vol20 issue1web

But

Back to school with

Order our free global wallplanners

Order a bright and colourful CAFOD A1 academic year primary or secondary wallplanner, and stick it in your classroom. Email resources@cafod.org.uk to order yours.

2

CAFOD is ...

…the official development agency of the Bishops’ Conference. Through CAFOD, the Catholic community of England and Wales reaches out to some of our poorest sisters and brothers across the world.

Education is at the heart of this. Like you, we know that change only happens when people understand what needs to change and why. So we take seriously our responsibility to educate children and young people in global justice. (And we think they are amazing!)

Thank you for being part of CAFOD. Here are our top 10 tools and tips for a global year.

CAFOD Education team cafod.org.uk/schools @CAFODschools

1

Brighten up this autumn!

Harvest Fast Day is on 5 October. Organise a Brighten Up event in your school and get dressed up to support our partner projects around the world.

Browse our resources

4

Explore our website to find resources to learn, campaign, pray and fundraise. Look out for our new animation to help teach about refugees, and our new collective worship resources for primary schools.

7

Book INSET for your school

Did you know we offer training on GCSE RE, Catholic Social Teaching, Laudato Si’ and much more for secondary schools? Contact us for information.

10

Plan your assemblies

Explore our suggested assemblies on global themes for 2018 - 2019. Month-by-month, we can help you plan a great series of assemblies and save you lots of preparation time.

Book a CAFOD visitor

5

Contact us to find out about our amazing team of trained volunteers who visit schools to deliver global themed assemblies and workshops. Last year they visited 1,073 schools!

8

Children’s liturgies and Confirmation

Download our weekly children’s liturgies to run your classes, and find our Confirmation resources that can be adapted to any Confirmation programme.

3

Take action this term

Schools all over England and Wales have been walking in solidarity with refugees. Organise a walk in your school to show we care about the millions of people forced to flee their homes. Find resources to help you on our website

6

YouTube best picks

Take a look at the bank of films for children and young people to use in school this term. Check out our new Refugee animation, Human Dignity animation, and films on Catholic Social Teaching.

9

Keep in touch! Follow @CAFODschools on Twitter, or sign up for our newsletters to keep up to date with news and our latest free resources.

Let’s celebrate!

Pupil led collective worship in the primary school

Bethany Friery. CAFOD schools team

“Collective worship makes me feel safe and calm.” “It’s time when you can get to know God.” These were some of the responses Year 3 pupils gave when I asked the class what collective worship meant for them during a workshop on pupil led worship. It was one of those moments in the day when your heart lifts and you recognise the privilege of accompanying young people as they grow in their relationship with God. There is a requirement for schools to offer a daily Christian act of collective worship, but the real value of collective worship is found in the opportunity to build, share and express the living out of faith and the joy of celebrating together as a Catholic family.

The children I was working with are lucky enough to have a positive experience of collective worship, but within the many demands of the school day it can be challenging to ensure that worship is always accessible and uplifting. Focusing on good quality pupil led worship is hugely beneficial for pupils. Children have the chance to serve, offer gifts and talents, and to recognise that their contribution is valued. Skills of reflection and stillness come to light. Opportunities to make links between faith and action are opened up as children consider the connections between the word and their responses to it. Taking responsibility for the worship leads to higher levels of engagement with it.

There are benefits for adults too. A busy teacher will be glad of the chance to share in the worship, freed from the challenge of finding time to prepare it all. Clearly, time and support need to be invested in order to reach the point where pupils are confident enough to take ownership of the worship themselves, but it’s worth the effort!

CAFOD have created a new pupil-led collective worship pack that provides students with age appropriate guidance and tools to do just that – prepare and lead collective worship.

Planning

Preparing a space for collective worship involves an understanding of the rhythm of the Church’s year and its corresponding liturgical colours. Many children will recognise these colours from their visits to church and from the cloths on their class prayer focus table, but they may not be sure of appropriate colour for the day of their worship. CAFOD’s primary wall planner 2018-19 includes the liturgical colour for each day of ordinary time, Lent, Advent and major feast days.

• We gather

• We listen

• We respond

• Going forth

The shape and balance of liturgical structure may again be familiar to primary children who experience adult led worship on a regular basis, or to those who have the opportunity to attend mass. However, they may not be aware of the titles of each section, and the titles tell us about the nature of each part of the worship.

CAFOD’s simple, one-page guide to planning collective worship is laid out using relevant symbols that correspond to the different stages of the liturgy so that children who are less confident readers can use the symbols to support their understanding. Under each title, short bullet points lead you through the process of planning, preparing and resourcing collective worship.

Think about…

• Liturgical colours

• Prayer focus table

• Bible

• Cross

• Symbols/objects/pictures/photos

• Candle

• Music

• Sign of the cross

Using the same symbols, an editable planner is provided with suggestions to consider and a space for the children to write down what they want to do at each stage of the worship.

The Word

The Word is at the heart of collective worship; our responses, prayers, and actions are centred on and inspired by each Word of God and as such, it should be our starting point for preparing worship. The usual focus would be the readings of the day, but if necessary, CAFOD have provided some child friendly scripture suggestions related to themes that are relevant for primary age children (love, peace, the beatitudes etc.).

In responding to the word of God, there are opportunities to explore and celebrate the Gospel values at the core of each school, bringing the community together as they grow in understanding of their mission. It’s a time when creative talents can be brought to life and CAFOD’s prompt cards suggest ideas for responding to the Word of God. Will it be music? Drama? Or just simply space to be still with sacred silence. There are also discoveries to be made about the lives of global neighbours with CAFOD’s children’s stories, examples of how faith is brought to life by supporting and praying with children from all around the world.

Prompt cards and templates are also available to support children with ideas for going forth from worship and taking the message of the good news out into the community and wider world.

Accompanying the pupil led collective worship pack, CAFOD have four new collective worships available for celebrating the feasts of the Epiphany, the Annunciation, Pentecost and Corpus Christi. Presented in a similar format and using the same symbols, these celebrations can easily be led by the children themselves. It’s an ideal opportunity for a chaplaincy team or an older class to be excellent role models and offer their worship to a younger group.

Children who are entrusted with the responsibility of leading worship will learn that in marking celebrations and commemorations, collective worship can be a positive experience of belonging to a family of faith. In worship, space is created to reach out towards the divine and faith is put into action.

For resources, please go to: cafod.org.uk/primary

Subscriptions - cheques payable to: Networking (CET) Ltd., 9 Elston

Our mission is to serve as a forum where Catholic heads, teachers and other interested parties can exchange opinions, experiences, and insights about innovative teaching ideas, strategies, and tactics. We welcome— and regularly publish—articles written by members of the Catholic teaching community.

Here are answers to some basic questions about writing for Networking - Catholic Education Today.

How long should articles be?

Usually it seems to work out best if contributors simply say what they have to say and let us worry about finding a spot for it in the journal. As a rough guideline we ask for articles of 1000/2000 words and school news of about 300/400 words.

What is the submission procedure?

Please send as a Microsoft Word file attached to an e-mail. To submit articles for publication, contact John Clawson by email at editor@networkingcet.co.uk

How should manuscripts be submitted?

We prefer Microsoft Word files submitted via e-mail. Try to avoid complex formatting in the article. Charts, graphs, and photos should be submitted as separate PDFs. Electronic photos should not be embedded into a Word document as this reduces their quality.

Photographs and Illustrations should be supplied electronically as high resolution TIFF (*.TIF) or JPEG (*.JPG) files). Photographs and illustrations should be sent in colour with a resolution of 300 dpi and a minimum size of 100 mm x 100 mm when printed (approx. 1200 pixels wide on-screen). Hard-copy photographs are acceptable provided they have good contrast and intensity, and are submitted as sharp, glossy copies or as 35 mm slides or as scanned high resolution digital images (eg. a 300 dpi 1800 x 1200 pixel *.JPG).

• Computer print-outs are not acceptable.

• Screen captures are not ideal as they are usually not very high quality.

Supplied to members of:

The Catholic Association of Teachers, Schools and Colleges. The Catholic Independent Schools Conference. The Birmingham Catholic Secondary Schools Partnership. The Manchester Catholic Secondary Schools Partnership. Through the SCES to all Catholic Schools in Scotland

Editorial Team:

Editor - John Clawson

Assistant Editor - Book & Media ReviewJohn Shoreland

News Roundup - John Shoreland

Netcet Editorial Board

Bob Beardsworth, Peter Boylan, Carmel O’Malley, Kevin Quigley, Dr. Larry McHugh, Willie Slavin, Fr John Baron

Editorial Contributors:

Research: Professor Gerald Grace, CRDCE Peter Boylan

CATSC - John Nish

CISC - Raymond Friel

SCES - Barbara Coupar

CAFOD - Victoria Ahmed

Editorial Office:

Networking (CET) Ltd

9 Elston Hall, Elston, Newark, Notts NG23 5NP

Email: editor@networkingcet.co.uk

Cover: Sleepover by Students at Saint John Houghton Catholic Voluntary in Nottingham raises £300 for charity - See page 10

Designed by: 2co Limited 01925 654072 www.2-co.com

Printed by: The Magazine Printing Company Published by: Networking (CET) Ltd 9 Elston Hall, Elston, Newark, Notts NG23 5NP Tel: 01636 525503

Email: editor@networkingcet.co.uk www.networkingcet.co.uk

NETCET: A non profit making

Captions

Each photograph or illustration should have a selfexplanatory caption. If you do not supply images, you may be asked to submit suggestions and possible sources of non-copyright material.

Who owns copyright to the article?

You do but Networking - Catholic Education Today owns copyright to our editing and the laid-out pages that appear in the magazine.

What are some hints for success?

As much as possible, talk about your experience rather than pure theory (unless discussed in advance) Use specific examples to illustrate your points. Write the way you’d talk, with a minimum of jargon. Near the beginning of the article, include a paragraph that states your intentions. Don’t be subtle about it: “This article will...” is fine.

Closing Date for Copy - Volume 20 Issue 2 Spring Term 2019 edition copy required by 10th February 2019.

