. They may be able to verbalise them, or they may need an understanding adult to create the right atmosphere for the questions to be asked. In general circumstances a parent may almost know what a child is about to ask even before the question is asked, but if they too are grieving this will prove more difficult and clues may be missed.

When supporting a family in these circumstances a safe and trusting situation will need to develop before a child will trust the adults with their questions and believe the answers.

If we encourage a child or young person to ask questions, then we must prepare ourselves for some awkward and challenging ones. We need to listen without judging and answer truthfully. One boy came into a group and said: “I’m happy my Gran died last night.”

This wasn’t what the adult expected to hear, but she refrained from making a comment, which enabled the child to explain that Gran had a form of dementia and had been very violent towards his mum. He was happy that Mum was safe now. How we respond will determine whether the child trusts us with their feelings or decides that we don’t really want to hear what they have to say.

A child often has at least three unasked questions when she or he is told about the death of a significant person in their life:

1. Did I cause this?

Even though it may have been initially explained to a child that this death is not their fault, they may still feel guilt and need to be supported to ask questions and express their feelings. If the death was sudden, for example in a road incident, the child will have been in shock when things were explained, and it is likely that he or she will not have taken everything in fully.

2. Who will keep me safe?

A child instinctively knows that they cannot take care of themselves. This is a fundamental anxiety for all children, even adolescents. While teenagers seemingly are pulling away from the family, they still want to know that there is a protective haven to return to when life gets too frightening or a problem arises.

3. Is this going to happen to me too?

If this is the first death that the child has experienced it will bring them to the reality that everyone dies. It is important that the child realises that yes, we all will die, but it is very unlikely that they will die soon. It is important to keep listening and talking so that these emotions can be freely discussed. Grandma died at seventy, so will everyone die when they are seventy? If the child experiences the death of a sibling, he or she is likely to ask, “Will I die at the same age and

from the same illness?” Clear and honest answers are important.

To support a child through a significant loss in the family it is important to explain to a child that:

• The family is still a family, even after the death of a family member.

• The person who has died will live on in everyone’s memory and remain part of the family, but in a different way. This is something that a child may come to over time, but not when they have first experienced the huge loss of a parent or a sibling: they just want that person back with them.

• The child did not cause the death.

• Although as adults we know that a child didn’t cause a death, she or he may make wrong connections: “Dad had a heart attack because I was too noisy”, or “I didn’t notice how ill mum was”.

• A death, even after a lingering illness, is never welcome, but it is the last stage of life for everyone. It is no one’s “fault.”

• That their practical needs will be met as far as is possible, e.g. they will be picked up from school, tea will be made, they will still see both sets of grandparents.

One young adult shared her feelings about growing up sharing her birthday with the date of her mum’s death:

got there in the end but I’m sure it could have helped me in many ways to have had things explained.

After the death of Georgina’s grandmother, she was very worried as to who would collect her from school and make her tea. Georgina lived with her Mum and always went from school to her Gran’s until Mum came home from work. Grandad lived there too, but in her eyes, this was Gran’s role. It was lovely to hear from Georgina a few weeks later:

Grandad can cook! He makes my tea, not the same as Gran but it is okay, and he says that he loves picking me up and making tea. He likes having someone to eat with and talk to about Gran. I miss Gran but it’s okay and I can help Grandad. Georgina, aged 9

This article is extracted from: CHILDREN AND LOSS

By Sue McDermott Redemptorist

and that I felt okay about being born! I

I have no knowledge or memory of my mum. I was born the day she died. It was very strange visiting her grave and seeing my birthday. I don’t know if it was ever said exactly but I always knew that in some way I was the cause of her death and all the sadness that people felt. I didn’t talk about it because that was too difficult and didn’t really speak about it until I was expecting my first child. I do wish I had felt that I could ask questions and that I felt okay about being born! I

Publication’s Pastoral Outreach series

Over 100 St Benedict’s dancers, from children in Year 1 at the Junior School to students in the Sixth Form and alumnae, performed in a dazzling dance show at the school on 17th and 18th March.

Following months of preparation and hard work, parents, staff and students at St Benedict’s were treated to an evening of dance performances in a variety of styles, including tap, jazz and ballet.

As well as students from throughout the school, two alumnae returned to the St

St Benedict’s Dazzling Dance Show

Benedict’s stage: Charlotte McCann, who is currently reading English Literature at Durham University, choreographed and performed ‘Inception’, a lyric solo exploring time and space. And Coralie Payne, a student at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy (who has sadly had to suspend her training in Moscow because of the war in Ukraine), danced an exquisite ballet solo.

The theme of Myths and Legends gave huge scope for original, creative choreography, with pixies, goblins, werewolves and leprechauns filling the stage, along with more majestic figures such as Athena, Hercules, Queen Midas, King Arthur and Medusa.

The entire cast, from the little Year 1 jesters to the Sixth Form dancers, all performed with professionalism, style, energy, grace and skill, creatively choreographed and directed by Head of Dance at St Benedict’s, Ruth Kestenbaum and dance teacher Christopher Aguilar.

“The only future worth building includes everyone” Pope Francis

CAFOD, CSAN and the CES present:

CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUSTS: A DAY OF REFLECTION AND FORMATION

The government’s recent White Paper on education has outlined a vision for a fully trust-led system by 2030, with all schools being part of a multi academy trust. This day aims to deepen your understanding of how Catholic Social Teaching is central to the vision and mission of a Catholic multi academy trust. It’s about sharing inspiration and best practice with other Catholic MATs, as well as building supportive networks for the future.

Keynote speakers include: Raymond Friel OBE, CEO of CSAN, with input from CAFOD, the CES, and MAT leaders

Wednesday 22 June 2022

10am-3.30pm

CCLA, Senator House, London

Tickets are £75

CSAN Update No. 3

By Raymond Friel, CEO of CSAN

Two documents were published in recent months of some significance for Catholic schools, one by the Vatican and one by the UK government, although it only has implications for schools in England. The first, published by the Congregation for Catholic Education, bears the title, The Identity of the Catholic School for a Culture of Dialogue and can be found, along with all the other documents from the Congregation, at https://www. vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ ccatheduc/index.htm

The other document, a government White Paper on education policy, bearing the title, Opportunity for all: strong schools with great teachers for your child, can be found at https:// www.gov.uk/government/publications/ opportunity-for-all-strong-schools-withgreat-teachers-for-your-child along with a number of supporting papers.

Both documents are important since our state schools in England inhabit a “double regulatory framework,” as The Identity of the Catholic School document puts it, “one canonical and one state-civil.” Catholic schools have been navigating this ‘double accountability’ as part of a single identity for many years. Although these documents speak a different language and do not entirely converge in terms of a vision for human flourishing, they are I believe not in any great tension. In fact, I believe one will serve the other. The government’s vision for schools will enable Catholic schools to preserve their identity and deepen their mission.

Turning first to the document from the Congregation for Catholic Education. Since Vatican II’s Declaration on Christian Education outlined the “fundamental principles” of the Church’s vision of education, the Congregation for Catholic Education has produced a steady stream of more in-depth reflections, beginning with The Catholic School in 1977. This latest document arises from the world congress in Rome in 2015, Educating

Today and Tomorrow: a renewing passion. One of the most recurrent themes to come out of that gathering was the need for a clear and consistent expression of the Catholic identity of the Church’s educational institutions all over the world.

This is a very useful document, then, for those governors, trustees, school and MAT leaders who are reviewing their vision and mission. I have argued previously that reviewing the school vision and mission should be more frequent than is often the case. We should review our mission frequently for three reasons. Firstly, because we forget what the mission is about. This is a simple fact of the human condition, as we see in the Old Testament when the people of Israel forgot the Lord and the covenant. Secondly, because we will never exhaust the richness and mystery of our mission. Catholic schools are part of the mission of the Church for the building up of the Kingdom of God. Thirdly, we will be tempted to do otherwise, tempted by other idols and golden calves.

The first part of The Identity of the Catholic School is a helpful reminder of the main characteristics of Catholic education according to the mind of the Church. In our schools we are called to be as academically distinguished as other schools, but that does not mean a narrow focus on results. We are called to bear witness to the Gospel, to offer a Christian concept of life, to understand the educational project as the formation of human beings for their fulfilment and for the good of society, building a world that is more human. Catholic education is about integral development, or what the document calls a balance between the inner life, solidarity with others, a natural balance with all living things and spiritual balance with God.

The document bears the hallmarks of the teaching of Pope Francis, especially his vision of epochal change. The Holy Father is calling for

by Raymond Friel

a global compact on education which develops fraternal relationships, a culture of dialogue and encounter, a culture of care to counteract what he sees as the prevailing diseases of our age: the primacy of indifference, the breakdown of community and the rise of consumerism which degrades and exploits the earth’s natural resources and the poorest people on the planet so that some might enjoy the benefits of a lifestyle which is far beyond what is adequate. Catholic schools are called to form young people capable of judging rightly, with a sense of values and virtuous living, who will build a society based on justice and solidarity, the prerequisites for a fraternal and peaceful life.

What has the Church’s vision for Catholic education got to do with the government’s vision for education in England spelled out in Opportunity for All? It has everything to do with it in as much as state Catholic schools in England for the last seventy years have sought to live out their mission within the dual system of accountability to Church and state. We have done this with great success, navigating tensions along the way. If the White Paper puts standards at the heart of an even stronger school system then Catholic schools will sign up to that as part of our integral vision for the formation of young people. To thrive in life, to participate in life, and to work to build a better life for those who are disadvantaged, is enhanced by the acquisition of knowledge and skills, in service of the common good. It’s the structural proposals, however, that are more significant. The Paper envisions that by 2030 there will be a trust-led system, with all state schools in England part of a multi academy trust. Provided the legislation is agreed to support this, which seems likely, then the question for Catholic schools about the benefits of being

CEO of Caritas Social Action Network (CSAN)

an academy, or being in a multi academy trust, become redundant. The approach of the Catholic school system to academisation has been fragmented, with some dioceses fully embracing the option and some dioceses resolutely against. This has not helped the Catholic educational system to evolve and mature in step. If anything, it has increased division and disagreement. Now, whether we like it or not, we are on a path towards a fully trust-led system. I for one believe that we should regard this proposal as an opportunity to strengthen Catholic education.

In my experience of being the CEO of two quite different Catholic multi academy trusts, I saw first-hand the benefits as well as the potential problems of the Catholic MAT. Provided we hold to our vision, and commit to forming leaders and staff in that vision, we can resist the temptations and build a Catholic multi academy system which provides an excellent education, a formation for life, for our young people. The temptations are in many ways the same as they’ve always been, but they are magnified in a multi academy trust: the temptation to regard the MAT solely as a business with compliance and financial efficiency as the only drivers; to regard the MAT as solely about academic outcomes rather than integral development; to exclude the most vulnerable and challenging for the sake of the first two points.

The opportunities and benefits of being in a good Catholic MAT are a coherent and compelling sense of vison and mission which runs through all the schools; the strengthening of mission activities and capacity with shared chaplaincy; joint work across schools on Catholic life, campaigns for social and climate justice, shared liturgy; an effective school improvement strategy which supports teachers and leaders and doesn’t allow any school to drift; a Catholic approach to CPD and career development which allows progression and the sharing of best practice; and financial governance which ‘levels up’ inequalities between schools and delivers efficiency through procurement and shared systems which can result in investment back into the schools.

The next eight or so years will be critical for Catholic education as we journey towards a fully trust-led system. I believe we should embrace the challenge and see an opportunity for a golden age of Catholic schools working together in families with a shared vision. It has surprised me to find Catholic schools in some settings, especially in urban areas, in competition with each other. It has been disappointing to hear of some Catholic schools not reaching out to help another Catholic school nearby which has fallen into a category. This may not be typical, but a trust-led system removes any temptation for the Catholic school, especially the ones with good Ofsted grades, to be a fortified island of success. I have always argued that we should not be afraid of scale in muti academy trusts and there is no reason, with the right level of commitment to leadership formation, that we could not construct Catholic MATs on the scale of local authorities. A Catholic educational system fully in charge of its own destiny working positively with the wider system, inspired by a vision of a better world, is worth striving for.

Caritas Social Action Network, CAFOD, and the Catholic Education Service, have joined forces to contribute to the deepening of our understanding of the vision for Catholic MATs and how they might form a community of mutual support and best practice. We believe that an understanding of Catholic Social Teaching is central to the vision and mission of Catholic education and especially Catholic MATs. Catholic Social Teaching is about the transformation of social relationships inspired by the Gospel. It is at the heart of the vision of The Identity of the Catholic School. It begins with the dignity of the human person, who is made in the image of God, who finds fulfilment in love, who thrives in a culture of care. It is about building the common good, a shared life of flourishing based on our solidarity as human beings. It espouses a preferential option for those who experience poverty of various kinds. It seeks to develop intermediary layers of participation with a vision for subsidiarity, rather than great empty spaces between those who make the decisions and those who live with the consequences.

We would like to begin this national conversation with a conference in London on Wednesday 22 June at the offices of CCLA, near to St Paul’s. You will find the details of the day and how to book a place in the advert on page 17. With clarity now about the way forward in terms of policy, we would like to move the debate on from should Catholic schools be academies, or join multi academy trusts, to how can we embrace a Catholic multi academy trust system for the benefit of our young people? I hope you can join us in London on 22 June. We will be looking to put on similar days in other parts of the country and building resources and capacity to help us with this once in a generation opportunity to preserve and strengthen the identity of Catholic schools.

Keep in touch

CSAN website: www.csan.org.uk.

CSAN Twitter: @CSANonline

Raymond Friel CSAN email: Raymond.friel@csan.org.uk

Raymond Friel personal Twitter: @friel_raymond

Raymond Friel is the CEO of Caritas Social Action Network, the agency of the Bishops’ Conference dedicated to tacking the causes of poverty and promoting justice in England and Wales. He is a former Catholic headteacher and CEO of two multi academy trusts. His new book, Formation of the Heart: the Why and How of Being a Catholic Today, was published in March 2022 by Redemptorist Publications.

Postsecular Catholicism and Young People: Lessons for the 21st Century

Carl Chudy explores the choices facing young people today in relation to faith and culture and the implications this has for the church.

Rachel is a young adult who refers to herself as ‘Catholic-ish’. She grew up in a thoroughly ‘Catholic’ environment. Her father is a deacon in the church, and her mother is a long-standing catechist in her parish. She attended Catholic schools throughout her life and participated in her parish, along with her family. But like many of the millennial and younger generations, Rachel no longer finds a home in the church practice of her religious tradition. Nevertheless, she appreciates her Catholic faith and what she has learned over the years, particularly the commitment to justice and peace and her prayer tradition. She still considers herself Catholic in some ways, but not in the same way her parents do.