Making Catholic Social Teaching real in the secondary school curriculum:

A Catholic perspective on taxation:

Notes for the use of teachers and senior students

i. On 17th April a new organisation was launched at the House of Lords entitled Church Action for Tax Justice. Its mission was stated briefly as:

‘CATJ stands for a fairer and more effective tax system where democratic governments set taxes to reflect the Common Good, and individuals and corporations pay their share’.(Contact David Haslam at catj.org.uk)

ii. CATJ also argued that ‘Tax should not be seen as a burden - it is a way of showing love for our neighbour and creating the just society which we find in the teachings of Jesus’

iii. This important mission needs the support of all Catholic schools, colleges and universities in the UK and the following Notes are offered to stimulate discussion and action by teachers and students in various subject areas. Please send us details of any projects or classroom ideas related to these suggestions.

NOTES FOR CLASSROOM USE

1. How taxation and tax collectors got a bad name: historical background

a. Taxes and tax collectors have not had a very good press in history. They have frequently been portrayed as agents of oppression and extortion. In the Bible, tax collectors are the pariahs of society and their company is shunned by the righteous and respectable.

b. It must be admitted that there were good reasons for this i.e. tax collectors did not act justly and levels of taxation set by kings and emperors were often unreasonable and much was spent on warfare rather than welfare.

2. Contemporary views of taxation

a. These deep-rooted images from the past probably underpin many peoples’ views about taxes as unwarranted impositions on the hard working, enterprising and respectable citizens of our democracy. There has also been, in modern times, the influence of political and ideological ideas which have attempted to portray taxation as a form of robbery. Slogans such as ‘don’t let the tax man get your money’ can be seen in banks and corporation offices and tax avoidance schemes are common.

b. As a result of these ideas, political parties tried to make a virtue of not increasing taxes even when welfare services such as the NHS and Social Care desperately need more money. In other words, the idea of taxation as robbery has become dominant over the Christian idea of taxation as justice and love of neighbour.

3. Catholic Social Teaching and the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales

a. The Bishops have taken a very different view of taxation from that which is now dominant in the UK. In their publication, Taxation for the Common Good (2003), a development of their earlier document The Common Good (1997), the Bishops suggest that what is lacking in most discussions about taxation is the realisation that taxes have a moral and religious dimension as well as an economic and political one.

b. A progressive form of taxation can make a significant contribution to the common good of society. In his Introduction Archbishop Peter Smith makes this point ‘our willingness to pay (tax) is a sign of our solidarity with one another and of our humanity (p8)’.

by Professor Gerald Grace KSG, KHS Director: CRDCE Research and Development Editor: Networking

c. The Bishops argue that ‘taxes and our attitude to them depict, in a profound way, what kind of society we want to live in’ (p6). The Bishops accept that a progressive form of taxation must be seen to be just and fair in principle. They accept that there will be arguments about levels and incidence, but their view is that if it can be shown that a significant amount of the taxes raised are spent on common good services such as health, education, social care and housing, the moral case is made. As they argue, ‘taxation is neither a burden nor an evil, it is a positive contribution to the common good and it is a responsibility of citizenship’ (p33)

4. Responses to the Bishops’ statement on taxation

a. Some Catholic commentators believe that the Bishops had become too political and that matters of finance were beyond their competence. The Bishops’ response was to say that the Church had no Party Political allegiance but they did have the duty and the competence to speak about the morality of taxation in today’s world.

b. Other commentators have said that serious Church engagement with the morality of taxation and the Common Good is as important as the Church’s Teaching on the morality of sexual relations.

c. My own position is that it is right and just that the Catholic Bishops have spoken out on this subject in a society which appears to be increasingly self-centred and a culture in which tax avoidance is regarded as ‘smart’.

5. Guidelines for discussions in schools, colleges and universities

Drawing upon Catholic Social Teaching, the Bishops suggest a focus on these principles:

• The dignity of each person is to be respected i.e. we need a welfare state.

• The Government has an obligation to watch over the interests of the poor and most disadvantaged.

• Taxation and Government expenditure should lead to a reduction in social and economic inequality.

• Governments should encourage vigorous public discussion about what taxes should be used for, who should pay them, and how much. We, as Catholic citizens, should take the fullest possible part in such debate (p10).

Faith, Mission and Challenge in Catholic Education

The selected works of Gerald Grace

World Library of Educationalists, Routledge, Abingdon, Oxon and New York, 2016

• “This book is crucial reading. No one else could provide such a scholarly and yet accessible account of these important issues.” - Richard Pring, University of Oxford

REFERENCE: Taxation for the Common Good (April 2003), Catholic Bishops’ Conference for England and Wales, Committee for Public Life (Chair Bishop Howard Tripp)

• “We now have Professor Grace’s publications on Catholic education over a period of 20 years. During this time, his contribution to Catholic education has been singularly distinguished.” - Bernadette O’Keefe, University of Cambridge UK

• “Gerald Grace has pioneered scholarly research on Catholic education in Europe and his findings and insights have enhanced understanding throughout the world. This collection brings together the best fruits of his lifework.: - Thomas Groome, Boston College, USA

• “Faith, Mission and Challenge in Catholic education is an opportunity not only to re-read the essence of a life-long researcher’s contributions in the field of Catholic education, but an encounter with the passion of one of the founders of the field.: - Cristobal Madero, SJ, University of Californis, Berkeley, USA

This highly praised book is now available in paperback ISBN: 978-1-138-29653-4 Routledge. £34.99

First Published in Hardback in 2016

School sleepover raises £300 for charity

Students at Saint John Houghton Catholic Voluntary school in Nottingham love their school so much they decided to sleep over – all to raise money for charity.

Nineteen students and five staff took part in the novel event to support their head teacher Joan McCarthy.

Mrs McCarthy is set to spend two weeks over the summer helping to improve education for children in South Africa with the charity Mellon Educate.

A total of £300 was raised and will be donated to Mellon Educate, which aims to provide better standards of education for 100,000 children in Africa.

Eja Coe, 11 and Dylan Nzira, 12, were two of the students who slept over at the school, in Kirk Hallam.

Eja said: “The sleepover was really fun but I had to get up very early the next day to go swimming. It was great to spend time with my friends and I made some new friends too. We raised £20 each. It was great to have fun and raise money for a good cause at the same time.”

Dylan said: “Mrs McCarthy came and talked to us about the charity and it just made us think that we take too much for granted. We slept on gym mats and some children in South Africa would think that they were a luxury.”

Fish and chips for everyone were kindly provided by George’s Tradition and supermarket Morrisons donated drinks and pastries for breakfast.

Mrs McCarthy thanked all of the students and staff who took part in the sleepover.

She said: “I would like to thank the staff and students for giving up their time to do this and raise such a fantastic amount. I’m sure the children that Mellon Educate works to support in South Africa will be very grateful.”

This will be Mrs McCarthy’s second trip to South Africa with the charity and this year she is travelling with fellow teacher Fiona Molumby from Saint Benedict Catholic Voluntary Academy in Derby.

Mrs McCarthy and Mrs Molumby, who worked together for five years when Mrs McCarthy was a teacher at Saint Benedict CVA, will work in schools, supporting teachers and finding out more about the country’s education system.

Last year Mrs McCarthy spent much of her time at Siversands High School, teaching and supporting teachers. She described the trip as a ‘life-changing’ experience and was keen to return.

With support from 25,000 volunteers, Mellon Educate has built houses for 125,000 homeless people in South Africa’s poorest townships and the charity has pledged to provide better education for more than 100,000 African children.

To find out more information visit the Mellon Educate website www.melloneducate.com/

Fresh thinking about the ‘faith school’ debate

It is difficult for those of us who work in Catholic schools to avoid the ongoing faith school debate. For the best part of two decades, there have been waves of heavy criticism about all faith schools, including our inclusive, popular and successful Catholic ones. It has often felt both unrelenting as well as deeply unfair. It is a debate which refuses to be silenced, and one more importantly that we ought not just ignore. However, at last some fresh thinking is at hand to help with responding to these criticisms, in the recently published volume by Professor Richard Pring. It is a book that all readers of Networking would find fruitful in a number of ways.

Earlier in 2018 Richard Pring, emeritus professor of Philosophy of Education from Oxford University, published a new book on ‘The future of Publically Funded Faith Schools: A Critical Perspective’ (Routledge). It is well written, with a clear and accessible style that takes the reader through the complexity of the faith school debate, engaging with the central question about why all tax-payers should contribute to schools intended primarily for members of one faith group.

Pring’s book is important because it is a rare example of a distinguished Philosopher of Education who is prepared to speak up in support of publicly funded faith schools. Crucially, it critically engages with the different kinds of arguments and attacks faith schools. In sifting through the sheer range of arguments, Pring allows the reader to evaluate their relative strengths and

weaknesses. In just 160 pages, he distils the historical context and complex philosophical arguments down to many of their essential elements. He weaves a nuanced argument that goes beyond simply presenting both sides of the debate as a neutral arbiter. Rather he comes to a conclusion about how it is possible to make a coherent and persuasive argument for the public funding of faith schools. It is an answer that has many challenging aspects, distinctly different from where the CES typically stands on a number of issues. However, in speaking-up for publicly funded faith schools, Pring has performed an important service for advocates of Catholic education in the UK and beyond.

Given that Pring is a Catholic, a sympathy for faith schools might be assumed. However, in taking this stance, it makes him unusual as a British Philosopher of Education. A large proportion of his colleagues within the Philosophy of Education Society of GB share deep reservations about all faith schools. Moreover, on many occasions throughout his long career Pring has championed the primacy of the common school. In arguing for publicly funded faith schools he seeks to reconcile how they can be framed in a way which is compatible with the ideals of the common school. This is no easy reconciliation to achieve.

In twelve relatively short chapters, Pring constructs and presents a coherent argument that maintains, in the light of some significant qualifications (particularly around admission policies), how publicly funded faith schools can be justified. This argument is grounded on the four introductory chapters of Part I that set out the contemporary context. Pring starts by describing how the public funding of schools which began two hundred years ago did so with deep roots in the churches, and it was certainly never a secular enterprise. The contemporary context is marked by huge changes in society, so as such it reflects the rise of secularism. There are

also huge changes regarding the current make-up of faith schools. High levels of religious diversity within faith schools is now the normal situation. In Chapter Two, Pring narrates the historical background to the current situation facing faith schools. This chapter ought to be mandatory reading for all those who lead, or aspire to lead, Catholic schools. In Chapter Three many of those challenging facts and figures used to attack the legitimacy of faith schools are subjected to critical scrutiny. Pring performs a useful service in batting away many of the negative interpretations of the facts and figures surrounding ethnic selection, social selection and provision for SEND in faith schools. However, he argues that the key criteria for interpreting these facts and figures relates to faith schools fulfilling their key aim of serving the poor and needy.