For a growing population, being religious today in Great Britain and North America is no longer necessarily about belonging to a particular church, mosque, or temple. In a sense, how belief in God is understood and how one participates in church tradition and sacramental practice has become one option. As a result, many Catholic families may find themselves caught between their commitment to their parishes and the demands of the broader secular culture, increasingly perceived as conflictive. Many of their children and grandchildren gravitate not toward the parish for a sense of spirituality and meaning, but toward the broader pluralism of choices of faiths and spiritualities, relationships and lifestyles they do not find in the parishes. The dividing line is generational and has increasingly been so since the 1950s. Even though we speak from the US

context, the religious landscape of Britain has also gone through immense changes during the last fifty years.

These changes are not simply because of growing secularisation (a master narrative no longer universally accepted) but more pluralism, complexity, and internationalisation. The publication of Stephen Bullivant’s study on Catholic disaffiliation in Britain and America is worth looking at to see some Catholic identity issues beneath the numbers from a postVatican II perspective.

I contend that the Catholic Church’s commitment is to negotiate the tensions between the forces of tradition and those of shifting social, cultural, and religious landscapes. However, depending on where the church is, this negotiation has not gone well for many Catholics. How past generations experience and express community, identity, and meaning is challenging for our younger and not-so-young generations. In the background of Catholic disaffiliation, the tensions and possibilities between religious and secular worldviews find great prominence.

Postsecular Catholicism

Michele Dillon, a noted sociologist of religion, speaks of postsecular Catholicism as the church navigating secular realities infused with sacred meaning. Dr Dillon asks: ‘Can the Church give a new voice to its strongly embedded commitment to the common good? And can it forge new directions in language, doctrinal thinking, and institutional practices that find greater resonance with the

lived experiences of increasingly secularised Catholics?’

Postsecular Catholicism recognises that in ordinary life, Catholic families and friends are constantly engaged with each other and the multi-religious and multi-secular society in which they live. Everyday Catholic life contains an ambiguous, regular, theological play between normative practice and non-normative belief and practice. Nevertheless, the theological space to speak openly and frankly about common faith and practice and the doubts accompanying them is always there. Whether it meets official expectations or not, it is this space where Catholic ideals and Catholic realities blend in convergence and divergence and where the whole of Catholic identity may be more fully understood.

Unbundling faith

An excellent example of how we understand this religious/secular engagement can be found in the work of Springtide Institute, an American research centre that does extensive work with young people (13-25 years old) who are exploring issues of faith, spirituality and religion outside of traditional, institutionalised spaces. In their most recent study, The State of Religion and Young People: Navigating Uncertainty (2021), young people face extraordinary uncertainty issues, and many are not turning to religion to cope. Rather than relying on religious identity, practice, community and language in one traditional institution, more and more young people are piecing together their inner life by drawing on various

By Carl Chudy Xaverian missionary priest involved in interfaith and interspiritual dialogue and research at Our Lady of Fatima Shrine, Holliston, near Boston.

traditions, familial lineages, and wisdom sources.

Young people are attempting to integrate the existing religious and secular realities that they live in by finding ways to piece together their varying family histories, cultural contexts, personal interests and sensibilities to experience wholeness and connection. ‘It is of no surprise that young people resist a fixed definition about what it means to be religious today. Just as gender expressions, sexualities, and racial identities are now understood on a diverse spectrum and grounded in intersectionality’.

Faith unbundled in this sense is a way to describe how young people increasingly construct their faith by combining elements such as beliefs, identity, practices, and community from various religious and secular sources. Using the analogy of Spotify, this experience features opportunities to buy certain tracks without purchasing the whole album, creating a personal playlist. Genuinely, this is a metaphor for meaning-making.

One way unbundling faith occurs is through the experience of curiosity. Younger people are exposed to many faith and secular traditions with shared values and concerns, not feeling bound to the church or parish. Their curiosity provides other resources to work out what they believe about suffering, stress, existence, and much more. Curiosity is a driving characteristic that often transcends prescribed boundaries. The great mystics, prophets, and founders of religious congregations and other faith traditions also surpassed their traditional boundaries in their own spiritual and religious curiosities. Can we harness the wisdom of the Catholic tradition to encourage curiosity that drives the questioning of young people?

Unbundling faith is also a search for wholeness. Young people want to feel their whole self is welcomed and celebrated within their faith community or parish, rather than

feel they need to change, fix, or hide parts of themselves. It does not mean they are not interested in growth, but authenticity and integrity are more valuable than conformity. If young people do not feel free to be themselves in our parishes, they may find it challenging to explore how the Catholic faith might help them search for wholeness. They are unwilling to see parts of themselves that don’t ‘fit’ in the institutional norms, so we need to dialogue with them particularly in these issues where they feel it is valuable to remain engaged in some way.

Religious secular dialogue

Another area where postsecular Catholicism is experienced is in the engagement of religious and nonreligious friends. We value dialogue and collaboration with other faith traditions as Catholics. As Xaverian Missionaries, we engage with this dialogue as a contemporary expression of the ‘Missio ad Gentes’ of the church through a project of our congregation in Great Britain and the United States called Common Ground, organised at the Xaverian Centre, the Conforti Institute in Coatbridge, in 2013. We gathered with Humanists UK, Humanist Society Scotland, Interfaith Scotland, and others.

This dialogue was not new in the church, even though it is rarely formal in ordinary Catholic life. Early on, soon after Vatican II in 1965, Pope Paul VI created the Secretariat for NonBelievers to deepen the dialogue of the church with the modern world, particularly with atheism. Pope John Paul II eventually brought this work into the Pontifical Council for Culture as an intercultural dialogue with modernity. Finally, Pope Benedict XVI, in 2005, through this same Commission, established the Vatican initiative of Courtyard of the Gentiles that began developing international conferences gathering religious and non-religious adults, which continues to this day.

In the various programmes and blog writing that followed both in Scotland and the United States through the

Xaverian Missionaries, we in the US held special meetups with religious and non-religious friends that continue to this day. Mary Aktay, the coordinator of the New Jersey Meetup, explains:

‘Our conversations have been conducted online via Zoom for over a year and a half and now include over 175 people of all ages and walks of life from all over the United States and Canada. It is growing with the addition of millennials. Sometimes people show up without becoming members. We are very flexible and informal groups. The doors are metaphorically ‘opened’ for all who wish to participate.’

Conclusion

One of the most common ways that the life dialogue between religious identity and secular life realities takes place is in Catholics’ exercise of ‘interpretive authority’ when engaging their tradition. ‘Lived religion’ means a process that is never disconnected from the flow of people’s everyday secular lives. Some religious meanings in spiritual understanding, values, and religious practices may be evocative, and others may be deemed less so. Catholics feel pretty competent to draw from certain aspects of the overall Catholic tradition while leaving other elements for other Catholics: compartmentalization. This reality is a way of shaping and re-shaping religious culture in the day-to-day Catholic life of individuals.

This article first appeared in Open House an independent Scottish Catholic journal of comment, opinion and reflection rooted in the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. The article is printed with the permission of both the author and the publisher.

Exploring the Spirituality of Leadership using the Emmaus Model

Reflections on Mentoring on the North-West , Catholic Leadership Programme (CLP) 2006 -2020

By Kevin Quigley

(Based upon a paper delivered at the Dublin City University Conference on Catholic Education October 2019)

“Jesus listened to their experiences, accompanied them on the road, engaged in dialogue with them, drew them out, and broke bread with them. He led them to a deeper reality. Jesus taught them who He was and from this they took hope and the strength to continue on their journey.” Luke 24:13-35

One could with some justification claim that this passage from Luke’s Gospel, is among the most frequently quoted in homilies, essays, articles and lectures, each in its own way seeking to tease out the theological treasures awaiting to be unveiled in this compelling narrative. The disciples involved undoubtedly went away with a better understanding of who Jesus was but I would suggest that the most significant treasure that was revealed was in being drawn into a deeply spiritual relationship with the Jesus who is. Hence: ‘Did not our hearts burn within us as He talked to us along the road and opened the Scriptures for us.’ Luke 24:31

I would suggest that the methodology of encounter demonstrated here is as instructive as the substance of the story. In classic mentoring style, he listened, accompanied, engaged and drew them out. It would not be unreasonable to suggest that this is precisely what he had been doing all along, culminating in the breaking of bread at the last supper. My conviction of the efficacy of mentoring, and the role of mentor, as crucial to the ongoing spiritual formation of leaders in our schools, is further borne out by how the early Church replicated this very methodology and how it has been followed by our own and other great religious traditions in:

• The Ammas and Abbas in early Christianity

• The Gurus in Hinduism

• The Hasidic masters in Judaism

• The Sufi mystics in Islam

And taken up by, John of the Cross, C.S.Lewis, Thomas Merton, Feminist writers and Quakers.

Within the Desert Tradition of early Christianity, it is instructive for our purposes to look at the Qualities of the Mentor:

1. Personal Holiness - the mentor is attentive to God’s presence in their own lives.

2. The Mentor as a Doer - who has experience, is self-reflective; sees daily work as integral to and expressive of their own Spirituality; as a form of ministry.

3. Spiritually discerning - the mentor has the wisdom and insight to speak authoritatively to her/his charges; has the gift of ‘right judgement’ (of gifts of The Holy Spirit) and is open to the Spirit in the interchange.

4. The mentor values the necessity of being ‘in community’ as integral to one’s own faith formation.

5. The mentor values her/his vocation as being one of “Christ’s servants, stewards of the mysteries of God.”

1 Cor 4:1--- through mentoring and nurturing in the mentee his/her own sense of being called, of vocation, of ministry.

Amma Theodora describes the ideal desert mentor as

“patient, gentle, humble and as far as possible (s)he must be tested and without partisanship. Full of concern and a lover of souls.”

Within the Desert Tradition the 5 Roles of the mentor were:

• Befriender

• Counsellor

• Supervisor

• Teacher

• Encourager

These resonate very strongly with my own experiences of being privileged to be a mentor these last twelve years.

St. John of the Cross

Dedicated his life and ministry to showing people the road to union with God – “ a union of likeness” in which the Holy Spirit is the Principal Agent although the Spiritual guide plays an instrumental role in helping people dispose themselves to contemplating God’s self- communication which alone heals, transforms and unites people in God. John of the Cross understood his role as:

• To guide someone on to union with God, providing maps for the journey (cf the Ascent of Carmel )

• He encouraged his charges to share their experience, to help discern and clarify the action of God in their lives.

• He saw his role to accompany someone with care and understanding while God completed His masterpiece in her/his soul.

Today his role could be interpreted as person-centred Spiritual guidance... Mentoring?

C.S.Lewis

From this wonderful Christian mentor (in the widest possible sense) we can learn the following:

Lessons on being a Spiritual mentor

1. The importance of friendship as the foundation of any mentoring we do... vital to reach out with care, to offer others our friendship when it is appropriate to do so. The mentor can be a friend with whom we can say “What we really mean in the depths of our souls, not what we think we are expected to say” quoting Thomas Merton.

2. Being Holistic in one’s mentoring – “there is no essential quarrel between the Spiritual life and human activities as such” C.S. Lewis offers a holistic and integrated approach to mentoring of someone in their everyday vocation or as Patrick Kavanagh described it “as seeing God in the bits and pieces of everyday life.”

3. Spiritual mentoring is speaking a language of the heart. (cf J.H. Newman’s ‘heart speaks to heart’) The heart within Christian tradition is the deepest place within us; the ground of one’s being; the inner sanctuary; the place where we confront Mystery; the place where God touches us; the locus of the life of the Spirit within; represents the total human person incarnate in the world drawn into the life of God.

4. Spiritual mentoring demands of us a willingness and a courage to share our lives and stories (not as people with all the answers but fellow seekers after wisdom and truth) our struggles and dreams, confirming how much we all have in common as “we are all members of one another.” (C.S.Lewis)

5. Being deeply reflective of one’s own experiences and of the questions they raise; having a daily practice of contemplation can develop in the mentor a deep sense of gratitude for the love one has received from others and a desire to do likewise to others. This “going down into the cellar” (C.S.Lewis) can help the mentor to accept and celebrate her/ his own strengths and limitations as resources in the ministry of mentoring.

6. Spiritual mentoring is a form of Empowerment, helping others to discern their vocations, acknowledge their gifts and begin to shape their dreams and God’s dream for them!

7. Spiritual mentoring has a Mutuality in that it contributes to each person’s ongoing growth

transformation, conversion and discernment of the action of God in one’s life.

8. Spiritual mentoring at its deepest level is a “communion of souls” wherein the mentor becomes an ANAM CHARA – a soul friend. “Anyone without a soul friend is like a body without a head.” St. Brigid!

C.S.Lewis’ key principle of mentoring was: “We are all members of one another whether we choose to recognise the fact or not.”

Learning (and quoting) from Thomas Merton [T. Merton ‘Spiritual Direction and Meditation’]:

Lessons for the Mentor:

1. ”His first duty if he wants to be an effective director is to see to his own interior life and to take time for prayer and meditation since he will not be able to give to others does not possess himself.”

2. Those who are firmly grounded and who can share their knowledge and strength with others receive in this process lights which are of inestimable value for their own religious lives.”

3. It is, in fact, this respect for the mystery of personality that makes a real director: this together with common sense, the gift of prayer, patience, experience and sympathy.”

Advice for the Mentees:

1. ”What we need to do is to bring the director into contact with our real self, as best we can.”

2. ”We must let the director know what we really think, what we really feel and what we really desire.”

3. ”We must be frank about our motives insofar as we can be so.”

4. ”We should approach direction in a spirit of humility and compunction.”

5. ”We must get rid of our instinct for self-defence, self-justification which, in itself, is the greatest obstacle to grace in our relations with a director.”

The Role of the Director: (P.39) He/she:

1. Wants us to know our inmost self, our real self.

2. Wants us to know the inmost truths of our vocation, the action of grace

in our souls.

3. Wants us to know us, not as we are in the eyes of men, or even as we are in our own eyes, but as we are in the eyes of God.”

4. His/her direction is, in reality, nothing more than leading us to see and obey our real Director, the Holy Spirit, hidden in the depths of our soul.

5. Direction will school us in being true to ourselves and true to the Grace of God.”

A Feminist Perspective

The following are some of the idea on Spiritual direction applicable to mentoring from K Fisher’s book ‘Women at the well.’

• The goal is “openness and responsiveness to God’s presence in our lives.” (P2)

• Spiritual direction is a conversation in which one gives expression to one’s experience of faith and discerns its movement.

• Attentiveness to one’s own experience is central

• The guide helps one “to lift into awareness and to clarify aspects of one’s life which one might not have noticed.”