Pring devotes the four chapters of Part II to Religious Education. He identifies this as the essential component in the curriculum for faith schools. Ultimately, Pring is proposing that how Religious Education is framed is crucial for the justification of faith schools. Pring argues that Religious Education within voluntary aided schools has emerged into a discrete tradition or broad approach that is unlike the other traditions or ways of doing Religious Education in other types of school. It is built around a distinctive narrative about what it is to be a person. In the light of this Pring argues that this puts an obligation on the state to make sure that this distinctive tradition is available to members of society, thus making it possible for parents to choose it if they so want to. For this argument to work, it is necessary to accept Pring’s conviction that education is essentially an ethical enterprise. Initiating children into various traditions is a fundamental way of engaging with this ethical enterprise. It is also part-and-parcel of how faith schools serve the common good. They are offering, as a service or gift to society, an education that is built around this religious vision of what it is to be a person.

by Dr Sean Whittle Visiting Research Fellow, St Mary’s University. Research Associate at the CRDCE with Professor Gerald Grace

It is in Part III that Pring presents the three chapters that go to the heart of his philosophical argument. He maintains that what counts as an educated person is primarily an ethical issue, because it is about becoming more human. Pring outlines four characteristics in becoming more humanmoral seriousness, personal autonomy and knowledge, relationships with others and the spiritual dimension. Some faith schools are able to educate young people to become more human in these ways. Pring argues that in a society committed to liberal values, it means allowing and respecting the telling of different stories about what it means to be human and live distinctively human lives, so long as in so doing they contribute to the common good. Faith schools which achieve this, ought to be publicly funded.

It is important to acknowledge that Pring’s argument rests on a number of key assumptions. The first is about belief and rationality, in particular the position that religion can be taken seriously as a cognitive challenge. The second is about the ability of the faith traditions which underpin faith schools to understand that their traditional narratives are open to re-appraisal. The third assumption is that whilst challenging secular tendencies in wider society, schools can serve the common good through fostering the social values of social solidarity,

possible to justify the public funding of faith schools.

In Part IV, Pring offers a conclusion to his analysis and arguments. Taking in turn each of the four key objections to faith schools, Pring argues that on the whole an adequate response can be made to each. However, he concludes by pointing out that nine lessons need to be learnt about faith schools if they are to continue benefiting from public funding. First, the plethora of competing facts and figures about faith schools needs to be sorted out, through careful and sustained analysis. It is not enough to adopt the stance of an apologist and just assert that faith schools serve the common good. Second, there needs to be a genuine respect for those who seek to resist the secularisation of education. Third, faith schools need to make providing for the poor, SEND pupils and for those who are marginalised their over-riding priority.

Fourth, Religious Education in faith schools needs to change in order to reflect the diversity of those who attend. Alternative courses in Religious Education and different non-Christian acts of worship should be part of the faith school’s life. Fifth, admission policies for faith schools need to carefully modified. In particular, when a faith school is the only local one, then it should admit all pupils irrespective of their faith or none. Pring also advocates admission policies

there needs to be strong accountability. This is to ensure that these admission policies are properly enforced. Seventh, faith schools need to be characterised by an openness to different beliefs. This may well involve being sites which foster interfaith dialogue. Eighth, non-faith schools also need to be places where different faiths are welcomed. Ninth, faith schools should be places which introduce pupils to key issues in philosophy. Through learning these nine lessons, Pring is proposing a helpful way forward for the faith school debate, moving on from the philosophical problems surrounding their very existence to more fruitful practical discussions about these schools.

Pring offers some challenging new thinking about faith schools. This important new book would provide fruitful reading for both the leadership teams and the governors of our Catholic schools.

Leadership as Right Relationship

Leadership is all about relationship and good leadership is all about being in right relationship. Care and oversight of the individuals within any institution constitute wise judgement because human beings are our most precious resource both from an economic perspective but more importantly from a moral imperative.

The Association of School and College Leaders is currently defining its mission based on leadership that is bold, community based and ethical. Martin Seligman, a key exponent of the Positive Psychology movement, argues that wellbeing is created through positive relationships which create purpose and value which in turn lead to human flourishing. All of us who work as Christians leading Christian schools can say ‘Amen’ to both these perspectives and be absolutely intentional in bringing about such flourishing.

We are servant leaders following, as best we might, our Good Shepherd. Like a shepherd we set the path, being able to scan ahead of those who follow; when our colleagues err and stray, we bring them back to the right path; when the wolves prowl, we defend our people and our institutions. As Pope Francis said, a good shepherd knows the smell of his sheep – he gets amongst them. This is vital that we really understand the smell of the institution – is there a raw smell of fear or a stale smell of loneliness and isolation? Hopefully, it will be an intriguing mix of smells reflecting the positively diverse range of staff in the school from teachers to administrators, cooks, cleaners, gardeners, maintenance teams, drivers, porters, technicians – and that doesn’t begin to describe our pupils from the infants in nursery provision to the young people about to embark on higher education, apprenticeships or paid employment.

Our communities necessarily comprise a range of personalities, ages, expectations and approaches to work. Therefore we need to strive purposefully to make a reality of the hope that we can creative inclusive and supportive communities rooted in optimism and joyful purpose, based on love and trust and compassion, where the

individuals who make up that community flourish. The Good Shepherd knows his sheep by name and knows if one is lost: we, as leaders, need to know our community by name, acknowledging strengths and idiosyncrasies and inconsistencies, and love each individual precisely because he or she – or zhe – is unique. As important is that we allow ourselves to be known, sharing our narratives and making ourselves vulnerable – a secular ‘kenosis’ if you like – by and through which each feels connected to each and each part of the community feels named, known and valued – as opposed to the barren opposite of feeling valueless, anonymous, irrelevant and ignored. It is always a question of building up and affirming even in difficult situations and conversations, acting with discernment and generosity, forgiveness and magnanimity.

If we expect our pupils to go out into the wider world, understanding their potential and garnering their best selves in order to make a difference for the greater good; then not only do we need to be modelling this ourselves, but enabling all our staff colleagues to be and do the same. Our communities are constantly evolving and the aim is to ensure that the dynamic remains rewarding and not simply an exhausting churn, and so we need to model the sorts of behaviours that we are expecting for and in our young people. If, for example, we expect skills of collaboration in our young people then we need to demonstrate emotional connection as leaders, and model that for our teams of senior leaders and middle managers as well as the classroom teacher and tutor. If we expect children to engage with the democratic process and speak out, then we need to be explicit in our assembly messages for our immediate inner circle of students and staff, as well as being intentional in what we communicate to our second circle including parents and alumni. We also need to be the still small voice and the time taken to present a quiet compliment given face to face or the handwritten card of acknowledgement and gratitude which goes such a long way to allow both staff and students to know that their good, hard work and contribution are valued and matter. We need to be intentional in our praise, carefully ensuring that we acknowledge a range of skills, characteristics and experience, not simply upholding those in our own image or with our own interests. In turn, we also need to be accessible and vulnerable so that

others in the community can indeed speak truth to power, and mechanisms such as whistle blowing policies need to be clearly in place and readily accessible.

Communities have to be built on trust and leaders need to work hard to develop cultures of trust within their schools. Creating a culture of trust takes time and it is my contention that leaders need to abide in their communities, walking in loving accompaniment to use the Emmaus metaphor, which is so much more wholesome than the mechanistic metaphor of ‘working with’ people – after all we are not widgets on a factory conveyor belt! Trust is integral, relational and reciprocal: it starts from the basis of personal regard and moves to commitment through respectful dialogue, constructive open listening, appreciation of each other’s views and honest, careful feedback, offered always from and in love. I return to the notion of vulnerability; it is so powerful to be able to admit when mistakes have been made and to ask for forgiveness –which is particularly powerful when coupled with the affirmation of and care for others. Trust can be demonstrated by leaders when responsibilities are mindfully delegated and micromanagement is avoided whilst being visibly present around the school, listening to and speaking with the community.

Finally, in the busyness of doing we always need to recall our being. Communities need time to pause and reflect – we need to be able to model calm and discernment, allowing space each day for prayer and reflection. We need to encourage an openness to spirituality in all the children in our care who may not necessarily come from Catholic or indeed Christian or other religious backgrounds. Every child has a soul and a spiritual dimension as does every staff member, and it is our duty and our joy to look at a variety of methods by which spirituality, faith and prayer life can be cultivated in a society which is increasingly based on secular or material values. Some might wrap this up as mindfulness which is, in essence, secular prayer. As Christian leaders we need to be forthright evangelists, as discerned by St Paul in his letters to the Philippians and the Romans, of a radical message of Good News for community living writ large, in bold vocabulary and radical language not often heard in schools: that of love and joy.

by Charlotte Avery, Headmistress, St. Mary’s School, Cambridge

The National School of Formation – two years on

Formation for Transformation in Catholic Leaders

The challenges and opportunities associated with leadership in Catholic schools and colleges is well documented, and occupies the minds of educators, school governors, diocesan authorities and other members of the church, as well as politicians at national and local level. For many colleagues at ‘the chalk face’ who are charged to make sense of the swirling demands of modern school leadership, there is a yearning for a vision and sense of mission that will prove durable, authentic and faithful to what they truly believe. They seek a way forward that will not only sustain but inspire and motivate them in their leadership.

The inception of the National School of Formation in 2016 was a unique response to work ‘with our head teachers and governors’ to review the overall purposes of Catholic education, discover a renewed vision for Catholic leaders and ‘kindle the fire’ that would promote a new confidence and renewed sense of mission. The reality was that many practitioners would willingly declare they were running low on what Gerald Grace has termed, ‘spiritual capital’; which is ‘that empowerment when heads and governors do not act simply as professionals but as professionals and witnesses’. Leaders were seeking the ways and means to deepen their sense of vocational commitment, drawing on a spiritual and religious resource which would revive their sense of mission, purpose and hope.