• Spiritual direction is “confirming the authority of one’s own truth.”

• Spiritual director as a Midwife (P13) who “assists in giving birth to their experiences in making those explicit so that they can develop and act on them.”

• “Assists in the birth of new consciousness”

• “The ministry of Spiritual guide is one of Liberation,

- Enabling one to move towards greater freedom and wholeness and challenging the structures that impede this.”(P14)

- “Stop blaming yourself

- Trust your experience”!

- The spiritual guide is a spiritual friend, guide, partner, companion, a fellow traveller.

(Note the Egalitarian Model of Spiritual Direction.)

Key to the Process:

1. ”A dialogue in which both persons are listening to the Spirit

2. Based on mutuality – not an expert/ learner or doctor/patient model.

3. To establish an informal nonhierarchical atmosphere by making it a co-operative venture throughout,

4. Disclaim the role of expert, be a resource rather than an authority

5. Point to the limitations of spiritual direction itself... not for everyone; there are other ways to grow!

6. The model is based on friendship ... the director/mentor must be comfortable with feelings etc

To recognise the reciprocity in the relationship, one of mutual gain and benefit.

Quaker Perspectives

The foundation of Quaker spirituality is the experience of God and of God in one’s own life “answering that of God in everyone.” George Fox Spiritual Guide’s Role – is to be present, to help the person make the connection with God and help her/his life, more deeply and abundantly in that connection.

Spiritual Guidance is the process to help others:

• To be in touch with that of God –WAITING

• To listen to what the Divine voice says – WATCHING

• To obey the direction God would have one move in WALKING

These three (other!) W’s applied to the mentoring relationship imply the following:

Waiting the guide leads one to STOP busyness! The key themes are Silence and Space to hear God’s Voice; key elements are Patience and Expectancy.

Watching; the guide helps one to pay attention; to keep the focus on God’s Divine Presence to see my story with God in it.

Walking; the guide accompanies one on one’s journey as one lives one’s story, keeping in touch with the Voice, who guides(Holy Spirit) “to mind the light.” The guide assists one to be centred, to live centred and to help one on a journey home(that is to God)

Mentoring

I now see mentoring as a “covenantal relationship” (Sergiovanni 1992) – a sacred model of professional relationship based around formation of leaders into a community of memory of a living tradition of Catholic Education. It provides the opportunity to get behind the persona, the mask they present to the world.” It evokes in the mentee the inner freedom and truth of this vocation

and ministry as the face of Christ for their communities.

The role of Mentor is to invite and encourage our charges, through our care and commitment to their formation, to speak from the heart, to speak openly and honestly about themselves in ways that can lead to greater depths, a developing sense of identity, vocation and Mission as well as being open, like the disciples in Emmaus, to the possibility of transformation – knowing that they are being well accompanied on their journey by a mentor conversant with, and imbued by, all that is best in a living tradition of spiritual mentoring.

Kevin Quigley was a Secondary Headteacher of The Trinity School Leamington Spa 1988 to 1994, Principal of Cardinal Newman Sixth Form College Preston 1994 to 2003 and Director of Education in The Diocese of Salford 2011 to 2016. From 2006 to 2020 he was a key member of the leadership of the North West Dioceses Catholic Leadership Programme (CLP ), a year long programme of formation for mission of leaders in Catholic schools and colleges, on which he mentored over 100 delegates as well as delivering numerous keynote group sessions.

Sacred Heart Raises £1,900 for the People of Ukraine

Sacred Heart is doing everything it can to help the people of Ukraine and have raised nearly £2,000 for Cafod’s Red Cross Humanitarian Appeal.

Head of RE, Mr Bennett, spoke of the work being done to raise the money. He said: “Due to your incredible generosity, our collection for the British RED Cross to support the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal has raised more than £1,900.

“The Red Cross has said the money raised will be used to provide food, water, warm clothing, toiletries, shelter

and medical supplies for the victims of the invasion, both inside and outside of Ukraine.

“The photograph (top) shows pupils in Mrs Laybourne’s Year 8 Form helping to count the money collected during Form Time.

“As a community, we will continue to support the Appeal through the DEC (Disasters Emergency Committee) and we will keep you informed of events and how you can be involved further.

“On Friday, more than 20 pupils and staff took part in a ‘sponsored fast’ for the Cafod Lenten Fast Day to raise funds for the ongoing Appeal.

“If you would like to make a donation, these can be handed to Mr Bennett on Upper Site or to the School Offi ce on both sites.

“Thank-you so much for your all your generosity and support.”

LGBQT+ and Catholic Education:

When can we go beyond good pastoral care?

In the UK it is widely assumed that Catholic schools always have great pastoral care. There is great pride in the way Catholic schools are such diverse and yet inclusive places. In fact, according to the CES website, Catholic schools are the most ethnically diverse schools in the country. Like all schools, this diversity extends to students who are lesbian, gay and bisexual, and increasingly to students (and staff) who identify as transgender.

It is the pastoral care structures and commitment to inclusion that allows our Catholic schools to successfully support those students who are LGBQTi+. By putting the emphasis on supporting every child, it allows the inclusion policies to become a way of navigating a path around some of the thorny doctrinal statements about gay sex being an abomination. At the end of February the Mater Dei Centre at Dublin City Univeristy hosted a conference that put the spotlight on the relationship between Catholic education and LGBQTi issues. Over forty delegates attended, with the goal of teasing out what the research agenda needs to be. Much attention was paid to addressing the question of whether or not Catholic schools could ever go beyond this pastoral care paradigm when engaging with LGBQTi+ students.

What quickly emerged at the conference is that this paradigm triggers two difficulties. First, it deflects attention away from addressing or challenging any of the inherent weaknesses and theological problems with framing being gay or lesbian as an abomination in the eyes of God. In effect, in providing students with pastoral care (the support, help, affirmation and encouragement to be true to themselves) it nearly always involves a decision to dismiss the thorny doctrines as somehow not relevant in a Catholic school. Second, it perpetuates the tendency to align being gay, bi, or trans as a deficit or more needy position to be in, when compared to other students. The pastoral care structures in a school often act like a safety-net, set in place to support those students who need extra provision (from learning support or counselling or behaviour management

to emotional support whilst dealing with grief). If being Gay or Trans is routinely framed in this way in a Catholic school setting, it sends out a subtle but powerful signal that being gay or lesbian is an extra ‘burden’ or difficulty that (sadly) some young people are saddled with as they grow up. The concern here was eloquently depicted by the keynote speaker at last month’s conference, Dr Sean Henry (of the Technological University, Dublin) when he drew on insights from Queertheology in his address. He coined this as the ‘victimising tendency’ that typically gets applied to members of the LGBQTi+ community. Thus, as ‘victims’ of homophobia, gay people have to assert their rights and be prepared to navigate life in a defensive way. According to Sean Henry’s analysis this sort of default position is stifling. It also unfairly subverts the huge social and legal strides that have taken place across Irish and British society over the past five decades. Indeed a key thrust of gay-pride is to declare that there is nothing to be ashamed of. There is nothing deficit about being gay, lesbian, bi, or trans. If this is recognised, then it might indeed be the time for us to find ways of going beyond the pastoral paradigm adopted in Catholic schools.

It is incumbent on Catholic educators to help the members of their schools who are LGBQTi+ to be able to thrive as they receive their Catholic education. This involves depicting an account of Catholic education that positively draws on queer theology in order to adopt a more theologically expansive account of human sexuality. Part-and-parcel of this is embracing the reality of human sexuality as something much more like a spectrum than an entrenched binary.

What is most intriguing about the conference that took place at DCU was that it was the first academic conference in Ireland or England devoted to LGBQTi+ matters in relation to Catholic education. There was a palpable sense that such an academic gathering was actually long overdue. It is surprising that in the context so many Catholic schools and the growing academic interest in the field of

Catholic education studies, that nothing has happened until now to consider the LGBQTi+ students in these schools.

Dr Cora O’Farrell, Director of the Mater Dei Centre at DCU, said ‘It was a real honour to be asked to host in the first instance of conference on these matters, and it was a real honour to witness how everything went. I think it was a very special day and I learned so much’.

Dr Patricia Kieran, Director of the Irish Institute of Catholic studies, commented that ‘It was a brave choice of conference topic and a radical idea and it disrupted our usual expectation of Catholic research agendas. In the context of Irish Catholicism it was definitely something that would not have been organised 10 years ago. Perhaps not 5 years ago. Perhaps not even 2 years ago prior to the pandemic. By embracing that innovative space for dialogue around potentially incendiary topics (and it could have gone in a number of directions) in such a respectful, open, informed and generous manner it changed our understanding of what is possible in Catholic education and research. We had a cross section of the great and the good there. Most importantly we had people from the LGBTQI+ community there and I hope for them it was a safe and honest space for dialogue around what really matters. I know there were some moments of pain and searching questions and clashing worldviews but that tells us that it was raw and real too. We had teachers on the ground. People in positions of school leadership. Policy makers, representatives from the Catholic Schools’ Partnership. Educational leaders from Multidenominational schools. Senior leaders from Trust Bodies. Chairs of Boards of Governors. People from academia in the UK and in Ireland’.

The conference, although hosted at DCU, was organised by the Network for Researchers in Catholic Education. The firm intention is for this this to be the start of a dialogue in relation to Catholic education and LGBQTi+ issues.

by Dr Sean Whittle Research Associate at the CRDCE with Professor Gerald Grace

News from CATSC

Outstanding Achievements Following the Covid Pandemic - Spring Graduation 2022 for the MA in Catholic School Leadership!

Many congratulations to nearly 40 students who graduated with their MA in Catholic School Leadership recently! It was a beautiful sunny spring day on Saturday, 26th March 2022 at St Mary’s University, Twickenham where the ceremony took place in the lovely university chapel! Students came from as far as Sri Lanka, the Philippines and Ireland to attend the ceremony, as well as from across England and Wales. A wonderful day was had by all.

lives at school and personal lives with their families. The programme was delivered in person and online as a dual mode which the students really appreciated. The dual mode of delivery is here to stay as it proved popular with students living at a distance from St Mary’s University.

Other students on the programme from the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton are being supported by the Bishop of the Diocese, Rt. Rev. Bishop Richard Moth (also Chair of the Board of Governors, St Mary’s University) and Diocesan Education Director Marie Ryan with a reduction in their tuition fees by a third on successful completion of the programme.

Students have also been most fortunate to receive sponsorship from Culham St Gabriel’s Charitable Trust, the Hockerill Foundation and their primary or secondary schools as part of their continuous professional development (CPD) provision.

Good luck Joanna!

Studying during the pandemic

The outstanding achievements of the students was even more remarkable as this cohort had begun their studies during the Covid pandemic and were dealing with extremely challenging circumstances within their professional

Our international students

Fr Elmo Jeyarasa and Fr JohnRexon Philippurasa from the Diocese of Jaffna in Sri Lanka graduated with their MAs in Catholic School Leadership while supporting the Tamil Chaplaincy in the UK. They follow in a long line of other priests from the diocese to graduate with this degree, following the longstanding relationship the programme has with the Bishop of Jaffna, Rt. Rev. Bishop Justin Gnanapragasam who sponsors and supports their studies. Joanna Olivia from the Philippines also graduated with her MA in Catholic School Leadership and is now continuing higher level doctoral studies sponsored by the All Hallows Trust in Dublin. Grace Cuddihy also travelled from County Limerick in the Republic of Ireland with her family to join in the celebrations.

Sponsorship from the Diocese of Arundel & Brighton and other organisations

If you are from Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, England, Wales or Scotland and are interested in completing the Masters in Catholic School Leadership Programme, please contact Course Lead, Dr Caroline Healy caroline.healy@stmarys.ac.uk or Professor of Education, Professor John Lydon: john.lydon@stmarys.ac.uk. You may be entitled to exemptions from previous postgraduate or professional qualifications and if you are an alumnus of St Mary’s University Twickenham, 20% reduced fees are applicable. Applications are now open for a September 2022 start.

About the MA in Catholic School Leadership

Professor John Lydon, Professor of Catholic Education and Lead Practitioner

Prof. John Lydon holds degrees in education and theology from the Universities of Durham, Liverpool and Surrey. His doctorate focused on teaching as a vocation for lay teachers in a contemporary context. As well as teaching at the University of Notre Dame, London Global Gateway, he is the former Director of the MA in Catholic School Leadership Programme, and the new Editor of the leading International

Graduation Group Photos with Graduates of the Class of 2022 with their tutors

Congratulations to Fr Elmo Jeyarasa (far left) and Fr JohnRexon Philippurasa (far right) from the Diocese of Jaffna in Sri Lanka who graduated with their MA degrees in Catholic School Leadership (with their tutors Dr Caroline Healy and Prof. John Lydon centre).

Joanna Oliva from the Philippines who graduated recently pictured with her tutors Professor John Lydon and Dr Caroline Healy on the MA in Catholic School Leadership. Joanna is now embarking on her doctoral level studies (PhD).

Studies in Catholic Education journal, St Mary’s University, London.

Significant areas of Lydon’s scholarship and research focus on spiritual capital, Catholic school leadership, the maintenance of distinctive religious charisms and the relationship between these and competing school paradigms in the 21st century which focus on the marketisation of education and school effectiveness in the UK. He is a doctoral supervisor and mentor to post-doctoral researchers from Africa who are enhancing their research capability in the area of Catholic education. Lydon is a sought-after speaker and regularly delivers lectures in the United States, especially at NCEA, but also Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. Most recently he gave a keynote keynote address to the Graduate School at the University of Santo Tomas, Manila, where he was appointed Visiting Professor in April 2021.

Lydon was recently appointed Multidisciplinary Expert of the CatholicInspired NGO Forum for education working in partnership with the Vatican Secretariat of State. He is a member of the Executives of the World Union of Catholic Teachers, the Catholic Association of Teachers, Schools and Colleges of England & Wales and the Catholic Union of Great Britain. He is a Trustee of the Diocese of Arundel & Brighton and a Director of a Multi-Academy Trust. He is also a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. His key publications include:

‘Professor Gerald Grace and the concept of ‘Spiritual Capital’: reflections on its value and suggestions for its future development’. In: New Thinking, New Scholarship and New Research in Catholic Education (June 2021).

‘Salesian Accompaniment in Formal & Non-Formal Settings’ (2021) In: G. Byrne & S. Whittle (eds.) Catholic Education: Formal, Informal & Lifelong (Dublin: Veritas 2021).

Contemporary Perspectives on Catholic Education (2018, Gracewing Publishing).

Getting Embedded Together: New Partnerships for Twentieth-Century Catholic Education, Chapter 15, pp. 191202. In S. Whittle, S, (ed.), Researching Catholic Education (2018, Springer).

Teaching Religious Education in Catholic Schools in England and Wales. In M.

Yuen (ed.) ‘Teaching Catholic Social Ethics and Civic Education’, Hong Kong Journal of Catholic Studies, No. 8, January 2018, pp. 92-122 (2018, Chinese University of Hong Kong).

Initial and Ongoing Formation of Catholic School teachers and Leaders – a perspective from the UK pp. 6069. In: The Formation of Formators/ La formazione dei formatori (2017, Congregation for Catholic Education, The Vatican).

The Contemporary Catholic Teacher: A Reappraisal of the Concept of Teaching as a Vocation (2011, Lambert Publishing).

‘Transmission of a Charism’, International Studies in Catholic Education (2009, TaylorFrancis).

Dr Caroline Healy, Course Lead

Dr Caroline Healy holds degrees from the Universities of Wales, Massachusetts and Brunel, London. She is Course Lead for the MA in Catholic School Leadership and is a PhD doctoral supervisor at St Mary’s University, London and also Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

She has held roles in higher education for over 25 years and has experience of teaching in the systems of the UK, United States and Ireland and carrying out research in collaboration with a number of European countries. Caroline is the General Secretary of the Catholic Association of Teachers, Schools and Colleges (CATSC) for England & Wales which represents the majority of Catholic schools. She is currently organising a joint conference with the Network for Researchers in Catholic Education (NfRCE) and CATSC at St Mary’s University on 20th-21st May 2022. She is an elected member of the Council of the Catholic Union of Great Britain, to advance Catholic education in the wider public arena. She is a Trustee of the St Mary’s university charity SHOCC which promotes student and staff volunteering in schools and orphanages in Africa.

Caroline is privileged to have been invited to contribute to Professor Gerald Grace’s recent festschrift (2021) entitled ‘Catholic Education and a New Christian Humanism: in Honour of Grace’. In: S. Whittle (ed.) New Thinking, New Scholarship and New Research in

Catholic Education (London: Routledge). She is also currently part of an exciting philanthropic-funded research project concerning the research capacitybuilding of post-doctoral researchers from Africa.

Her other recent publications include Healy, C. & J. Lydon (2021) ‘Shepherding Talent: an informal formation programme for aspiring school leaders’, Chapter 13, In: G. Byrne & S. Whittle (eds.) Irish and British Reflections on Catholic Education (Singapore: Springer).

Hast, M. & C. Healy (2018) “It’s like fiftyfifty”: using the student voice towards enhancing undergraduates’ engagement with online feedback provision, Journal of Teaching and Learning with Technology, Vol. 7, No. 1, Spring 2018, pp. 139-151.

Hast, M. & C. Healy (2016) ‘Higher education marking in the electronic age: Quantitative and qualitative student insight’. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences. ISSN 1877-0428

Congratulations to recent Graduates from Shepherding Talent, A Pioneering Formation Programme for Middle Leaders in Catholic Schools

Congratulations to the outstanding senior and middle school leaders in the Diocese of Brentwood who recently graduated from the Shepherding Talent Programme. The programme was hosted by St Bonaventure’s Catholic High School in Forest Gate, East London at the invitation of Headteacher, Mr Chris McCormack and Deputy Headteacher, Mr Andy Lewis between October 2021 and February 2022 this school year. Special thanks to them both for their warm welcome and hospitality during the running of the programme. Primary and secondary schools within the local area were invited to participate and school leaders from St Bonaventure’s, Sacred Heart of Mary, Trinity Catholic High School, Ursuline Academy, St Antony’s and St Helens. One student enrolled on the MA in Catholic School

Leadership and was granted an exemption from one module due to successfully completing Shepherding Talent.

Students who successfully completed Shepherding Talent recently in Spring 2022 with their tutors Prof. John Lydon (centre) and Dr Caroline Healy (far left).

Shepherding Talent is a pioneering informal formation programme in which teachers identified as having potential for leadership are challenged to explore their vocation to lead. It has been offered in person at school hubs or online and either weekly or monthly. The content of the programme is based around the imperative for all Catholic schools to maintain a balance between school improvement and Catholic distinctiveness. The integrity of vocation and profession in the context of discipleship figures prominently and defines the nature of the seminars. Through workshops, the mission of the Catholic educator is elucidated alongside a consideration of personal disposition and values, inviting a critically reflective response to leadership. This interplay and its impact will be discussed during the seminars and the next stages to more formal and lifelong opportunities for formation through the Master’s degree in Catholic School Leadership at St Mary’s University, Twickenham.

Five aspects of ethos and leadership are engaged:

The Catholicity of Leadership

This seminar includes an exploration of the characteristics of Catholic distinctiveness, the distinctive nature of the Christian leader and the integrity of academic standards and Catholic distinctiveness.

Evaluating a Catholic School

This seminar outlines the history of

denominational inspections and the new national Catholic inspection framework. The interrelationship between Ofsted Section 5 and Section 48 inspections is signposted.

Aspiring Catholic Leadership for the 21st Century – Servant and Christ-Centred Leadership.

This seminar describes the changing demographic being experienced by Catholic schools both in terms of staff and students. Mission Integrity is defined and the centrality of servant leadership is discussed alongside contemporary challenges.

Professional Paradigm

This seminar focuses on Values, Skills and Knowledge in the context of the DfE Teaching Standards. The mutually enriching relationship between Catholic distinctiveness and the teaching standards is explored in some depth.

Revisiting the nature of Catholic Identity and the Professional Paradigm

The implications of the statement that “there is no distinction between having a vocation and being a professional” is reflected upon, signposting the belief that all teachers, irrespective of religious affiliation, can commit to the principles of Catholic identity because of their inclusive and holistic perspective underpinned by a profound belief in the dignity of every person made in the image and likeness of God.

It is hoped that the rolling out of the Shepherding Talent programme as a Short Course will enhance the outreach of the MA in Catholic School Leadership programme. Its impact of the formation of current and aspiring Catholic school leaders. Shepherding Talent has already been piloted successfully in three Catholic Secondary Schools in the Archdiocese of Westminster. One of the participants in the pilot programme commented in their evaluation that:

“the programme allowed me to gain a greater understanding of the distinctiveness of Catholic leadership and education. It has also enabled me to identify positive traits of our school community and suggest ways and strategies for us to increase the Catholic

identity of the school to allow us to offer a high-quality education alongside an opportunity for pupils to act in the way Jesus has taught us”.

Another participant affirmed that:

“The Shepherding Talent programme was an extremely fulfilling course which has encouraged me to take the next step in my education and will help me in my current position and also future job roles. The support and sessions delivered by John and Caroline were extremely valuable”.

The programme represents a gateway to the MA in Catholic School Leadership programmes and can be considered as Accredited Prior Learning in respect of one Module (30 credits) of that programme following the completion of an assignment.

Further information and booking links can be found at www.stmarys.ac.uk/education/cpd/ shepherding-talent.aspx

If you are from Northern Ireland, Colleagues interested in completing Shepherding Talent or the Masters in Catholic School Leadership Programme, please contact Professor John Lydon email: john.lydon@stmarys.ac.uk or Dr Caroline Healy email: caroline.healy@stmarys.ac.uk

Sister Judith Russi SSMN, Maria Hall and Professor John Lydon Lead

Ethos Day at SS

John Fisher and Thomas More RC

High School Colne, Lancashire

The last day of the Easter Term (1st April 2022) SS John Fisher and Thomas More RC High School, Colne, Lancashire, was dedicated to Staff INSET focused entirely on the Catholic ethos of the school. The school recently celebrated its Diamond Jubilee with a celebration

Mass led by Bishop John Arnold in the autumn term.

After a formal introduction by Dr Andrew Cheetham, the Faculty Leader for Arts and Humanities, the INSET Day began with a thought-provoking Liturgy, led by Fr Gerry Kelly, Parish Priest of the Good Shepherd, Colne. The Liturgy focused especially on the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. The Liturgy segued seamlessly into the opening session led by Maria Hall, who works full-time as a consultant on liturgy in schools, parishes, religious communities and at diocesan and national level. Currently writing for Reality magazine, published by the Irish Redemptorists, Maria broke open a range of formative activities in relation to leading liturgy in schools. Following a general introduction, Maria focused on a variety of liturgical themes including different forms of prayer, Lent and Easter and celebrating the Eucharist with staff and students while alluding to the range of resources available to schools on her website: www.mariahall.org

The next two sessions were led by Sr. Judith Russi SSMN, the director of EducareM, a registered charity established in 1997 for the purpose of promoting, supporting and developing the mission of the Church in education. Entitled Building the Kingdom – How to Deliver an authentic curriculum in a Catholic School, Sr. Judith began by reminding the staff that all are called to a commitment to promote and sustain the Catholic ethos of the school. In her customary evocative manner, Sr Judith went on to speak of a curriculum underpinned by the seven themes of Catholic Social Teaching:

• Life and dignity of the human person

• Call to Family, community and participation

• Solidarity

• Dignity at work

• Rights and responsibilities

• Option for the poor and vulnerable

• Care for God’s creation

Sr Judith’s afternoon session was entitled Learning as a Sacred Endeavour

– The Curriculum in a Catholic School seeks to plummet the mystery of the mind of God. Beginning with a redolent presentation on female leadership she

challenged the staff, now divided in subject/faculty groups, to address the issue of how their subject is a sacred subject. This resulted in animated discussions around the tables as colleagues sought to respond to the challenge with the Headteacher reminiscing how each day while at Secondary school she would join with the whole school in reciting the Angelus at midday.

Professor Lydon was afforded the biggest challenge of the day in not only following the outstanding Sr. Judith but also none other than Barack Obama who had appeared on video during Sr. Judith’s session to champion female leadership! Nothing daunted his presentation, entitled Leadership Ideals for the 21st Century: Servant and Christ-Centred Leadership outlined the changing face of Catholicism in the 21st century, and explored the key principles of Catholic identity including references to mission statements and mission integrity. The presentation began with a brief survey regarding the changing nature of the Catholic demographically in the Western world, particularly in relation to Grace Davie’s notion of ‘believing without belonging’. It went on to explore the challenge of maintaining Catholic identity in a market-driven era. In this context the centrality of a sacramental vision for leadership was discussed, based on his experience of leading a Masters degree programme in Catholic school leadership at St Mary’s University Twickenham. He insisted that the nature of servant leadership modelled on Christ is seminal, building on research including his book The Contemporary Catholic Teacher: A Reappraisal of the Concept of Teaching as a Vocation in a Contemporary Context (2011). The significance of academic standards in the context of Catholic identity featured prominently in this presentation alongside other contemporary challenges. Lydon was careful to emphasise that his presentation is applicable to all teachers and leaders in Catholic schools regardless of religious affiliation or belief system. The presentation was underpinned by quantitative and qualitative empirical evidence from teachers and leaders in relation to their commitment to a holistic vision, canonised in the educational philosophy of St John Bosco, and encapsulated in his aphorism to form students to be

‘honest citizens and good Christians’. In underlining the pivotal nature of the perennial as opposed to the transitional, Lydon quoted Cardinal John Cagliero, among St John Bosco’s early Salesians and the first Salesian Cardinal: be careful not to follow the crowd, i.e., do not worry about what others do, trying to imitate methods, systems and other customs, proper to various countries, other persons or religious communities. Let us all propose one single model for ourselves, one Teacher, one Father.

Exciting

Ongoing Education Research Partnership with St Mary’s University and Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School, St Albans Gets Underway!

Ruth Wallbank, Research Associate at St Mary’s University gave an inspiring interactive lecture to students on Laudato Si’ and climate change and is working on an exciting project training sustainability champions through religious education.

In January 2022, the pilot Education Research Partnership commenced with Professor John Lydon and Dr Caroline Healy of the Institute of Education (IoE), St Mary’s University who were cordially invited by Declan Linnane, Headteacher of Nicholas Breakspear School to forge a pilot Education Research Partnership

Ruth Wallbank

with the support of Director of the Institute of Education at St Mary’s, Professor Anna Lise Gordon.

There have been formal research lectures, seminars and workshops working alongside teacher research mentors and student research scholars. Students have been coming up with a wide-range of most interesting research topics in the meantime. A graduation ceremony to celebrate research achievements is planned for June.

Some of the positive aspects of this research collaboration which the Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School and St Mary’s have benefited from include:

University research-led lectures of high quality on current topics of interest for example, one by Ruth Walbank, Research Associate, CERRL, St Mary’s on the most interesting topic of Laudato Si’ and climate change: ethical thinking for sustainable choices. Ruth introduced students to complex topics effortlessly, including defining integral ecology:

‘We have to realize that a true ecological approach always becomes a social approach, it must integrate questions of justice in debates on the environment, so as to hear both the earth and the cry of the poor’ (Laudato Si’, 49)

In addition, the importance of promoting climate justice which has been defined an approach that:

“seeks to redress global warming by reducing disparities in development and power that drive climate change and continued injustice” (UN, 2009).

Finally, Ruth asked students to consider one useful approach to help them make the best eco-choices by introducing them to the ‘See, Judge, Act’ model and provided them with a simple example of replacing a T shirt:

See: The fast fashion industry is unsustainable, using plastic-filled materials and poorly paid workers.

Judge: I don’t think this is the right thing to do because I believe in caring for the planet and its people.

Act: I find a fair-trade company that uses natural, organic materials and I repurpose my old t-shirt for cleaning

rags so it doesn’t go to waste.

Student then engaged in an activity to think about small ways to make ethical choices at schools when it comes to climate change e.g. banning plastic water bottle and installing water foundations and using reusable drinking bottles.

A follow-on talk was provided by Dr Mark Charleworth, St Mary’s University on ‘Sustainability in Action: Solutions and challenges for creating ecoschools’. This talk introduced students to energy efficiency certificates and why it is important for schools to display them. Mark then suggested practical ways to become an eco-school such as providing covered walkways, car ports, playgrounds and walkway with solar panels. School governors would have also been introduced in this lecture as it also explored how being an eco-school can save the school money in the longerterm. Last, students were introduced to CAFOD’s excellent video on Laudato Si’: https://cafod.org.uk/Education/ Secondary-and-youth-resources/ Laudato-Si-for-young-people

The partnership, being led by Daniel Mulkis, Maths Lead at Nicholas

Teachers acting as research mentors to students at Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School, with Daniel Mulkis (far right) Coordinator of the Research Project and Prof. John Lydon (centre), St Mary’s University, Twickenham.

Breakspear, will focus on active research in response to specified issues and questions. Nicholas Breakspear’s students have drawn on the knowledge, expertise and experience of Professor Lydon and Dr Caroline Healy.