In essence, at EducareM we recognised the overwhelming and continuing need was for the formation of our school leaders. There is of course some evidence that The Congregation for Catholic Education has intermittently endorsed the formation of

lay leaders but this was not consistently developed or promoted. In response to the call for formation, we believed that the first priority for head teachers and governors was the provision of a unique programme with a varied pedagogy that would enable contemporary head teachers and governors to rediscover and then develop their sense of mission. So often, that greater sense of purpose was dampened by the myriad of shifting curriculum demands and educational regulation.

It was therefore heartening, when in 2017 the Bishops of England and Wales announced that the formation of Catholic head teachers was to be a major priority. They commented, ‘As both society and the education landscape undergo significant changes, the roles of Catholic school leaders…have never been more critical’, they recognised the critical role of formation to ensure that Catholic education ‘is fit for the mission of the Church’.

Furthermore, the Bishops clearly stated that ‘Catholic school leaders and governors play a central role in the spiritual and academic life of their schools. The formation of Catholic school leaders and the exercise of good governance are strategic priorities for Catholic education’. They designated the Catholic Education Service to develop strategies for leadership and governance to further this challenge. This process has already begun, encompassing various projects involving governance, regional hubs and executive leadership, to which EducareM and NSF colleagues have been invited to be partners.

In October 2018, the third cohort of forty five colleagues from fourteen different dioceses will embark on the NSF programme for the coming school year. The first two programmes have been overwhelmingly successful in terms of the positive responses from participants, the impact it has brought to their schools and local school groups, as well as their continued developments in supporting other colleagues and creating new initiatives. These are all outcomes from inspired, optimistic and ‘faith driven’ colleagues.

by Brendan Duffy

The NSF programme has a unique taught element which powerfully engages delegates with scripture based study days. Not only deepening their understanding, but also relating it to contemporary leadership experience. Also, delegates are encouraged to make several UK study visits to locations where the church and other related organisations are transforming the lives of others. There are direct parallels to be drawn between these experiential opportunities and the optimism for change in our school communities. Indeed, many head teachers and governors realise how they can be the catalyst for real change in their schools, promoting a ‘Christ like’ message of joy and hope.

For many NSF colleagues, the re-visioning of their role in school is preceded by and developed through a personal encounter with Christ, which is brought about in so many ways. The National Retreat provides space for thought, reflection and prayer; the taught element of the NSF provides presentations from prominent speakers who inform, challenge, inspire and draw out; the outings to the centres for study visits enthuse, invigorate and overwhelm delegates when they experience the witness of truly amazing people who transform the lives of others. The joy of the gospel message is alive in all these encounters and the type of formation we require of our leaders emerges.

The NSF grew out of the desire of Catholic educators to deepen their spiritual development and formation and promote the Church’s transformational mission in society. In turn they hoped to rebalance the pressures on Catholic leaders and provide a renewed sense of purpose and confidence. What began with a group of Catholic leaders discussing a way forward has resulted in the National Retreat from 2012 and the development of Spiritual Guides from 2013, to the NSF in 2016 and now the creation of the National Network of heads and governors.

Director of the National School of Formation, Former Deputy Director, Diocese of Salford Former Head Teacher

There are now well over one hundred NSF colleagues who are determined that what began with the NSF programme must inevitably go forward into a permanent and sustainable umbrella of support. This new NSF National Network is open to all leaders in Catholic education. It exists to provide those transformational experiences, so richly coveted by all its members and offer ongoing formational support in a spirit of generosity.

The formation of our school leaders is critical to the mission of Catholic education and the transformation of our society. We have to restate the

prophetic purpose of education in our schools, which is broader and deeper than the prevalent short term thinking and economic narrative that dominates the landscape. Our schools require a visionary and dynamic leadership model with a coherent rationale focused on the transformation of the human person and the transformation of society. It is incumbent on all Catholics educators to recognise that they are part of this endeavour and to work tirelessly to support each other.

Further information about the current NSF programme is available on the EducareM website at www.educarem.org.uk

National Retreat

NSF Parliamentary meeting with MPs

NSF Head Presenting

Magical Day for Roisin receiving her MBE

Former Stoke Headteacher Roisin Maguire described her day at the Palace as magical when she received her MBE from Prince Charles.

“It was the most wonderful day, simply magical. Prince Charles was very well informed and said to me, ‘it’s so good to see how education is improving in Stoke’. He knows the city well and is closely involved with promoting the pottery industry and knew in detail about all our efforts to improve education.”

Roisin, who is married to Chris with one adult daughter and lives in Nantwich, was for 13 years the ground breaking headteacher at St. Joseph’s College, pioneering a return to traditional values allied to the deployment of the latest classroom technology and methods to transform the Catholic college into city’s first OFSTED rated ‘Outstanding’ secondary school.

As an Executive Head she then helped both Thistley Hough and Birches Head Academies to come out of special measures and transform their approach and results. She added: “I felt privileged to stand in front of Prince Charles, talk to him at length about the city and receive the award on behalf of all the people who have put so much effort into improving education in Stoke. It was one of the most special days of my life.”

Roisin has also been instrumental in raising many millions to help children in war torn and disease stricken Sierra Leone and was a key member of the team who established Stoke’s maths excellence partnership working with Keele and all the secondary schools in Stoke with funding from city council and The Denise Coates foundation..

Now working with the Christian Brothers as the Director of Education across all their UK schools, she has a renewed zeal for the challenges ahead “At the heart of the Edmund Rice mission is a desire to reach out to the marginalised, to promote social awareness in our young people so they can have the authority and confidence to make the necessary changes in the world.”

For the big day, Roisin wore an olive green mid length dress choosing the colour “to recognise her Irish roots”.

She finished by saying: “The only regret was how sad I was not to be able to share this with my mum who died last year and who was the person who encouraged me to be passionate about education and to help young people achieve their dreams.”

What RE could look like in five years’ time

By Philip Robinson, Religious Education Adviser to the Catholic Education Service

In five years’ time, I would like to see Theology retaining its central position as the core discipline of good quality Religious Education. It surprises me that this is a controversial claim, given that at the Higher Education level, the subject is called Theology and Religious Studies by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA). However, for some within the RE community, Theology has come to stand for everything they think is wrong with Religious Education in schools: they believe it is a proxy for confessional, partial and uncritical classroom practice. Such a caricature is one I would reject and want to begin by focusing on a very simple question: what do we hope students of Religious Education will become?

If a History teacher is ensuring that her students are becoming good historians, what should I, as a teacher of Religious Education, be seeking to ensure my students are becoming? Students who excel in History are becoming good historians; students who excel in Religious Education are becoming good what? Without a good answer to that question, it will be difficult for Religious Education to present itself as a serious academic subject on the school curriculum. Yet, making precisely this defence of our subject as a legitimate area for academic study appears to me to be one of the few things that genuinely unites the competing voices in the debates surrounding the future of Religious Education.

Another way to ask this question is to think about which of the university disciplines the teacher of Religious Education imagines he is preparing his students for. There are a number of valid candidates here. Theology, Sociology, Philosophy or Religious Studies,

to name some of the most prominent candidates, would all be legitimate places to which a student can progress from success in the Religious Education classroom. This immediately shows us one of the ways in which Religious Education is a more complex curriculum subject than something like History.

Having said that, this complexity is probably not unique to Religious Education. A student who excels in English at school, might equally progress to Philology or English Literature. It should not be unduly concerning therefore that Religious Education has this disciplinary plurality. In fact, as long as a professional is able to identify the ways in which Religious Education is preparing students to become either a good Theologian or a good Sociologist of Religion, which they choose is not as important as the fact that they choose. As long as classroom Religious Education is an initiation into one of the academic disciplinary conversations, it does not matter much which discipline that is.

I hope that in five years’ time, Religious Education will continue to be a serious academic subject on the school curriculum that is preparing students for disciplinary engagement with study at a higher level. I also hope that Theology will continue to be recognised as one of these legitimate disciplines. Against some of the sceptics, I would argue that without Theology, Religious Education lacks an essential perspective on the meaning of religion and belief. There are those who would argue that because the study of religion and belief in all schools must be objective, critical and pluralistic, the appropriate method of study is the one that brackets out individual belief and studies religions as purely human phenomena.

While not wanting to deny the importance of understanding religions and belief through the lens of the social sciences, eliding the theological view is to occlude in advance the religious believer’s own self-understanding and to fail to recognise the impossibility of a genuinely neutral standpoint from which to view religion.

There is a helpful distinction employed by C.S.Lewis in his essay “Meditations in a Toolshed” where he draws on the metaphor of a beam of light breaking into a toolshed over the top of an imperfectly fitting door. He points out that we can look at the beam of light from the side or we can look along the beam of light to the world outside that it illuminates. These are two discrete perceptual experiences, and both are genuine experiences of the beam of light. However, and importantly, neither is more veridical. Neither can be said to be objective, since in both cases the observer is standing somewhere and where they stand determines what they are able to see. In the same way, “looking at” religion, from the side as it were, is a different perceptual experience from standing inside it, “looking along it” at the way it illuminates the world.

Again, importantly, both views are perspectives and it is simply arbitrary to claim that one of them is the objective and true way of viewing the significance of religion and the other is not. The only truthful claim is to recognise the ways in which both are legitimate perspectives, but neither is superior. It is also important to recognise the ways in which Theology brings important insights to the study of religion that would otherwise be lacking: Theology treats religion not as another human item in the world but as a different way of seeing the world itself; in Theology, religion becomes not the thing looked at, but the means by which the student looks at things.

Good Religious Education should help students to experience religious belief in both of these senses of “looking at” and “looking along” religion since education is about opening the minds of students to worlds they otherwise could not imagine. Theology and Sociology are both legitimate ways of reading religion, but each presents a conceptually discrete world of understanding the way in which religions have meaning. Both are important. I hope for a future for Religious Education that is not apologetic about asserting that one of the things a good student of Religious Education might become is a first-rate theologian.

SVP Young Vincentian Programmes

St Vincent de Paul Society

A practical faith development programme for young people aged 7 – 21 years is being run by Catholic charity the St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP) in schools and colleges across England and Wales. The ‘Young Vincentians’ are made up of four apostolates for different age ranges aimed at helping children in their vocational journey of service. There are currently 650 groups in existence and the apostolates are growing all the time.