Students selected as Research Scholars following a competitive process at Nicholas Breakspear School Catholic School, St Albans. Back Row Far Left: Headteacher Mr Declan Linnane and Professor John Lydon. Back Row Far Right Mr Daniel Mulkis, Project Coordinator with Dr Caroline Healy, St Mary’s University, Twickenham, all supporting the students to meet with success.

Research Mentors have been appointed by the school to guide students and provide support on conducting research and writing up a portfolio. Students in the summer term will then present on their work and be interviewed by a panel, which will include Professor Lydon and Dr Healy. On successful completion of the programme, there will be a formal graduation evening in June 2022 to celebrate the achievements of the successful scholars.

If you are interested in forming a similar Education Research Partnership at your school with St Mary’s University, please contact Professor John Lydon john. lydon@stmarys.ac.uk or Dr Caroline Healy, caroline.healy@stmarys.ac.uk

Network for Researchers in Catholic Education in partnership with Catholic Association of Teachers, Schools and Colleges

Hosted by St Mary’s University, London Friday 20th-Saturday 21st May 2022

CONFERENCE THEME: Flourishing as a Contemporary Catholic leader and teacher: insights from research and practice

Confirmed speakers include:

Assistant Professor Amalee Meehan Dublin City University

Professor John Lydon St Mary’s University

Professor Stephen McKinney University of Glasgow

CONTACT

CONFERENCE ORGANISERS

Dr Caroline Healy – caroline.healy@stmarys.ac.uk

Dr Sean Whittle – sean.whittle@st.marys.ac.uk

REGISTRATION

via stmarys.ac.uk/events/2022/05/nfrce-annual-conference

News from Scotland

Good Shepherd Leadership Pathway

In 2018 Scotland marked the centenary of the Education (Scotland) Act. This Act saw Church owned and run schools brought into the state system, offering free education to all, while protecting the right for denominational education. The Episcopalian Church, the Catholic Church and more recently the Jewish community, have all taken this opportunity and continue to offer schooling with their own unique distinctive religious nature and approach.

Across 2018 schools, parishes, dioceses, the Bishops’ Conference, Local Authorities and Scottish Government, all celebrated the difference this Act has made to ensuring equity of access to education for the minority, Catholic, immigrant community of the early 20th century, embracing the tag line “Catholic Schools Good For Scotland”. One of the legacy works from this centenary year has been a determined focus on improving the leadership formation of Catholic school leaders in Scotland. At a time when there is a recruitment crisis for school leaders across Scotland, SCES wanted to ensure that Catholic school leaders were given as many opportunities for faith based encounters with personal, spiritual and professional development as possible. This led to the introduction of The Good Shepherd Leadership Pathway. We want to ensure that we have school leaders with all of the skills, attributes, qualification and characteristics necessary for school leadership, but the pathway is not trying to duplicate the work that already exists, by those better qualified to deliver it. The Good Shepherd Leadership Pathway does not try to create head teachers, but rather form Catholic leaders. The title of our last conference perhaps sums this up well “Catholic leaders: the why and the who not the what and the when.”

Within a year of introducing this new pathway SCES and our Bishop President for Education, the late Archbishop Philip Tartaglia, attended the OIEC conference in New York. Archbishop Philip and the Director of SCES, Barbara Coupar, participated in a workshop led by Notre Dame University where they were introduced to the work of the Alliance for Catholic Education. As they were leaving the seminar room, the Archbishop turned to Barbara and said “This is what we need for

Scotland”. Since that meeting, SCES has been developing and growing the Good Shepherd Leadership Pathway, working with colleagues in Catholic Universities, including Notre Dame, to expand the range of opportunities and enhance the formational experience of Catholic school leaders.

This year we are delighted to be piloting the Emerging Leadership Programme with Notre Dame and CPSMA and look forward to our 6 Scottish leaders joining with their Irish counterparts on this programme. Since the introduction of The Good Shepherd Leadership pathway (GSL), SCES has:

• hosted annual vocational retreat conferences for aspiring school leaders

• created reflective vocational journals that follow the Liturgical Year and accompany teachers at each stage of their GTCS Standard

• introduced on line leadership networks for professional dialogue and discovery

• worked with Diocesan RE offices to launch “Catholic Deputes Scotland” for those in senior leadership roles in Catholic schools

• partnered with the Australian Catholic University to offer their Spiritus programme to Scottish schools

• created bespoke leadership material for Dioceses and local authorities to use within their own contexts at leadership courses

• developed and led pupil leadership programmes

• cooperated with Education Scotland to deliver an on-line webinar as part of the Into Headship programme

• organised and led aspiring leadership conferences for those looking to move from Classroom to Middle leadership, Middle leadership to Senior Leadership, Senior Leadership to Headship

• collaborated with Notre Dame university to pilot the Emerging School Leaders programme with a cohort of Irish and Scottish Catholic school leaders.

SCES are currently developing a programme of support for Catholic mentors and coaches in education. In the next school year we are expanding the on-line leadership networks, offering monthly group sessions for school leaders to explore and utilise the SCES journals. We are also exploring additional ways to offer experiences of the Universal Church through partnership and pilgrimage. While there is still more to be done, the

Good Shepherd is now recognised by Catholic teachers in Scotland as a symbol of Christian leadership that they want to imitate.

The Good Shepherd scriptural motif was chosen to reflect the career and vocational journey of the teacher. The newly appointed teacher starts as the “sheep”, (following The Good Shepherd), and can progress to the role of the Head Teacher, (the Shepherd) who has responsibility for their faith community as a faith leader.

The Good Shepherd Leadership Pathway is offered by the Scottish Catholic Education Service. It is a vocational leadership journey that accompanies Catholic teachers as they discern their personal call to leadership. The pathway navigates through four elements of Vocational Leadership: Stewardship, Relational Leadership, Pastoral Leadership and Service Leadership. It offers experiences and opportunities for personal prayer and reflection, formation in the vision and values of Catholic Education, knowledge of Church teaching and the chance to become familiar with the Catholic school system internationally.

The Good Shepherd Leadership Pathway allows staff to dialogue and discover the Vocation of the teacher while exploring their personal response to being called to catechise, witness, lead and accompany the young people they teach.

The Good Shepherd Leadership Pathway can be accessed across a teacher’s professional life. It has been developed to reflect the six themes of “Companions on the Journ ey” and encourage teachers to explore the many ways in which they use their God given talents for the service of their school community.

The Learning Activities:

• Offer vocational formation, learning and training

• Help in planning the professional leadership journey for the faith leader of a Catholic school

• Support current and future leaders

• Identify professional development needs and create opportunities to meet these

• Create communities and networks of Catholic school leaders at all stages of professional development.

CARJ Briefing: School Exclusions and Their Wider Social Context

Introduction:

This Briefing will explore the impact of school exclusion and alternative provision on young people, especially those from some ethnic minority groups. It will go on to discuss the wider question as to how we support young people to feel they belong in a diverse society like the UK today.

Part one, by Asha Sidhu, will discuss the Timpson Review of School Exclusions. Part two, by Fr Phil Sumner, will discuss how we nurture identity and belonging among young people and how that supports them in their preparation for life.

These are complex issues, and the briefing will attempt to help readers find their way through this complexity, but those who want to become more deeply involved with the issues may want to consult some of the works listed in the bibliography

School Exclusions and Alternative Provision – The Timpson Review

By Asha Sidhu

To exclude a pupil is to change the life trajectory that pupil is on. For many pupils it is for the better - they can access high quality education and facilities (Alternative Provisions), with reputations for exceptional parental engagement which in turn leads to better outcomes than they would have achieved in a mainstream school. However, for others, it’s for the worse - the pupil subsequently fails to secure any qualification and at the age of 18 falls into the category of NEET (not engaged in education, employment or training).

In March 2018 Edward Timpson (Conservative MP for Cheshire West and Cheshire Council), was commissioned to review school exclusion and in May 2019 The Timpson Review of School Exclusion

was published. The review confirmed what many already knew: some student groups were more likely to be excluded than others, and there was variation in how fairly and consistently Headteachers used exclusions. In addition, some Headteachers even unlawfully excluded pupils.

However, like most, I believe that headteachers must continue to have some autonomy and discretion to use exclusion where appropriate, but only as a last resort when all other interventions and strategies have failed. Why? Simply because there are some children who, for whatever reason (be it in-school or out-of-school factors), are unable to meet the standard expected of behaviour and interaction in a mainstream school.

Timpson acknowledged this and concluded his review with thirty recommendations, then the pandemic hit. Although the government has made some progress and implemented six of the thirty recommendations, given the statistics, urgent action on the rest, is still needed.

The statistics:

1. Almost 50% of pupils in an Alternative Provision are in year 11 According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, most children in the UK will have missed over half a school year of in-person schooling since the pandemic hit. This equates to about 5% of a pupil’s entire time in school. If this is the case, then some pupils in Year 11 will be excluded after having missed at least half a school year between Years 9 and 10.

2. Only 4.5% of Year 11 pupils in Alternative Provisions achieve a level 9 – 5 in English and maths compared to 65% in mainstream schools. As more data is generated following the pandemic, many good schools are revisiting their pastoral support of pupils and are committed to deliver targeted training for staff to help then get better at identifying earlier the signs of trauma, heightened anxiety, social disconnection, etc.

3. Over 40% of pupils in Alternative Provisions are eligible for Free School Meals. According to Ofqual, there was

a slight widening of the “long-standing results gap” in England between pupils in receipt of free school meals and those who are not in 2020. And what about the pupil premium funding which is there to help schools close the gap? The Sutton Trust says that 34% of pupil premium funding is being used to plug gaps in school budgets—to fix leaky roofs, for example. How many schools who do not use the funding exclusively for pupil premium students, exclude pupils eligible for Free School Meals?

4. 79% of pupils in Alternative Provisions have SEN (special educational needs), or a disability compared to 14.6% in maintained schools. Even more concerning is the over representation of SEN in that 11.2% of pupils in Alternative Provisions have an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP), compared to 2.9% in maintained schools. Current statistics indicate that remote learning was especially difficult for children with special educational needs and disabilities— in fact, it appears that disadvantaged pupils have, overall, experienced greater learning losses of as much as seven months in both reading and maths. Unfortunately, the statistics show that many pupils who have been excluded are more likely to go on to be identified as having SEN after the exclusion.

Doesn’t this mean that schools have a moral obligation to focus on early identification, not least given the prevalence of SEN among young offenders where 20% have identified learning disabilities, compared to 2-3% of general population and 60 - 90% of offenders have speech, language and communication needs compared to 10% of the general population.

5. Most pupils in Alternative Provisions are identified as having SEMH needs (social, emotional and mental health). Many of our children who are persistently excluded, come from some of the most disadvantaged backgrounds. They need help and support to develop their resilience and improve their life-chances through education – not exclusions. An NSPCC analysis of serious case reviews showed that 31% of serious violence victims had received a fixed-term exclusion.

6. Approximately 70% of pupils in Alternative Provisions are boys and BlackCaribbean and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils are over-represented.

In September 2017, The Lammy Review into the treatment of, and outcomes for, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic individuals in the Criminal Justice System found that despite making up just 14% of the population, BAME men and women make up 25% of prisoners, while over 40% of young people in custody are from BAME backgrounds. In addition, Gypsies, Roma and Travellers (GRT) are often missing from published statistics about children in the CJS, but according to unofficial estimates, are substantially over-represented in youth custody, for example, making up 12% of children in Secure Training Centres (STC).

If we return to schools, Edward Timpson found that children with several characteristics have multiple risks of exclusion including being a black-Caribbean boy. The statistics are extremely worrying as most permanent exclusions are for ‘persistent disruptive behaviour’. As you can imagine, this is a very subjective term. It’s even subjective at a classroom level. What I can manage in my class may not be what the teacher next door can manage.

Given this, surely all school leaders have a duty to ensure they have the right pastoral systems in place, and to train all teachers to develop the right skills to deal with behaviour so that they consistently retain a calm and safe environment where all pupils can access the high-quality education they deserve. There is no doubt that the variation in behaviour management allowed at a teacher level, feeds into the variation in the use of exclusion between schools with some schools even going as far as practising off-rolling.

Ofsted define ‘off-rolling’ as …’the practice of removing a pupil from the school roll without using a permanent exclusion, when the removal is primarily in the best interests of the school, rather than the in the best interests of the pupil. This includes pressuring a parent to remove their child from the school roll.’ In most cases that Timpson came across it was unlawful.

Out of all the recommendations Timpson proposed, I believe three raise some very serious questions for our schools. The first and most urgent must be a review of the total number of days a pupil can be excluded for in any one academic year.

At present it is 45 days. Surely by day 10 or God forbid, day 20, the pastoral team and Headteacher have recognised that exclusion as a tool to tackle poor behaviour is not working with that pupil.

Perhaps Timpson realised that there must be stronger incentives to make some school leaders reduce the number of pupils they exclude and so he proposed a removal of the financial incentives to exclude. The head teacher can exclude a pupil on disciplinary grounds only. This decision must be lawful, reasonable, and fair. In addition, schools and LAs must arrange alternative provision from the sixth day of the exclusion of pupils of compulsory school age. However, if schools were made to fully fund the placement of a pupil in an Alternative Provision (fixed term or permanent), would exclusion rates drop?

And finally, the third recommendation, which I believe will be the most significant for schools, suggests that schools are made accountable for the results of excluded pupils. If this recommendation is fully actioned, will there be a noticeable drop in the number of exclusions and far less variation in exclusions between schools? Importantly, will this recommendation affect exclusions in Catholic schools? And if so, why?

The Religious Education Curriculum from the Catholic Education Service states that ‘the promotion of the human person is the goal of the Catholic school.’ …. Religious Education is central to the curriculum of the Catholic school and is at the heart of the philosophy of Catholic education. Pope Benedict said that ‘education is not and must never be considered as purely utilitarian. It is about forming the human person, equipping him or her to live life to the full – in short it is about imparting wisdom.’

There are no facts or figures for us to see what proportion of pupils are excluded from Catholic schools. Nor do we know at which stage of their formation they are excluded. It’s all unknown and perhaps not relevant. However, if our task is to ‘impart wisdom’ so that pupils in Catholic schools can engage fully with and contribute to society, surely school leaders must ask ‘should we exclude even one of our pupils?’

Social Inclusion in Schools and in the Community - identity and belonging

By Fr Phillip T Sumner.

and a church lawyer. He was Chair of the National Conference of Priests of England and Wales from 1997-2000. He is currently a Trustee of the Catholic Association for Racial Justice and of the Oldham Interfaith Forum. He was chair of Oldham’s Race Equality Partnership and of Oldham’s Community Cohesion Advisory Group for several years. In February of 2006 he was the Individual and “Overall” winner of Oldham’s first and only Diversity and Equality awards and, in September 2006, he was named in a British national newspaper as amongst the top fifty British “campaigners, thinkers and givers transforming our world” (The Independent Newspaper’s “Good list”, 1st September 2006). He has lectured for UNESCO (Catalonia) on “Intercultural mediation processes” in Barcelona in 2006 and, in February 2008, in Brazil at the World Conference on the Development of Cities. He has, twice, been a witness on BBC 4’s “The Moral Maze”, once on Multiculturalism and once on the decolonisation of the university curriculum. In 2021, he was asked to write a chapter of a book edited by John Forester of Cornell University in the States. The book, “How spaces become places” was published in October 2021.