The programmes, Mini Vinnies (ages 7-11), Youth SVP (11-14), B-Attitude (14-18) and SVP1833 (students aged over 18), help young people to know and love Christ, serving Him through practical and faithbased community work. This starts at home and in the classroom and develops outwards into the wider community as the young person grows and matures.

Young people in each apostolate run meetings during lunch time, breaks or after school. The children themselves read out the prayers and take on roles of President, Treasurer and Secretary. They think of ways that they can turn their love of Christ and prayer life into service to the needs of others, be it their teacher, family, school community or as they get older – a residential home or a parish tea party for older people for example. The students are guided by a DBS checked adult – a teacher, teaching assistant, or parent, but it is the young people themselves who lead the meetings and activities.

Claz Gomez, the SVP’s Young Vincentians Coordinator describes how the programmes are set up with school staff by a network of Young Vincentians Development Officers (YVDOs) who work together with teachers, parents and teaching assistants to implement the apostolates in the classroom.

Each apostolate comes with its own resources – comprehensive material consisting of scriptural passages, quotes and inspiration from Vincentian Saints,

prayers, and a range of fun and relevant activities for children to do during their meetings.

The programmes have been developed with the school curriculum in mind so that activities can fit with RE and PSHE lessons and teaching.

Speaking about the Mini Vinnies apostolate, Claz explains that young children are taught the Vincentian maxim “see, think, do”. “They are encouraged to take a look around them, identify a need, think about what they can do to help, and then take action to tackle the need they have noticed. So for example, if a child sees their teacher struggling to carry books, they can hold a door open for their teacher to help them. It raises their awareness of little things they can be doing to help someone else”, says Claz. “It means the children are ‘tuning in’ to their environment – helping their teacher tidy the classroom, or doing the dishes at home. Small ways of training their attention to focus on others around them, and doing acts of service.”

With Youth SVP the idea progresses. “At this stage of development, the desire to serve comes a bit more naturally,” says Claz. “The young person’s sense of charity is opening and developing.” The Youth SVP programme is about encouraging young people to go out and seek ways to help people in need in their wider environment. This may be visiting older people in a residential home, or helping befriend a new pupil in the Common room at school.

In B-Attitude, the idea is to “refine and hone the gits and skills that a young person has and apply their skills to their wider environment in practical ways. This could be

through volunteering at school, home, in the community or at a work experience placement.” Claz says that there are three strands to the B-Attitude programme. “First is forming the teenager’s character based on their faith and Catholic Social Teaching. It then hones their life skills such as leadership, listening, accountability and responsibility. And finally it is about practising these skills and bringing their character and values to stand firm in their daily life.”

SVP1833 is the final apostolate and is aimed at young people usually at college or university. The programme is being developed at present.

There are many advantages to both teachers and pupils in schools where a Young Vincentian group is present. Claz reports that teachers praise the programmes because pupils learn generosity and patience through the group work that they do. From listening to one another during their meetings, they tend to listen more patiently in the classroom and grow in maturity. Claz says: “It is also about setting an example for the other students in school. The Young Vincentians are like ambassadors of good and thoughtful behaviour throughout the school and this quality is cherished by teachers.”

Claz is keen to point out the benefits to child development that the Young Vincentian programmes encourage. “One of the most beautiful ways a child develops,” Claz says, “is in the sense of placing their own dignity on something other than academic ability. Not all children are academically inclined. Some of them have amazing gifts in art and music or learn in a way that is different to how the school usually delivers its education. One of the ideas of the Young Vincentians is that when children have their meetings together or do the voluntary work, they may shine as a gifted President or Secretary or Treasurer. They may show great leadership skills that would otherwise have gone unnoticed.”

Joanna Waller is a Young Vincentian Development Officer in Whitstable. Joanna explains the ‘see, think, do’ maxim of the

Claz Gomez at the launch of B-Attitude Life WebApp

By Anita Boniface Senior Media and Communications Officer at The St Vincent de Paul Society

Mini Vinnies encourages children to join in and participate. “We have a little girl in our group who has a disability that affects her joints. Through the Mini Vinnies she has discovered that she has a gift for making fantastic cakes so she bakes for old people’s tea parties. In this way her disability has not held her back and she is encouraged to contribute fully to helping other people through her own unique gifts.”

Joanna also says: “With some of the boys you can’t pin them down to pray, but they are really good at the practical side – food banks and helping with shopping trips. The fact that we give young people responsibilities and expect them to be reliable and be on time encourages children’s personal development. It doesn’t matter so much how you are academically, but turning up having a smile on your face is what matters.”

The older apostolates teach children that their value comes from ‘being’ rather than simply ‘doing’. “If you are missing a limb you are still able to love as much, or more than someone who is healthy and has all their limbs. In this way the pupils learn they have intrinsic value,” says Claz.

The apostolates also help young people develop a sense of self-acceptance –“learning that what you are worth is not

based on what you can do. Somebody may not be able to do very much but the Vincentian charism is based on an acceptance that we are loved unconditionally. What we do in fact comes from being gracious. If we are being patient and kind, then everything we do will be filled with patience and kindness. This is what the apostolates teach students to recognise and practise, in themselves and in others,” Claz explains.

All the resources which have been designed to accompany the apostolates draw on this point. In the free webApp called B-Attitude Life that Claz has developed for teenagers, practical life skills such as leadership, customer services, book keeping, and accuracy are based on gifts of the Holy Spirit such as kindness and patience and self-control. The Youth SVP and B-Attitude apostolates which are for secondary school pupils therefore help children seeking to establish their identity in Christ. It orientates them when they come into a brand new environment, and helps them cope with the pressures of GCSEs and A’Levels by giving them a wider and more essential and vital perspective on their own self-worth.

Michael Willcock, Chair of the Young Vincentians’ Committee at the SVP concludes: “The Young Vincentian programme is perfect for teachers wanting

to develop their pupils’ spirituality, practical skills and vocational life. By setting up a Mini Vinnies, Youth SVP, B-Attitude or SVP1833 group in your school or college, you enable students to discover their own strengths and gifts, in the context of faith and service. The programme turns young people’s focus outward, encouraging them through the resources and meetings, to think of ways that they can serve their neighbour with love.”

If you would like to set up a Young Vincentian’s programme in your primary or secondary school or college or would like further information, please contact Sara Sakispour by emailing SaraS@svp. org.uk, or telephoning Sara on 020 7703 3030. You can learn more about the SVP at www.svp.org.uk.

News from CATSC

CATSC Treasurer presents at Vatican Conference Global Catholic Education - Setting a Research Agenda

Dr John Lydon, Programme Director of the MA in Catholic School Leadership at St Mary’s University, Twickenham and Associate Professor, University of Notre Dame, recently presented at an international conference held in Via Ostilia, Rome, hosted by the American University of Notre Dame ‘s Institute for Educational Initiatives and the Helen Kellogg Institute for International Studies with the support of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences and the Vatican’s Congregation for Catholic Education. The conference took place between 25th -27th April 2018 and the theme was Global Catholic Education and Integral Human Development: Setting a Social Science Research Agenda. The objective of the conference was to address the growing need and interest for research in the under-explored field of international Catholic education and integral human development. Such an undertaking to develop scholarship in this area is essential given the number of Catholic schools globally. John was one of only 35 academics globally invited to present at this prestigious conference.

According to the Centre for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), the Catholic Church is the world’s largest non-governmental provider of education with 215,000 schools and near 60 million children receiving a Catholic education in 2017. Admissions to Catholic schools continue to rise, especially in the past three decades, and the numbers of students have almost doubled. In statistics collected and analysed in 2017 by the Central Office of Church Statistics, recent trends indicate that the most accelerated growth of the Catholic population is occurring in the Global South: Africa, Asia and Latin America.

The conference therefore involved a leading international group of invited interdisciplinary academics and practitioners from Europe, North America, Southeast Asia and Latin America; each with their own areas of expertise and contexts in which they serve Catholic education, convened at the conference to map out the contemporary landscape of Catholic primary and secondary education across

the globe at present. This included focus on key actors, scale, scope, demographics, trends and funding, to identify gaps and areas of opportunity within existing research with the immediate aim of building a common research agenda by engaging key international scholars. The ultimate objective is to foster the development of the discipline of international Catholic education by systematically investigating its global contexts and transformative impacts.

The Conference was opened by a celebration of the Eucharist by Rev. Louis DelFra, CSC, at the Basilica of St Apollinare, Pontificia Università della Santa Croce and words of welcome from His Eminence Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi, Prefect of the Congregation of Catholic Education & Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical Gregorian University; and a Keynote Address delivered by Archbishop Angelo Vincenzo Zani, Secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education. They both spoke of the challenges to Catholic education including the breaking of the traditional education pact due to a crisis in intergenerational relations but also social fragmentation and the primacy of indifference. They also spoke of the challenges of a plurality of ethical visions and orientation that engage us in the need for dialogue and the digital development rooted in the new social media networks. They called for the conditions to create ‘a paradigm shift’ so that Catholic education, through a creative and inclusive path and a framework of commitment and

responsibility is aimed at creating an authentic community rooted in truth, which will pave the way for a new humanism focused on service to the common good. The Cardinal concluded by quoting from Pope Francis’ recent Encyclical Letter, Laudato Si’ that ‘our efforts at education will be inadequate and ineffectual, unless we strive to promote a new way of thinking about human beings, life, society and our relationship with nature’ (n. 215).

Dr John Lydon moderated the panel entitled ‘The State of Research on Catholic Education’. This panel examined critically the research conducted on Catholic education and how it might be advanced going forward. Other members of the panel included Professor Gerald Grace, Centre for Research and Development in Catholic Education, also from St Mary’s University, Twickenham; Professor Clark Gibson, Professor of Political Science at the University of California, San Diego and Quentin Wodon, Lead Economist in Education and Global Practice with the World Bank. Themes discussed included Grace’s ‘spiritual capital’ and how the International Journal in Catholic Education he created in 2009 with 150 articles published to-date, has contributed to a research agenda in Catholic education, Gibson’s study on learning outcomes in Tanzania and Wodon’s human capital and learning objectives especially for young women in education. Some interesting questions emerged from the panel which will be explored in future research including:

Mr Paul Barber Director of the Catholic Education Service of England & Wales

Rev. Anthony Casamento, CSMA, Vice-President and Director of Identity and Mission, Australian Catholic University

Professor John Lydon, St Mary’s University London & University of Notre Dame Professor Gerald Grace, Director of the Centre for Research & Development St Mary’s University London

• How do we renew and expand the resources of spiritual capital within teachers and leaders of the Church?

• How can the Catholic Church continue to expand access to quality educational services for the poor in an increasingly expensive educational landscape?

• What are the non-academic effects of Catholic schools i.e. are children educated in Catholic schools more likely to vote or break from traditions of ethnic voting?

Another second panel theme of the conference was entitled ‘The Global Landscape of Catholic Education’ which sought to present a broad global survey of Catholic education. The Rev. Timothy Scully, CSC, Hackett Family Director, Institute for Educational Initiatives and Professor of Political Science, University of Notre Dame moderated the panel which included Rev. Friedrich Bechina, FSO, Undersecretary for the Congregation for Catholic Education, Professor Lieven Boeve, Director General of Catholic Education in Flanders and Professor of Systematic Theology at Katholeike Universiteit Leven; Thomas Burnford, the President of the National Catholic Education Association of America and Sr Patricia Murray, IBVM, Executive Secretary, the International Union of Superiors General. The main themes discussed in this session included the informalisation and diversification in the delivery of Catholic education around the world, the impacts of secularisation, growing pluralism and the Catholic schools’ partnership with the state.

The ‘Structural and Regulatory Contexts of

Catholic Schooling’ Panel was moderated by Professor Nicole Stelle Garnett, John P. Murphy Foundation Professor of Law, University of Notre Dame and included panelists Professor James Tooley, Professor of Education Policy at Newcastle University and Professor Jan de Groof, Professor and UNESCO Chair for the Right to Education and Consultor of the Vatican Congregation to Education. Tooley and De Groof focused on non-governmental actors who are improving education among the most marginalized, examples of good and detrimental governmental actions, the responsibility for educating the child, growing secularisation in government policy and the nature of governmental freedom. An additional panel moderated by Professor Paolo Carozza, Director of the Kellogg Institute for International Studies and Professor of Law, examined Catholic schooling contexts in Chile (Jose Pablo Arellano, Former Minister for Education in Chile and Research Scholar, the Center for Economic Research in Latin America and the Caribbean); India (Rev. Joseph Manippadeth, SDB, National Secretary, Office for Education and Culture for the Catholic Conference of Bishops in India) and Uganda (Rev. Ronald Okello, National Executive Secretary for Education in the Uganda Catholic Secretariat). These each shared the different regulatory frameworks in their own countries and discussed the balance between operational freedom and government restraints, challenges facing countries with rapidly expanding populations, difficulties surrounding governmental policies in countries with a minority Catholic population and governmentally-enforced curricula.

The final session of the conference focused on actual praxis happening within Catholic

schools and was divided in the regions of the Americas, East Africa and South Asia. Ernest Morrell, Coyle Professor in Literacy Education and Director of the Center for Literacy Education, University of Notre Dame, acted as moderator for the panel on the Americas which constituted T.J. D’Agostino, Associate Director for the Alliance of Catholic Education in Haiti, University of Notre Dame; Rev. Carlos Fritzan, SJ, General Coordinator of the International Federation of Fe y Alegría; Concepción Neval, Dean of the School of Education and Psychology and Professor of Education at the University of Navarra and Christian Dallavis, Senior Director of Leadership Programs at the Alliance of Catholic Education, University of Notre Dame. Key themes discussed were the challenges of education in traditionally poverty stricken environments, integration into, accessibility and quality of Catholic education in contexts of exclusion and how to support teachers and leaders in difficult educational circumstances. The second panel, centered on East Africa, was led by Rev. Robert Dowd, CSC, Founding Director, Ford Program in Human Development Studies and Solidarity and Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame with panelist Sr Jacinta Adhiambo, Dean of the Faculty of Education at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa, Nairobi, Kenya, John Vianney Mitana, Principal of the Luigi Giussani Institute for Higher Education, Kampala, Uganda and Sara Ruto, Managing Director of the Zizi Afrique Foundation. These academics discussed Catholics schools in East Africa and the different freedoms each has; the ‘ethos’ that Catholic schools used to have when ordained religious led schools, the access gap between highquality Catholic schools and the poor; and

Professor Gerald Grace, Director of the Centre for Research & Development St Mary’s University London

His Eminence Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi, Prefect of the Congregation of Catholic Education & Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical Gregorian University

Professor John Lydon, St Mary’s University London & University of Notre Dame

the educational responsibility of Catholic schools to educate all children.

The panel focused on South Asia was led by Rev. Anthony Casamento, CSMA, Vice-President and Director of Identity and Mission, Australian Catholic University, Br Harold Bijoy Rodrigues, CSC. Provincial of the Brothers of the Holy Cross in Bangladesh; Rev. Joe Paul, CSC, Secretary of the Holy Cross Educational Foundation of India, were the guests on this panel which discussed the realities of Catholic education in South Asia. In both India and Bangladesh, the Catholic Church is a minority provider of education. They also shared how their respective governments inhibit the growth of Catholic schools.

Other themes discussed deterioration of moral standards in Catholic schools, corruption in schools and in their governing

The NCEA Convention took place at the National Catholic Education Convention & Expo 3rd – 5th April 2018 in the Duke Energy Convention Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. The NCEA were honoured to have His Eminence Cardinal Guiseppe Versaldi, Prefect of the Congregation of Catholic Education, The Vatican, present and to celebrate Mass. During the opening session, he conveyed greetings from Pope Francis and shared his own reflections on world-wide Catholic education. Also present was the Most Reverend Dennis M. Shurr, Archbishop of Cincinnati, The Most Reverend Gerald F. Kicanas, Bishop Emeritus, Diocese of Tucson and The Most Reverend Joseph Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop of Cincinnati. The keynote speaker for the convention was the Most Reverand Frank J. Caggiano, Bishop of Bridgeport, who spoke on the theme of Catholic Schools and the Joy of the Gospel. He has invited to serve

bodies and teacher retention and salaries.

The conference closed with a plenary session led by Scully and Cardozza of the University of Notre Dame. Some of the themes that prominently emerged from the conference included:

• Finding ways to streamline teacher and leader formation

• The necessity of sharing resources and how Catholic universities could facilitate this work

• How can Catholic schools remain focused on their Catholic mission while also being radically hospitable to non-Catholics

• How can the effects, both academic and other, be studied, of attending a Catholic school

• The importance of conducting particular international comparative analyses that would be useful for a wider audience.

as a catechist at World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro in 2013 and was Episcopal Advisor of the National Federation of Youth Ministry (2013-2016).

Dr John Lydon, CATSC Treasurer presented on the UK perspective on Catholic Education as part of an International Symposium. Other international symposium panel members drawn from the United States, Canada and Australia included Rev. Professor Ronald Nuzzi (University of Notre Dame, Indiana); Professor Merylann Mimi Shuttloffel, (Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.,); Professor Richard Rymarz (The Broken Bay Institute, Australia), and Professor Matt Hoven (University of Alberta, Canada).

Catholic educators around the world are known to be diligent workers, busy about

Dr Lydon remarked on the outcome of the conference ‘it was an honour to be invited to this prestigious conference and it is hoped that this conference will form part of a larger research initiative to drive the research agenda for the future forward. This will be achieved by systematic and interdisciplinary research into the global trends and impacts of Catholic education. It is also intended to further forge a sustainable network of Catholic education researchers and practitioners who will comparatively analyse the role of Catholic education in country-specific contexts, focusing on the transformative impacts on the developing world and poor communities in the developed world. This conference has reinforced the mission of Catholic education to serve the poor and that all children have a right to a Catholic education’.

so many tasks, and fully immersed in their schools and classrooms. Visiting another school nearby is often a challenge, and few have opportunities to travel abroad professionally. This symposium therefore spoke to the need of educators to learn from colleagues internationally, highlighted the universality of the Catholic faith, and featured comparisons and contrasts of the school system in the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom.

National Catholic Education Conference of America,

Cincinnati, 2018

The Q & A session afterwards allowed for the common challenges in Catholic schools to be identified across systems and proposed strategies for common solutions to be put forward. Finally, it allowed for the universal dynamics of the Catholic faith to be appreciated and provided inspiration of the shared Catholic education values globally.

CATSC attends ACCE’s Silver Jubilee Conference 2018

Members of the CATSC Executive Conference attended the Association of Catholic Chaplains in Education (ACCE) Conference which marked its wonderful Silver Jubilee at Hinsley Hall in the Diocesan Centre for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Leeds, 11 – 13th June. The theme was ‘Blessed are you . . .’ and the beatitudes provided much food for thought as delegates explored them in prayer, worship, art, music and theology. Speakers included Bishop David McGough, ACCE’s link bishop with Bishops’ Conference, Dr David O’Malley, SDB, Sr Margaret Atkins

OSA. Archbishop Malcolm McMahon came to preside at our Conference Mass. Ged Flynn, CEO of Papyrus , the charity for Prevention of Young Suicide provided some excellent practical advice. There were also workshops for dealing with stress in the workplace and using the World Cup as a link between young people and faith. Representatives from CAFOD and Missio attended and shared resources and Dr Mary Mihovilovic attended on behalf of CATSC‘s Executive Council. ACCE marked its Jubilee by setting up a Bursary Fund to support funding for any school wishing to send their

The CATSC Annual Conference 2018 took place in Chester during the weekend of 2nd – 3rd March. The theme of the conference this year was ‘Cast Out Into the Deep’, as the keynote speaker, Jonathan Doyle, came from Australia to talk to Catholic educators about his ‘Going Deeper’ Programme and Tools and Fuels book. He provided some inspirational sessions and signed his latest book for conference delegates entitled Tools and Fuels: How Catholic teachers can become Saints. Beat Burnout and Save the World (2017, Choicez Media, Australia).

Our warmest congratulations to Sheila Isaac who graduated on 2nd March with her MA degree in Theology at St Mary’s University, Twickenham, London. Sheila is the Education Coordinator for Children and Young People for the Missio Charity and sits on the CATSC Executive Council. It was snowing heavily in London that day, but a lovely time of celebration was had by all. Congratulations from all at CATSC Sheila!

chaplains to Conference. Many dioceses have already made contributions.