The demographics of our communities are continuing to change; immigration still impacts, providing both challenges and opportunities. Faith can no longer be presumed in our Church schools and yet many of the young people from the incoming communities are strong in their

Fr. Phil Sumner is the Parish Priest of Our Lady and St. Patrick’s Parish, Oldham

faith. The arrival of more multi academy trusts suggests that schools will become larger organisations and, therefore, perhaps in greater danger of losing some of their ethos and their connection with the local communities.

The area of Oldham, where I work as a priest, was written large in the Press twenty years ago as riots erupted on our streets. In the Government report about these riots (written by David Ritchie), Church schools were picked out for criticism in that they seemed to have enabled greater segregation between faith communities. Non-Muslim families were prepared to jump through the required hoops to avoid having their children go to state schools which, in some areas, were attended by a significant Pakistani/Kashmiri or Bangladeshi majority. In the years since, some of our Catholic and Anglican schools have opened more to Muslim children (and others) and have attempted to find ways genuinely to accommodate them and enable them to belong. But, as Church, we must also reach out beyond the boundaries of Catholic organisations. I work with a local Mufti (an Islamic lawyer) to deliver workshops in over forty schools or colleges in Oldham, exploring the similarities between faiths (as well as acknowledging the differences). In the process, we also model our own good relationship. Where faith has been perceived to be a problem, we have demonstrated that it can also be seen by local authorities to be part of the solution.

There’s always been much talk about the Catholic ethos in our schools but when I ask teachers, during interviews, how they know if it is ‘Catholic’, there’s often considerable consternation and confusion. What are the yardsticks we can use to evaluate Catholic ethos? Surely, they are Scripture and Tradition. In Scripture, Jesus lays out his objectives at the beginning of his mission: to bring Good News to the poor and those excluded from society (Luke 4:18). It’s when schools live this that we see something of what has been called, “the Catholic ethos”. And, in the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, we read: “Church communities…offer themselves as places of communion…and as catalysts for the redemption and transformation of social relationships” (par. 52). Schools, as Church communities, should therefore be catalysts of communion, redeeming social relationships, not agents of division within the wider community.

To achieve more inclusive Catholic schools that enable children of every background to belong, we need governors, chaplains,

teachers, and parents who have expertise in matters of race and/or religion. They need to have the confidence to challenge even the recommendations of Government reports when these are questionable or even erroneous. The recent Commission on Race and Ethnic disparities, chaired by Tony Sewell suggested, for example, that black people now live in an age of ‘participation’ in this country. Sewell contrasts the present age with two former ages: the ‘heroic age’ (what he describes as ‘the Windrush generation’), and the ‘age of rebellion’ during the 70’s and 80’s. He provides data to demonstrate much greater participation of people now from black communities in the upper echelons of business or politics. But I suspect that most black people would hardly see themselves as having arrived at an age of participation. There are green shoots, but there’s still so far to go. The same report suggests that schools can address the failure of particular communities by simply increasing the hours of the school day for everyone: “Mainstream education to some extent, has recognised the benefit of more hours in school for children…This additional time should be a core offer for all, instead of an unequal opportunity dependent on school and funding choices…..The answer, therefore, is not about bespoke interventions that single out ethnic minority groups from the White majority. It is about collectively raising standards for all children based on what works to boost opportunity. A rising tide really can raise all boats.”

We would do well not to lose the learning of another report by Lord MacPherson after the killing of Stephen Lawrence. He described a “colour blind” approach as an example of institutional racism. For him, it was important to make ourselves aware of the particular needs of people from different communities and so respond to those needs in the services we provide. I suggest that this necessarily requires ‘bespoke interventions that single out ethnic minority groups from the White majority’.

Sewell’s approach also fails to acknowledge research carried out by Dr. Jocelyn Maxime, a clinical psychologist from London, admittedly quite a few years ago. She studied three distinct groups of African Caribbean children. The first group did nothing more than their peers and had no changes to the type of curriculum offered or to the way it was taught. The second group all went for extra lessons on a Saturday. The third group had teachers who knew how to nurture identity. The second group did improve for a while but too

many did not maintain their motivation for education beyond Year 9. The third group alone showed a continuing motivation for education right through to the end of the programme.

While Sewell does recognise the importance of teaching an inclusive curriculum, he seems to limit the scope of this approach. He writes of producing high-quality teaching resources, through independent experts, to tell the multiple, nuanced stories of the contributions of people from different backgrounds that have made this country the one it is today. But nurturing a sense of belonging requires us to understand identity in a wider sense. The choice of title for a popular black-interest comedy programme from the 1990’s, “The Real McCoy”, suggests this. Elijah McCoy was, after all, an African American of the 19th century, who, despite the racism that existed in his day, developed lubrication systems for locomotives. Railroad engineers began to request his systems by name, hoping to avoid inferior copies. Many believe that this was the origin of the phrase, “Is it the real McCoy?” Certainly, the choice of title for the television programme suggests that the story of McCoy’s success can nurture the identity of others who share his black identity.

Addressing identity through education, and in every aspect of the curriculum, was seen, in many quarters, to be of great importance for about twenty years before 2011. The Leicester Education Authority developed a wonderful toolkit to assist teachers in this approach called “Young, gifted and equal”. Other authorities followed their example. But then, in 2011, David Cameron, Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy all became critical of multiculturalism. It was seen to encourage segregation and to result in a failure to criticise illiberal behaviour that challenged British values. However, a closer examination of Charles Taylor’s seminal essay, “The Politics of Recognition” (from which the concept of multiculturalism was developed) would show that dialogue and interaction are an essential aspect of multiculturalism. Taylor based his thinking about the need for political recognition on the dignity of every human person – something that is also at the heart of so much Catholic social teaching. Bhikhu Parekh, another of the proponents of multiculturalism, was clear, however, that respect for people of other cultures did not prevent criticism of elements of those cultures.

What David Cameron and others were criticising was a particular model of

multiculturalism that had corrupted the original concept. Ted Cantle, in his book “Interculturalism: The New era of cohesion and diversity” (2012), recognised that, in practice, there are different models of multiculturalism. He wrote of a ‘defensive model’, a ‘State model’ and a ‘progressive model’. The last of these finds expression in Canada, and there we see a multiculturalism that enables greater interaction. But it’s the first and second models that are most open to criticism and that Cantle and Cameron reject.

It is also important to recognise that Cantle is a secularist and has a real problem with giving political recognition to religious identity. Whereas a person’s colour or sexuality is not a matter of choice, it could be argued that religion is, and, therefore, has less right to demand political recognition. The identities that need most to be addressed are those which are ‘necessary’ and those which are ‘stigmatised’. However, when a person is born and brought up in communities where almost all follow the religion of their families, the aspect of choice significantly diminishes, if not disappears. It’s important, therefore, to understand the different dynamics involved in the rejection, by many, of giving political recognition to identity. It might be because of a more secularist standpoint or because of a rejection of a whole concept resulting from corrupted manifestations of that concept.

In Oldham’s Local Authority, the three pillars of their community cohesion strategy after the riots were defined as “Identity, Engagement (including both participation and interaction) and Equality”. After 2011, the word “identity” was dropped but the word “belonging” replaced it. Dina Nayeri, in her book, “The ungrateful refugee” (2019) wrote of the essential nature of “belonging” for refugees. She wrote: “They need the dignity of becoming an essential part of a society…what they most urgently need is to be useful. To belong to a place” (TUR p.338). But then she goes on to stress that, to enable people to belong, a multicultural approach is necessary. She writes that it “…requires reciprocation. It is mutual and humble and intertwined with multiculturalism, never at odds with it…” (TUR p.342).

One of the ways that I have seen parish and school come together to nurture identity was through an art project. We asked a local black professional artist to work with some Year 9 pupils to paint a 6ft by 4ft artwork that we could display in the church to recognise and celebrate Black presence.

That painting, over twenty years after I left the Parish, is still displayed in a prominent position on the wall directly opposite the entrance to the church. It’s been a matter of justifiable pride for the young people involved and an important and effective statement of welcome.

Nurturing a sense of belonging in our pupils also requires schools to assist them in discovering literature where they can enter a world that they understand and one that understands them. Yes, something of the power of literature is its ability to transport us into different worlds but if those worlds always seem so alien, they can alienate. And, of course, it’s important to introduce all pupils to the ‘greats’ of literature, but there are now several black or Muslim poets or authors who have entered that hallowed company.

OFSTED has recognised, at different times, the outstanding nature of creating links between the students in our schools or colleges and students in different countries. Parish and school communities now have great potential, in the families involved, to enable and sustain such links. However, it is always important that students are helped to recognise the dignity of the communities to which they become linked and not simply to see them as objects for pity.

When it comes to nurturing faith identity, this can be more complex in the context of a Catholic school, whose raison d’être is to nurture the Catholic faith as well as to provide an outstanding education. We could, however, take our lead from the Pope in this matter. Pope Francis chose his name because of wanting to associate himself with St. Francis of Assisi. Most people will know of St. Francis’ option to accept a life of poverty but fewer will know of his crossing the battle lines during the crusades in Egypt to engage in interfaith dialogue. St. Francis had first tried to convince the ‘Christian’ crusaders to lay down their arms. He was ridiculed for his attempts. He then crossed the battle lines and, at great risk to himself and his companion, he asked for hospitality from the Sultan, Malik al Kamil. Amazingly, he was given that hospitality and, for a couple of weeks, he engaged in dialogue with the Sultan and his entourage, gaining a great respect for them and from them. Early in his papacy, Pope Francis deliberately emulated the action of the saint when he visited the Grand Imam of Egypt. A real friendship developed from that meeting too.

In conclusion, if we are to create more inclusive schools, we need to provide an

ethos that truly reflects Gospel imperatives, and we need to ensure the adoption of a curriculum that enables people to belong. With all the insistence on teaching ‘British values’, we need to remember that a person will only accept the values of a society or a school when he/she feels valued.

Bibliography

The documents below are listed in the order in which they appear in the text:

Timpson Review of School Exclusion (May 2019)

The Lammy Review: an Independent Review into the treatment of, and outcomes for, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic individuals in the Criminal Justice System (2017)

Report of the Commission on Race and Ethnic disparities (March 2021)

The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry: Report of an Inquiry by Sir William Macpherson of Cluny (February 1999)

The effects of positive self reference material on seven to twelve year old children of the African diaspora. Jocelyn Maxime (1 Jan. 1989)

Young, gifted and equal: Racial Equality Standards for Schools. Obhi, Kamljit; Billingham, Clive; Cabon, Chino . ‘the Politics of Recognition’ by Charles Taylor in Multiculturalism: Examining the Politics of Recognition edited by Amy Gutman, 1994

Interculturalism: the new era of cohesion and identity by Ted Cantle 2012

The Ungrateful Refugee by Dina Nayeri, (2019)

This Briefing draws on an earlier CARJ Workshop on School Exclusions which took place on-line on 13 October 2021. A recording of the Workshop is available from CARJ

CARJ, 9 Henry Rd, London N4 2LH. 020 8802 8080. Info@carj.org.uk. The Catholic Association for Racial Justice (CARJ) is an independent charity committed to working with others of diverse backgrounds and beliefs to bring about a more just, more equal, more cooperative society.

‘Proud to call you my partner’ – Education Secretary tells Catholic Educators

This year is the 175th anniversary of the founding of the Catholic Education Service. To mark this significant milestone, the CES has produced a booklet entitled Catholic Schools: Partners in Formation.

The book, the first of its kind from the CES, gives an overview of Catholic education in England and Wales, and reflects on why the Church provides schools, the distinctive nature of the Catholic ethos, and the reasoning behind the safeguards put in place to protect our schools’ distinctive character. The chapters are illustrated with case studies from schools, teachers, parents, and former pupils and provide powerful ‘real world’ testimonials of the Catholic ethos in action.

On Wednesday 23rd February, the CES, in collaboration with Mary Robinson MP, held a very successful launch event for the booklet in Parliament with the guest of honour being the Secretary of State for Education, the Rt Hon Nadim Zahawi MP.

A copy of the book was presented to the Secretary of State by the Rt Rev Marcus Stock, Bishop of Leeds and Chairman of the Catholic Education Service.

Speaking to the assembled guests, the Secretary of State said that he was proud to call the Catholic Church a partner in the provision of education in England.

The event was attended by more than 100 guests including representatives from Dioceses, Catholic universities, and other Catholic educational institutions.

Also in attendance were Amanda Spielman, Chief inspector of Ofsted, the Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel De Souza, representatives from the DfE, MPs from both main parties (including former shadow schools minister, Mike Kane MP the Rt Hon Jacob Rees Mogg) and members of the House of Lords. In his speech to the assembled guests Bishop Marcus Stock said: “When it comes to being partners, the Catholic Church was the first provider of schools in England.

“Today with 2,200 schools, 850,000 pupils and 50,000 members of staff, and four universities, it is the second-largest provider of education in our country. This is an incredible achievement, and represents one of the most successful Government partnerships, in the delivery of such an essential service as education and schooling.”

Concluding his speech, Bishop Marcus Stock said: “In a few years’ time we will celebrate the bicentenary of Catholic Emancipation in the UK. This moment marked the point at which most of the penal restrictions placed on Catholics since the 16th Century were lifted in 1829. That Act of Parliament enabled greater religious freedom and paved the way for the full restoration of Catholic bishops and dioceses in our country in 1850.

“The bishops at that time faced the immense challenge of restoring the place of the Catholic faith in public life in England after the best part of three hundred years of persecution. They could have prioritised the building of

by James Spencer, Partnerships and Communications Manager, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales

churches or grand new Cathedrals, but they didn’t. Instead, they chose to build schools. The bishops made that decision because proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ through education sits at the forefront of the Catholic Church’s mission. It is the same reason why we continue to provide schools, and why our partnership with the state is something we value and wish to celebrate today.”

Responding to the bishop in his speech the Rt Hon Nadim Zahawi MP said: “I am extremely grateful to be given an opportunity to speak to you all in person at this important event to celebrate 175 years of the Catholic Education Service.

“175 years is a significant achievement, so I just want to thank everyone in the room, and of course colleagues here who are so supportive of this extraordinary human endeavour and recognise the incredible valuable work that you do and have done and continue to on behalf of so many young people and staff in schools across our country.