Next Conference of the World Union of Catholic Teachers (WUCT) in Rome November 2018

The next annual conference of the World Union of Catholic Teachers will take place in Rome 9 – 11 November 2018 on the theme of: Education in the Peripheries: Challenges and Good Practices. Speakers will be drawn from Italy, Scotland, Romania and Congo: Prof. Mario Oscar LLANOS, Pontifical Salesian University, Rev. Dr Adrian Pador, Romania, Dr Mary Lappin, University of Glasgow, Scotland and Prof. Jean Claude Ngoy, University of Lubumbashi, Congo. The three members of the WUCT Executive, Guy Bourdeaud’hui (President), Giovanni Perrone (Secretary) and Dr John Lydon (Treasurer) will report on WUCT projects.

Last November, the annual meeting of the World Union of Catholic Teachers (WUCT) took place in Oradea, Romania, 10th - 12th November 2017 following an invitation from Rev. Adrian Pador at the London Conference in 2016. The theme of the conference was The Teacher and the Challenges of the World of Today. A number of members of the CATSC Executive Council were present to support this pioneering project with the Greco-Catholic Church including President John Nish, Immediate Past President Maria Rimmer and Treasurer John Lydon. The conference was opened by WUCT’s Ecclesial Assistant, Bishop Vincent Dollmann followed by a visit to a Greek-Catholic High School. John Lydon gave two lectures - the first on WUCT’s current projects and a keynote address to 200+ Romanian Catholic teachers and leaders on ‘The Identity and Role of the Catholic Teacher in the Face of 21st Century Opportunities and Challenges’.

L to R: Dr Mary Mary Mihovilovic, CATSC Executive Council & St Mary’s University, Twickenham with Susan Kambalu, CAFOD and Diana Polisano, Association of Catholic Chaplains in Education (ACCE).

Current CATSC President, John Nish with CATSC Conference keynote speaker Jonathan Doyle.

Left to Right: Dr Caroline Healy (CATSC Executive and Senior Lecturer, St Mary’s University Academic), Dr John Lydon (CATSC Executive and Principal Lecturer/Programme Director MA Catholic School Leadership, St Mary’s University), Sheila Isaac (CATSC Executive and Education Coordinator Missio) and Right Reverend Bishop Richard Moth (Bishop of the Diocese of Arundel & Brighton and Chair of Board of Governors, St Mary’s University).

Ecclesial Assistant, Bishop Vincent Dollmann (centre), World Union of Catholic Teachers (WUCT), with members of the Greco-Catholic Church in Romania and members of the WUCT Executive in Oradea, Romania

SCES News

News from the Scottish Catholic Education Service

supporting and promoting Catholic Education in Scotland

SCES has been working on behalf of the Bishops’ Conference, in collaboration with CHAS, CHAPS, Diocesan Advisers, the University of Glasgow and other key partners to ensure that all schools, parishes, families and dioceses were able to mark the centenary of the 1918 Education (Scotland) Act in a way that best suits their context.

The working group, established in October 2016, developed ideas, suggestions and resources for ways to link classroom, department and whole school learning and teaching with the centenary anniversary.

We know that at Diocesan Head Teacher meetings, Adviser meetings and in local clusters, teachers, pupils and the wider Catholic community have made creative and exciting plans.

St Dominic’s Primary School, Crieff

by Barbara Coupar Director

Scottish Catholic Education Service

As part of the 2018 celebrations to mark the centenary of the 1918 Education Act, Jesus the Icon was welcomed to the Diocese of Dunkeld.

Headteacher Mrs Hunter, St Dominic’s Primary School, Crieff alongside the children who recently completed the Pope Francis Faith Award enjoy this unique occasion.

Dunkeld Diocese Education Mass

St Andrew’s Primary School, Dundee, along with surrounding cluster schools, celebrated

their annual Education Mass with Bishop Robson on Thursday evening 7th June 2018.

St Mary’s Primary School, Polbeth commemorate and celebrate 100 years of partnership since the 1918 Education (Scotland Act).

The Children enjoyed working together creating a display at the front entrance of the school, highlighting the ethos and Gospel values of our Catholic Schools – Jesus at the Centre.

St Mary’s Primary School, Polbeth Celebrate 2018

St Joseph’s Academy, Kilmarnock celebrate Feast Day Mass

One of the senior pupils from St Joseph’s Academy, Kilmarnock, submitted the article below to the Galloway Diocese magazine about the whole school Mass recently celebrated for Saint Joseph’s Day the feast of their patron saint.

On 19th of March, the Feast of Saint Joseph, all 700 pupils and staff of St Joseph’s Academy, Kilmarnock, gathered to take part in a Mass to celebrate our patron saint. The service was led by Father McGrattan, Father Chambers and Father Kitchen, altar servers Michael Duff, Hamish Campbell and John Savage.

The school’s vocal group led the hymns. The Mass was a joyful occasion for everyone to gather together and celebrate our faith with a true sense of community and school spirit. It was only the second whole school Mass celebrated in the new St Joseph’s Academy building and was the first with our new Head Teacher, Mr Kane. Father McGrattan opened the Mass by encouraging all to be ‘protectors’ as Saint Joseph was to Our Lady and Jesus. The first and second readings were delivered by our Head Boy (James

Johnston) and Head Girl (Kiera Ovens), the Psalm was sung by Morven Campbell (S6) and the bidding prayers were delivered by a representative from each year group.

In his homily, Father Kitchen produced a packet of Jacob’s Cream Crackers – which was met with great wails of laughter. However, behind this item was a thought-provoking message: the idea was that the crackers did what they said on the pack, and so do the pupils of St Joseph’s Academy.

CISC NEWS

Message from the General Secretary

As you know by now, I am leaving CISC to take up my new post as CEO of Plymouth CAST, a multi-academy trust of 36 Catholic schools, on 1 July. At the time of writing, my successor has not been appointed.

There will be a message in due course from Antonia, the Chair of CISC, to provide you with an update on the search process.

In the meantime, please note that my email reverts to an automatic response (since 30 June). The message directs you to the contacts relevant to your query. Please inform your finance departments that any post containing cheques or remittance advice should be sent to Mr Antony Hudson, Headmaster, St. George’s Junior School, Thames Street, Weybridge, Surrey KT13 8NL. For any enquiries to do with events booking or updating the website, please contact paula. hawkins@catholicindepedentschools.com.

On a personal note, it has been a great privilege for me to serve as the General Secretary of CISC for the last two years. There have been many initiatives which I have enjoyed, such as the programme for aspiring heads, developing a new website, offering INSET sessions to your schools, working with our wonderful special

school heads to develop a SEND network, developing networks for our Heads of RS and chaplains, organising two memorable annual conferences, representing CISC at a national level in discussions with the CES, establishing better links with the dioceses, and of course my visits to almost 100 of our schools.

Thank you for the warm welcome and the many conversations about our work as Catholic educators. What you do is a vital part of the mission of the Church. I am more aware now of the pressures you are under in our secular environment. There are some ‘experts’ in the field of marketing who would advise you to go easy on the God part, to go for a small ‘c’ Catholicism for fear of scaring off parents. Thankfully, I have met so many heads and senior staff in CISC schools who are committed to the Gospel and the Church and have the confidence to witness to our values. When Catholic education is presented with faith and enthusiasm it is a compelling offer: an excellent standard of education which invited young people to see the world with compassion and to work towards a better future for all.

Catholic education is a small world. I have no doubt many of our paths will cross in the future. I hope they do. God bless you all and thank you for your support and friendship.

Young Leaders’ Conference 13-15 April 2018

Young leaders from Catholic schools across the world gathered at Mount St. Mary’s, Spinkhill, near Sheffield, on Friday 13 April for a remarkable conference devoted to young leadership in our world today. The ‘journey’ of the conference was about initial inputs from adults, but increasingly the young people took over and by the end it was their voices, dreams and ambitions that were dominant.

The delegates were welcomed by Dr. Nicholas Cuddihy, Headmaster of Mount St. Mary’s School. Dr. John Patterson, Principal of St. Vincent’s School for Visually Impaired Young People (who also spoke at the annual conference), inspired the delegates with his vision for the common good working to improve the life chances of the most

vulnerable in our community. Fr Adrian Porter SJ posed key questions to the conference which stimulated much discussion: What kind of person do you really want to be? What kind of world are you a citizen of? What kind of leaders does our world need? We were then joined by Lee Rowley MP who delivered an honest and personal

Independent Schools’

by Raymond Friel General Secretary, Catholic Independent Schools’ Conference

Delegates from America, Argentina, Spain, Italy and England Attended the Young Leaders’ Conference

account of his journey into politics and how he hopes to do good for the community as an MP. Raymond Friel from CISC shared some of his experiences from his recent trip to the Philippines, especially the stories of the young people from St. Scholastica’s in Manila standing up to injustice and oppression in their society.

In October of this year, the Synod of Bishops will focus on “Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment”. The conference at Mount St. Mary’s was an excellent example of how we can follow the lead of the bishops and engage our young people in open and honest dialogue about their hopes and dreams for the future; how the Church might be relevant to their needs and how they might play a part in making the word a more peaceful, just and compassionate place.

Day Conference for Heads and Governors 10 May 2018, Feast of the Ascension of the Lord

On Thursday 10th May Woldingham School hosted a day conference for Heads and Governors working in Catholic Independent Schools. The day began with a short video celebrating the 175th Anniversary of the school and led on to a thought provoking and enjoyable day for all who attended.

Fr Adrian Porter SJ, spoke of the involvement of Religious Orders in schools and the challenges which faced them as they continued to grow and adapt to new circumstances and find their new identity which was rooted in the Gospel. Most schools which were started by Religious are now run by lay heads and the challenge for all of us is to be interpreters of the Gospel in terms of identity, mission and community, sharing our vision of education in the service of the Gospel where we help young people to grow and develop.

Dr Anthony Towey from St. Mary’s University spoke about the new GCSE RE syllabus which has been introduced into our Catholic schools and the problems we are faced with in implementing the new programmes which have 75% of the content changing at GCSE

and 33% added to the A Level course. This is challenging for schools and students alike as we move into the future where students are motivated to find new answers to the many challenges of our time.