“You deserve high praise, since many of your schools serve some of our most diverse and disadvantaged communities where the challenges include reaching out to those families where neither parent may be in work or those for whom English is a second language - as it was for this Secretary of State.”

The Secretary of State concluded his speech by saying, in reference to the Catholic Church’s historic roll as a provider of schools that he was “proud to call [the Church] my partner”.

By Willie Slavin MBE

News Roundup

East Anglia: Youth team record song for peace in Ukraine

The Diocese of East Anglia Ignite Youth Team have recorded a song, as a prayer for peace in Ukraine, set to traditional Irish melody Danny Boy, in time for St Patrick’s Day.

As part of their Third Thursday online assembly for schools, the team, led by Director of Youth Service, Hamish MacQueen, recorded A Prayer for Peace In Ukraine, set to the traditional Irish tune Londonderry Air, which many people know as Danny Boy.

Hamish, who wrote the words, said: “I’m sure I’m not alone when I feel helpless at seeing the horrific suffering in Ukraine - but one thing we can do is pray! We hope this song helps people - young and old - to pray for peace in Ukraine.”

Hamish was joined by his teenage daughter Trinity, a student at Notre Dame High School in Norwich and a member of St George’s Parish on vocals and on piano by Ray Travasso from St Mary’s, Woodbridge Road, Ipswich. Hear the song: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=aM7NDB4XMyQ

A Prayer for Peace in Ukraine

We pray for those who lead and make decisions

That they may bring the fighting to an end

And in the hope of cross and resurrection

And through the power of Jesus’ name

We cry out, Lord in your mercy

Hear our prayer, there may be peace in Ukraine

We pray for those parted from their loved ones

The pain of leaving, tear stained faces show

May they know you always walk beside them

As they journey to somewhere unknown

We pray for those who live in fear and danger

And face each day with hunger and in pain

We cry out, Lord in your mercy

Hear our prayer, there may be peace in Ukraine

And in the hope of cross and resurrection

And through the power of Jesus’ name

We cry out, Lord in your mercy

Hear our prayer, there may be peace in Ukraine

Hear our prayer, there may be peace in Ukraine

Hamish McQueen

St Mary’s University announces scholarships for victims of Ukraine War

St Mary’s University, Twickenham has today announced five full postgraduate scholarships open to those who were citizens of, resident in, or students in Ukraine on 23rd February.

The scholarships are for entry to St Mary’s in September 2022, and if places remain, will also be open to students beginning courses in January or September 2023. The awards cover 100% of the course tuition fees. The University offers a number of distance learning masters’ degrees, allowing successful applicants to the scholarships to complete their studies if they wish to remain in Ukraine or another country in which they have sought refuge.

The scholarships are available for the following programmes for either full-time of part-time study:

Two places for MA Catholic Social Teaching or MA Catholic School Leadership* One place for MA Social Justice and Public Service Two places on any St Mary’s Master’s Degree** *distance learning is available on these St Mary’s courses **distance learning is available on a number of St Mary’s Masters’ courses. This includes St Mary’s extensive suite of applied health programmes.

St Mary’s Vice-Chancellor Anthony McClaran said: “As an institution, we believe in the transformative power of education. It allows people from all walks of life to change their outcomes through developing skills and accessing knowledge. We feel it is our moral duty to provide access to education for people fleeing the conflict in Ukraine, to help the successful applicants to rebuild their lives after such an appalling upheaval.

St Mary’s University has a proud history of widening access to education. The University was founded in 1850 by the Catholic Poor Schools Committee to meet the need for teachers to provide an education for the growing number of poor Catholic children. Full details for applying to the scholarships can be found the St Mary’s website: www.stmarys. ac.uk/ukraine-scholarship

East Anglia: Bishop blesses site for new school

The site for the new St John Henry Newman Catholic primary school in Peterborough was blessed by Bishop Alan Hopes on Tuesday, March 8, in front of civic, education and diocesan guests.

This event marks the latest stage in the building of the school, which will open on schedule for around 60 Reception and Year 1 and 2 pupils in September. It is especially significant as it is the first new Catholic school to be built in the whole country for more than ten years.

Chair of governors, Flavio Vettese, speaking on behalf of headteacher Mark Cooper who was unable to be present, said: “The opening of St John Henry Newman is a fantastic opportunity to grow Catholic education in Peterborough and one of which I am extremely excited and proud to lead.

Before walking around the site and blessing it with consecrated water, the Bishop of East Anglia, the Rt Rev Alan Hopes, told guests: “This is a very important moment in the life of the Diocese of East Anglia. The blessing of the site of our new school here in Hampton marks a significant step towards its opening in September.

“The saint, under whose protection and prayers we will place our school students and staff is John Henry Newman. He was someone who was dedicated to the work of education. He was the first English person, who was not a martyr, to be made a saint since medieval times. We thought it appropriate that our new school should bear his name.

St John Henry Newman Catholic primary school - https://st-johnhenrynewman.org.uk

Radio Maria England’s Youth Team - RMEY Faith Vibe - has been nominated for Most Innovative by the Young Audio Awards.

This award will be given to the team who have made the most innovative digital and technical achievements in audio this year.

The Young Audio Awards are supported by both commercial and BBC radio. The RMEY team have been nominated because of their understanding of the value of teamwork, their innovative work and because they have ‘the skills that make a modern radio station tick’.

RMEY Faith Vibe began broadcasting at the end of 2020. The original team comprised Alfie, Maryam, Ashish, Dan and Danny. The group were introduced to Radio Maria through Lorretta Peck who was volunteering for the radio by suggesting editorial programmes. Lorretta, catechist at St John Fisher Church in Cambourne, Cambridgeshire, comes with the experience of leading the confirmation and youth groups with fellow mum and catechist, Mel Ward.

They have all contributed to community life within the parish, often making teas and coffee after Mass, singing and playing instruments in the choir, as well as mentoring other young people through Children’s Liturgy or group work. When asked if they wanted to share a faith perspective for young people by young people, not one of them hesitated. Without any experience in radio or other media, the team felt lead by the Holy Spirit.

Radio Maria England is a Christian radio station that broadcasts the daily liturgy, the Mass, the rosary, teaching on faith and social issues, programmes focusing on human and social development, and news from around the world. Our programmes can also be heard on podcast providers such as Spotify, Anchor, Overcast, Google and Apple podcasts.

You can listen to Radio Maria England on our website at https://radiomariaengland. uk/how-to-listen-to-us/, on the Radio Maria World Family app for smartphones and tablets and on DAB/DAB+ radio in the Cambridge and London areas.

For more information about Radio Maria England, please contact lena.Judd@ RadioMariaEngland.uk

Columbans announce Schools Competition winners: ‘21st

Century Changemakers’

Winners have been announced in a media competition for young people on the subject ‘Anyone can make a difference:

21st Century Changemakers’ run by the Columban Missionary Society in Britain and Ireland.

Young people 13-18 years were asked to consider: Who in the world today is doing something about inequality, injustice, exclusion and environmental degradation? What can they teach us? The theme was based on a quote from young climate campaigner Greta Thunberg who has said, “no one is too small to make a difference”. She and many others internationally stand out for their mission to create a more just, peaceful and sustainable world.

Winning articles and images focused on big names like Greta Thunberg, David Attenborough, Jane Goodall, Marcus Rashford, Malala Yousafzai, Amanda Gorman, Vanessa Nakate and Pope Francis. There were also moving essays about the inspirational role teachers and parents play in the lives of young people, and there is a tribute to Londoner Margaret Mizen for her mission of forgiveness and peace following the murder of her son. One winning article highlights an Afghani woman who promotes good hygiene in very difficult circumstances in her country.

The two strands of the competitionarticles and images - attracted 260 entries from nearly 50 schools, which were judged by panels of media experts separately in Britain and Ireland.

“The quality of entries blew me away and I was amazed at their energy and thoughtfulness,” said James Trewby, Columban Education Worker in Britain. In Britain, Jessica Saxon of St George’s College in Weybridge wrote the winning article about US politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, described by one judge as “a barnstorming piece of writing”. Runners up were Mahi Sikan of Thomas More in Bedford, Ella Bothwell of St Richard Gwyn in Flint and Scarlett PeartLapidge of Bishop Thomas Grant in London. Elijah Gilbert of Richard Challoner School, New Malden won first prize in the images section for his collage, which one judge said was, “a truly powerful and original image, with recognisable and diverse changemakers.” Runners up were Katherine Fawole of St Paul’s Academy in London, Oliver Lafite of Richard Challoner School and Paulette De Jose of Holy Cross School in New Malden.

Instruction of the Congregation for Catholic Education, “The

identity of the Catholic school for a culture of dialogue”

INTRODUCTION:

1. At the World Congress Educating today and tomorrow. A renewing passion, organised in 2015 in Castel Gandolfo by the Congregation for Catholic Education and attended by the representatives of Catholic schools of every order and level, one of the most recurrent and topical issues in the general debate was represented by the need for a clearer awareness and consistency of the Catholic identity of the Church’s educational institutions all over the world. The same concern was expressed on the occasion of the most recent Plenary Assemblies of the Congregation as well as in the meetings with Bishops during ad limina visits. At the same time, the Congregation for Catholic Education has been confronted with cases of conflicts and appeals resulting from different interpretations of the traditional concept of Catholic identity by educational institutions in the face of the rapid changes that have taken place in recent years, during which the process of globalisation has emerged in parallel with the growth of interreligious and intercultural dialogue.

2. In relation to what falls within the remit of the Congregation for Catholic Education, it seemed therefore appropriate to offer a more in-depth and up-to-date reflection and guidelines on the value of the Catholic identity of educational institutions in the Church, so as to provide a set of criteria responding to the challenges of our times, in continuity with the criteria that always apply.

https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/ congregations/ccatheduc/documents/rc_ con_ccatheduc_doc_20220125_istruzioneidentita-scuola-cattolica_en.html

Editorial Note: In view of the stresses and strains emerging within our own schools in England, this appears to be guidance that is very timely.

24-hour Charity Endurance Challenge

Year 11 pupils from Farnborough Hill raise almost £7000 for charity

On Friday 18 March, Red Nose Day 2022, 27 fantastic Year 11 pupils began an epic sport challenge to raise money for Comic Relief and the School’s chosen House charities.

Working in teams of five or six, their challenge was to keep three exercise bikes and three cross trainers moving constantly throughout a 24-hour period. Starting off with a video message from notable sports stars, including The Body Coach Joe Wicks, spirits and energy levels were high. The girls pedalled and cross-trained throughout the day, cheered on by peers and entertained at lunchtime with a Karaoke Party which boosted their funds and their spirits.

Watching the Comic Relief programme on BBC, and seeing themselves on BBC South Today, made the evening shifts a pleasure, with treats courtesy of Sainsbury’s Farnborough keeping energy levels up. The approach to midnight brought a predictable slump, which was overcome by some delicious Pizza Hut-donated pizzas. As the small hours approached and the end was in sight, those not exercising moved out to the Hill to watch the sunrise – a very rare and memorable moment for the athletes. The end approached, and parents filled the Sports Hall to cheer their daughters over the virtual finish line at 9.00 am on Saturday 19 March.

Year 11 pupil, Hannah, shared her thoughts of the experience: ‘I was so excited to be a part of the 24-hour endurance challenge for Comic Relief and our House charities. Obviously, at times it was really tough to keep going but having my friends around and us all supporting each other to push through was amazing and super fun. I am really proud of us all and we have made memories which will stay with us forever.’

Director of Sport, Mr Daniel Emery, commented: ‘When the girls approached me with this idea I must admit, I took a little convincing; I just was not sure they knew what they were letting themselves in for. Who would want to use a cross trainer at 3.00 am? But, I clearly underestimated them: their tenacity, team work and good humour saw them through this challenge. I am incredibly proud of them and what they have achieved.’

Mrs Alexandra Neil, Head, added: ‘This was an unbelievable endeavour and I echo Mr Emery’s pride. Well done, girls.’

To date, the pupils have raised a total of £6,947.79, of which £4,912.48 goes to Comic Relief. The rest is being donated to the House Charities: Naomi House, Treloar’s, Cancer Research UK, Walk the Walk and Yes-J.

Book&Media Review

FORMATION of the HEART The WHY and HOW of being a Catholic today

By Raymond Friel

Redemptorist Publications

ISBN: 978-0852316054

£12.95

(All proceeds from the sale of this book will go to Caritas Social Action Network formation programmes)

At a time when the stresses and strains within the Church have never been so depressingly apparent, Raymond Friel’s carefully considered take on the why and how of being a Catholic, in the fractured world in which we live, is eerily resonant of God’s response to Job: “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundations?”

(Job: 38:4)

Within days of my receiving this book I read Cardinal Grech’s homily in Oxford at a conference of Synodality where he spoke with devastating frankness

about the divisions within the Church about which it has chosen to be silent: “The clearest example which comes to everyone’s mind is the sexual abuse crisis that the Church went through and …. what about the general silence concerning the deep divisions within the Catholic Church?” Where would a Synod start to address such a disheartening admission by one of Pope Francis’ most trusted Cardinals?

While it is good to face up to the disfigured reality of life in the Church of our times, and indeed to have a good Job like rant about it, we can all too readily lose sight of the fact that this is the same Church to which we remain indebted for being the surest conduit to the faith the apostles encountered first hand and which we now share.

Putting my own cards on the table and recalling, that a pivotal moment in my faith development, my own Damascene conversion, coincided with my simultaneously studying Job and Gaudium et Spes in the mid to late sixties. The twin, but vitally connected lessons of the nature of God and the mission of the Church, were transformative. However, in the fifty plus years since, that inspiring vision has waxed and waned within the Church, frequently leaving one feeling disappointed with the institution but still finding daily sustenance sacramentally, prayerfully and spiritually.

Against this potentially discouraging background, Raymond Friel, by seeking answers to the questions he poses, has drawn back the veil and taken his readership, and may they be many, on a journey of re-discovery to, quoting his final sentence, finding that “The Church, for all its flaws, is a place of nurture, a wise mother who can keep us on the path of grace and truth.”

The book is aimed at a wide audience who, for whatever reason, have not

By Willie Slavin MBE

had an opportunity to develop an understanding of their faith or indeed, for those also who would benefit from that energising surge that accrues when insightful understanding, accompanied by inducement to a deeper spiritual awareness, warms the heart, stretches the mind and becomes formational in the best sense.

Although the author claims that this is not an academic book, it portrays a scholarship that is sure footed in its choice of sources and supported by an easily accessible indexing at the end of each chapter which offers an option for the enquiring mind to delve deeper. What Raymond Friel does is to invite readers into the wider, synodal style, conversation, facilitated by notes and thoughtful questions at the end of each chapter. In a real sense each chapter opens a window into a wider conversation, deeper study, prayerful engagement and renewed mission. This is the work of an intuitive theologian who has learned his craft by immersion as a reflective practitioner in Catholic education and now in his new role as Director of Caritas Social Action Network (CSAN). His teacher’s facility with language, allied to an acquired degree of theological literacy makes this an engaging read. The compelling message and the spiritually immersed messenger are well matched. Always highlighting, like the Book of Job, that the ultimate meaning of life and faith is only revealed in an encounter with the sacred presence of God, the book constantly brings the reader back to the possibility of such a life-defining encounter whether the subject of the chapter is scriptural, theological, spiritual or mission focussed.

While I can claim to have read more specialised books on scripture, theology, spirituality and mission, that all offered a deeper specialised understanding, I have no recollection of reading such a holistic, articulate and accessible

appraisal of the richness of the Church’s treasure of a living faith in Jesus Christ as the incarnate Word of God. Neither have I read a book that so powerfully compels me to engage in the Church’s declaration for a preferential option for the poor. As Pope Francis insists: “if the Church disowns the poor, she ceases to be the Church of Jesus: she falls back on the old temptation to become a moral or intellectual elite.”

If the Synodal Church is looking for a primer textbook it need look no further. There is an eight week course of formation cascading off these pages and that is just one of the many possibilities that will ensure that it stands a good chance of being highlighted and annotated to death. The possibility of this book gathering dust on a shelf is simply inconceivable.

Heed the author’s own invitation in his introduction: “Come in and wander around. See where the gaps are, ask your own questions. Join the conversation.”

Willie Slavin

The Self-Care Squad Journal

knowledgeable about and aware of the ways in which we can take action for the benefit of our physical health and this book helps support young people to view mental health in exactly the same way: something that needs attention and time.

The book is beautifully presented and designed. Although marketed at teens and pre-teens (as the blurb on the back rightly states) anyone could enjoy and benefit from gradually making it a treasured possession.

The techniques on offer (including mindfulness, gratitude-journaling, goal-setting, affirmations) can no longer be dismissed as faddy or lacking in substance. This is all stuff that has a firm evidence base in the growing field of positive psychology. This is the area of psychology that focuses not on the pathology of when things go wrong, but instead researches the conditions needed for human thriving: shifting focus away from worries, wants or comparison with others to what we have to be grateful for; having a purpose and sense of working towards something bigger than ourselves (this may or may not be faith-based); the ability to live in the present moment rather than wasting time on regrets from the past or anxieties about the future; being kind and of service to others.

Journal, Coaching through Covid and Beyond, and The Ultimate Coaches Companion Toolkit.

Available from: https://www.veritasbooksonline. com/self-care-squadjournal-9781847309860-46350/

CHILDREN AND LOSS

By Sue McDermott

Product code: 1822

ISBN: 9780852315231

£3.95

Other books in the series:

Just like we need to train our bodies if we want to make them stronger and more resilient, our minds need to be trained to counteract an inbuilt human tendency to skip over the good and focus on the bad. The good news is that our young people are becoming increasingly conversant in the language of emotional well-being and mental health and are undoubtedly already several steps ahead of older generations. I would recommend this book as a beautiful resource to support anyone’s journey and as a stimulus to finding out more about the research that lies behind the techniques on offer.

Catherine Mallard

Headteacher: St Begh’s Catholic Junior School, Whitehaven.

About the Author:

Although it was very obvious before, the pandemic has thrown into sharp focus the necessity to view the maintenance and growth of mental health as an active process. We are all probably more

Amy Claire is a career and mindset coach at The Coaching Programme. She has a BA in industrial design and business, and a diploma in executive coaching and stress management. Amy is the author of The 3-Minute Gratitude

EATING DISORDERS

By Julie Jeffs

Product code: 1766

ISBN: 9780852315224

£3.95

Psychotherapist Julie Jeffs specialises in working with people with eating disorders. Her insight, experience and practical suggestions help the helpers to give support and encouragement in difficult situations.

CHILDHOOD BULLYING

By Daniel Kearney

Product code: 1768

ISBN: 9780852315064

£3.95

How do you help the bullied and the bullying child to see things differently and to grow towards self-confident adulthood? Retired headteacher Daniel Kearney draws on his many years of practical experience in a book which will help parents and pastoral care workers to deal with some very difficult situations in the classroom and online.

Amy Claire Veritas: €16.99

TERMINAL ILLNESS

By L Toy, C O’Neill & S Jackson

Product code: 1820

ISBN: 9780852315217

£3.95

The diagnosis of a terminal illness can have devastating consequences on the individual and their loved ones. In this book, three medical Consultants in Oncology, Palliative Care and Care in Old Age come together to offer their help and support in coming to terms with a diagnosis and making the most of the days that lie ahead.

DOMESTIC ABUSE

By Nikki Dhillon-Keane

Product code: 1840

ISBN: 9780852315439

£3.95

In this book Nikki Dhillon-Keane aims to develop understanding of the different types of domestic abuse, examine the challenges faced by those who are victims and survivors and provide guidance on how best to offer the safe, knowledgeable and robust support needed to end suffering and save lives.

ANGER MANAGEMENT

By Nikki Dhillon Keane

Product code: 1855

ISBN: 9780852315491

£3.95

We’ve all felt anger churning away inside like a volcano which is almost ready to erupt; experienced the stress of trying to remain calm so that our angry words and actions don’t hurt ourselves or others either emotionally or physically. This book offers practical ideas and strategies which help to peacefully manage that inner volcano.

The Pastoral Outreach Collection includes a number of books dealing with similar subject matter.

Tour de St Ralph

A sponsored cycle around schools in the St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust has raised over £4,500 for charity.

Trust Lead Lay Chaplain Jamie Agius and his friend Mark Newing set out to cycle around all 25 schools in the Trust to raise money for the Disasters Emergency Committee.

Extreme weather conditions cut the three-day ‘Tour de St Ralph’ one day short but the pair have raised £4,502 so far and they plan to complete the planned course in the future.

The total journey would be 188 miles, mostly uphill, through Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, Stockport and the High Peak.

All money raised through sponsorship will go to the Disasters Emergency Committee, which brings together 15 leading UK aid charities which are experts in humanitarian aid and specialise in different areas of disaster response.

Jamie and Mark visited Saint John Houghton and St Thomas’ in Ilkeston, The Priory in Eastwood, St Elizabeth’s in Belper, Christ the King in Alfreton and St Joseph’s in Matlock on the first day.

On the second day they stopped at St Phillip Howard, Saint Mary’s, All Saints, St Charles’ and St Margaret’s, all in Glossop, St Mary’s in Marple Bridge, Saint Mary’s in New Mills, St Thomas More and St Anne’s, both in Buxton.

Jamie said: “We were slightly trepidacious before setting off as the weather was predicted to be pretty horrendous with Storms Dudley and Eunice arriving during the ride. As a result, we decided that our original plan to sleep outdoors was probably not wise, so found some inside spaces to stay overnight.

“Unfortunately, the weather predictions for the Friday didn’t look good so we made the decision to postpone the last leg of the tour and head straight home to Nottingham. It was a tough decision but one we felt was the safest.

“It was a brilliant experience not withstanding some of the biggest hills I’ve ever ridden up. We received some brilliant welcomes and motivating send-offs which really helped us move from place to place. I would like to say a huge thank you to anyone who may have donated. Finally, I have to say that the words of St Ralph Sherwin, ‘Today and not tomorrow’, really were the motivation for doing this ride.”

New Hall Celebrates Neurodiversity

New Hall School students and staff marked Neurodiversity Celebration Week (21-27 March) with a series of events including assemblies, lunchtime talks and an art installation.

The week’s celebrations at the leading Catholic day and boarding school in Chelmsford are in recognition of the fact that all people’s brains work differently, that we are all unique and each of these differences should be valued. The events were organised by Suzanna Minnis, Head of the Girls’ & Boys’ Divisions, Vanessa Minihane, Acting Head of Learning Development, and Classics teacher Charlie Hailes. They were designed to be informative while demonstrating the School’s solidarity with anyone who might be neurodivergent.

A colourful display of umbrellas, decorated with details of students’ individual talents and ‘superpowers’, is now suspended in the School’s cloister as a reminder of, and salute to, cognitive differences.

Across the week, students learned how they can respect diversity and support each other. Sixth Form students Charlotte Handelaar and Albert Holland, who captains the School Riding Team, shared their personal stories of dyslexia.

Charlie Hailes, who has a diagnosis of autism, received a standing ovation for his inspiring Sixth Form talk on autism awareness, sharing his life journey and thoughts on how people can make everyone, including those who are neurodivergent, feel more included and accepted. Next term he will give the talk to other year groups. A link to a recording can be found here: https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=o9Dfwb4aEsE&ab_ channel=NewHallSchool

Further lunchtime talks included two from New Hall parents, Dr Peter Berry and Mr Preetham Peddanagari, on the positives of neurodivergent thinking.

Dr Peter Berry, Consultant in Anaesthesia and Burns Intensive Care, spoke about his educational journey making links with the personal qualities often associated with individuals with dyslexia and the advantages that these qualities had brought to his career.

individuals who have led innovation and driven scientific and technological change.

Mr Preetham Peddanagari, who is a partner at Ernst and Young, spoke to students about his company’s worldwide Neurodiversity Centres of Excellence which recognise the economic and business benefits of having teams which include neurodivergent thinkers. In his talk, he gave examples of neurodivergent

Professor Susan Deacy, a lecturer from Roehampton University, gave a talk on autism and classics, discussing her research into this and encouraging students to colour in a Herculean drawing to explore different interpretations of the scene.

Katherine Jeffery, Principal of New Hall, said: “There have been so many positive comments from parents, students and staff in response to this neurodiversity celebration. I’m proud that our students have enthusiastically engaged with the topic, gaining a greater understanding of, and empathy with, those who are not neurotypical.

“The various activities and talks have demonstrated that being neurodiverse is not a barrier to a successful career, indeed the opposite is quite often true. Our individuality is something we should wear as a badge of honour; it is what makes us special and gives colour to all of our lives. That is why we actively support a range of talents in the New Hall community through sport and other co-curricular activities as well as learning development.”

New Hall staff Charlie Hailes, Suzanna Minnis and Vanessa Minihane with Year 13 student Albert Holland under the colourful umbrella

MISSION TOGETHER

May 2022 is a signifi cant month for Missio and its children’s branch, Mission Together, as one of its key founders, Pauline Jaricot, is to be beatifi ed in her hometown of Lyon, France.

Born in 1799, at the close of the French Revolution and beginnings of the age of Industry, Pauline Jaricot was a remarkable young lay woman with dogged determination and formidable faith. At the age of just 16, she made a private commitment to serve Christ as a lay person, and within six years had founded the Association for the Propagation of the Faith (APF), one of Missio’s core societies.

Pauline’s passion for mission and solidarity with the poor was not just directed overseas. She responded with equal conviction to the pastoral and spiritual needs within her own community too; supporting the rights of young mill workers, establishing factory prayer groups, a credit union, even building one of the world’s first fair factories with accommodation, school, and chapel attached.

Pauline’s impressive initiatives were founded on her relationship with Christ and reinforced by a simple philosophythat if we all give a little and pray a little, we can share God’s love throughout the

world. It was this simple idea that went on to inspire her friend, Bishop Charles de Forbin-Janson, to establish The Society of the Holy Childhood, known today in England and Wales as Mission Together.

From a young age, Pauline had a real understanding of the dignity of all people: that we are sisters and brothers through God our Father. As an important figure in the global Missio family, Masses, events and celebrations will be happening around the world to mark her beatification on 22 May. You can find out more about Pauline Jaricot and events in your area at Missio.org.uk/pauline

To help share Pauline’s legacy in schools, Mission Together have produced a Blessed Pauline Five Fact Assembly, available to download via the Teachers Resources section at MissionTogether. org.uk.

That Pauline was able to achieve so much, notably in a time when lay women held little sway, was by her own admission due to a life of prayer and trust. ‘Let us always pray, let us pray with confidence, let us pray without getting tired.’ This message, that through prayer we work with Christ to establish his kingdom of justice and peace, is taken up in another Mission Together assembly for May.

The Children Who Prayed for Peace tells the story of Francisco, Jacinta and Lucia, who in 1917, witnessed several apparitions of Our Blessed Lady in Fatima, Portugal. Our Lady asked the children to learn to read, write, and to pray the rosary ‘to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war’. Francisco, Jacinta and Lucia responded wholeheartedly and became global witnesses of faith and hope.

The Children Who Prayed for Peace assembly highlights the significant impact children can have through their prayers and acts of faith.

The feast of Our Lady of Fatima falls on 13 May. This year, to restate the request made by Our Lady to the children of Fatima, we are asking pupils to pray a decade of the Mission Rosary each day, beginning Monday 16 May. To download The Children Who Prayed for Peace and other Marian resources, including our Queen of the May Liturgical Prayer Mission Rosary Films more visit the Liturgical Resources section at missiontogether. org.uk

May Altar

Pauline Jaricot

Our Mission Rosary focuses attention on pupils’ place within God’s universal family, and the mission we all have as God’s children to stand together and help one another (the call to universal solidarity). Such messages are reinforced in our Pupil Pentecost Workbook, Pentecost Classroom Ideas, and our Pentecost Liturgical Prayer Responding to feedback from teachers, our Pentecost Liturgical Prayer now has accompanying slides with illustrations, prayers, and embedded links to suggested hymns.

Listening to feedback from teachers is incredibly important to us and this year we hope this will be reflected in our Day of Many Colours school resources. Based on the five colours of the Mission Rosary, Day of Many Colours, celebrated on or around the feast of Saint Peter and St Paul, encourages children to unite in prayer with their sisters and brothers in Africa; the Americas; Europe; Oceania; and Asia. This special day is not exclusive to England and Wales, similar days are held around the world, each sharing the same aim: to develop in children a missionary spirit of attention towards others, through prayer, charity, and action.

Support provided by schools through Day of Many Colours and at other times in the year, enable Mission Together to help fund life-changing children’s projects around the world. 97% of funds raised by children in England and Wales used to support feeding programmes, school infrastructure and scholarships, health projects, youth centres and more. Last year over 20,000 children in over 1,000 missionary dioceses were helped to discover their self-worth and dignity thanks to the prayers and generosity of children in England and Wales.

Thank you to all schools who are part of our mission, to share Christ’s love throughout the world, as brothers and sisters in God’s global family.

Francis Xavier School, Cameroon construction of four new classrooms

Day of Many Colours Event St Helen’s, Barry

St Aelreds, York - Day of Many Colours Event