Mrs Alex Hutchinson, the Headmistress of Woldingham School, gave an honest and refreshing talk on the “challenges facing Catholic Independent Schools today” and the need for new answers to the many challenges of our time. Following on from Fr Adrian we were reminded by Mrs Hutchinson that identity is important as it comes from our past story. When she accepted her new role as Head she was reflective of the words spoken to her by Sister Mary Hinde, a former Head of Woldingham, that “there is no future without a past”. The challenge for Woldingham is to embrace the five goals of Sacred Heart Education and continue to build on a wonderful legacy which started with St Madeleine Sophie Barat who said, “For the sake of one child I would have founded the society”.

Mrs Hutchinson spoke of the challenge

of developing the school in a Catholic tradition, reminding us of the tension which can exist between getting an excellent ISI inspection, where positive comments were made about the quality of pupils’ personal development and preparing for Diocesan section 48 Inspections. As a Head it is important to lead form the front, and the words of St Madeleine Sophie Barat can inspire all in leadership roles when she remarked; “Your example, even more than your words, will be an eloquent lesson for the world”.

The day concluded with a stimulating discussion on what we had heard from the speakers and a positive affirmation that we are all moving in the right direction. It is important that we continue to take time to reflect on and develop new ways of helping our schools grow in the future by building a culture of dialogue, and plant the seeds of hope. As Pope Francis remarked, “Catholic education is one of the most important challenges of the Church today” (13th February 2014).

Fr Gerry Devlin, Chaplain, Woldingham School

Lee Rowley MP Fr Adrian Porter SJ Outlines the Pupil Profle Adopted by Many Jesuit Schools

National School of Formation

The National Retreat for Catholic Heads and Governors and The National School of Formation go from strength to strength and have quickly become the foremost national opportunities for formation for leaders in Catholic education. CISC has been well represented on both in recent years but it would be good to see more of a CISC presence.

Please consider attending the National Retreat, or signing up for the year-long National School of Formation, which includes not only highly stimulating residential conferences but the opportunity for immersion visits at home and abroad to Gospel-inspired communities working for justice at the margins of society. More information is available at: http://www.educarem.org.uk/national-school-of-formation/.

Day Conference for School Chaplains at Worth School, 17 May

The second annual CISC day conference for school chaplains took place at Worth School on 17 May. After an uplifting morning prayer on the theme of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit prepared and led by Sheila Farmer, the Headmaster of Worth School, Stuart McPherson, opened the conference with a stimulating reflection on Catholic headship in a secular environment. Stuart has been invited to speak in some schools where the ‘J’ word (Jesus) is not encouraged. Stuart demonstrated by example the witness to the Gospel which is required of Catholic leaders today. A perfect example of that is the commitment at Worth School to Chaplaincy, with four full-time chaplains supported by four of the monks from the Abbey.

The work of the chaplaincy team, known as The Forerunners, was outlined by Will Desmond, who came to Worth from the Sion Community. Will explored the concept of evangelization in a school community where most of the pupils might be ‘nonconfessional’ i.e. are not churched and have no faith background. He asked

challenging question about the role of Mass in such school communities. If Mass is the “source” of faith for the initiated, is it really worthwhile persevering with it in a school community where so many will not even be at first base in terms of understanding?

There are of course many good examples of teaching Masses, but is it the best place to put our evangelizing energy? Much of the work of the chaplaincy team at Worth involves accompaniment of young people, non-judgemental support and friendship with an invitation to deeper formation. We then enjoyed a wonderful example of

Section 48 position paper

Following a CISC working party meeting with representatives from the Catholic Education Service, the CISC committee approved a position paper on the consultation currently underway on a national framework for Section 48 (RE and Catholic Life) inspections. The paper affirms our steadfast commitment to the mission of the Church in education, in some cases dating back hundreds of years, as well as outlining some of the challenges faced by Catholic

that accompaniment from Sheila Farmer, who has been a school chaplain for some twenty years, most recently at Farnborough Hill school. She recalled some very difficult moments when she was ‘with’ pupils in their darkest hours, not always with an answer for them, but with friendship, which at the time was what most of them needed. Sheila’s inspiration and nourishment is from her own faith and she encouraged all the chaplains to make sure that their own prayer life wasn’t neglected. Raymond Friel picked up the theme of praying in school with some examples from his new book, Prayers for Schools, available from Redemptorist Publications.

independent schools today. The feedback from colleagues has been very positive. Many of you now feel you have an ‘official’ position to bring to any discussions with the diocese regarding inspection. The paper can be found on the CISC website at:

https://www.catholicindependentschools.com/about/keydocuments-and-policies/.

Sheila Farmer, former chaplain at Farnborough Hill, reflects on her experience as a school chaplain

Will Desmond outlines some of the challenges we face in Catholic education

Why Prisons Should be on the Agenda for Catholic Education

I run Pact, the Catholic charity for people affected by imprisonment, and so of course, I would think that prisons should be on the agenda for anyone involved in Catholic education. I’m obsessed with prisons. Who goes into them. What happens when they are in there. What happens when they leave. What happens to the children, wives, parents, boyfriends, siblings, and all of the other family members? Prisons have been my life for the past 13 years. But I am also a father of two children who have been to Catholic schools. And I have friends who are Catholic teachers. So I also understand why, with so many competing pressures, and with the compartmentalisation of knowledge into subjects and assessed learning, it might not be obvious where prisons might fit within the life of a school or college. And I also appreciate that it’s not necessarily an easy topic. But here are a few thoughts for anyone involved in Catholic education as to why it should matter.

Prisons are full of Catholics

When people come into prison, they get asked what if any religion they belong to. Now, we Catholics are often thought to be a bit obsessed with sin. No one apart from the Jews ‘Do Guilt’ as well as us, my Jewish friends tell me. Well, here’s the thing. According to the data, we really are the biggest sinners. Catholics in prison in England & Wales outnumber Anglicans, Muslims, and every other faith group. About 17% of prisoners are Catholic. Truth be told, maybe we are the worst sinners after all?

Our Schools are full of Prisoners’ Children

So, what that means is that there are Catholic children in our schools, colleges and universities, whose parent, or sibling, is in prison. Each year, about 200,000 children

have a parent in prison. So between 3040,000 Catholic kids each year in England and Wales have a parent go to prison. For many, that involves toxic stress, trauma, being uprooted from their homes, and lingering emotional, educational and psychological issues. And silence. Failing to ask for help due to embarrassment, shame, fear of stigma. What are we doing for them in our Catholic institutions? Are we telling them, and their parents or carers, that we want them to confide in us, and that we care?

Corporal Act of Mercy

I don’t know the references to many Gospel Readings, I can never remember them. But Matthew 25:31- 46 is a ‘must-read’ for Christians in the prison business. It’s the one where Jesus confounds his disciples by reprimanding them for not feeding him when he was hungry, clothing him when he was naked, or visiting him when he was in jail. They are astonished, and ask him what he is talking about, until he spells it out for them. ‘Truly’ Jesus said ‘whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’. A priest friend told me that we do ‘corporal acts of mercy’. That’s good enough for me.

By

to

Keen-Downs,

a pro-bono

and

sought for his expertise on how to reduce re-offending and the risk of inter-generational offending.

Justice Matters

The questions that arise from the topic of prisons have relevance for so many topics. Prisons have a fascinating history. They tell us about society. Great works of literature are full of prisons. Questions of social policy, civics, the law, the role of the State, race, gender, ethics & morality. And of course, sociology and theology. And in supporting prisoners’ families, one discovers much about loyalty, forgiveness, and mercy. It can be deeply humbling. Perhaps the reason I have done what I do for 13 years is that in prisons, one finds all of human life. And one finds one’s faith being challenged, tested, and renewed.

I am writing this article because this year, it’s our anniversary, as Pact celebrates 120 years of service. We were the brainchild of an Irish priest, Canon John Cooney, who was working at Wandsworth prison in London in 1898. He had the notion that Catholics have a role to play, in caring for prisoners, in ensuring that when prisoners leave prison, they have a realistic hope of a fresh start, and in caring for families left behind, and in particular, for children. Today, we depend on the support of the Catholic community more than ever, for donations, and as a source of volunteers. And we also offer support.

On our website, we now have a range of resources for children, young people, parents and carers, teachers and other professionals. See our ‘Children and Young People’ section. We provide a free helpline and advocacy service for families.

If you’d like to find out more, please do take a look at www.prisonadvice.org.uk or email us parish.action@prisonadvice.org. uk. We would love to hear from you.

Andy

CEO, Pact. Andy Keen-Downs has been Chief Executive of Pact since 2005. Andy acts as

advisor

Lord Michael Farmer

to Bishop Richard Moth, and is regularly

Vaughan: The Shy, Gifted Communicator

by Fergal Martin, CTS General Secretary

Abraham Lincoln, Florence Nightingale, William Gladstone and many others – those fading sepia-tone Victorians have always fascinated me. It must be in their eyes. What is it that moved them? What made them tick? Because, as I was fast learning from my A-level history teacher, Fr Christopher, what moves people is what moves history, for good or bad.

45 years later I’m still staring, this time at eyes that have become more familiar: a rather stiff-looking Victorian clergyman, tall and handsome. He has timid, intelligent, even tired eyes. I think I can see what I’d call determination. Perhaps the eyes of a man who never expected to live to seventy. Yet these are the eyes of someone who longed to be a missionary all his life, and to his probable regret ended his long and furiously energetic life as Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, 1892- 1903. These are the eyes of the person who founded the organisation I work for – the CTS 150 years later!

True to form, Herbert Vaughan had renounced a considerable inheritance, life of ease, and a warm, loving family to pursue his vocation to be a priest. He grew up on the Welsh borders and had long dreamt of being a missionary to Wales. From a wealthy, established Catholic family that had survived penal times, he was the eldest of thirteen siblings most of whom became religious or clergy. Yet his entire life was marked by unstable health due to a weak heart. What is fascinating is that he survived at all, and greater still that he did so much.

Tall, elegant, handsome, he was by nature painfully shy, and could and did upset many of his colleagues and contemporaries by his apparent brusqueness. He was by all accounts a genuinely pious and holy man, spending two hours a day in prayer, and painfully aware of his many faults. He was widely known to reconcile with enemies and to ask forgiveness of those he had offended. People came to know that he

spoke his mind, and that he did so with no malice but with the utmost sincerity. He was simply put, a Christian man. He had learnt his faith and the truth of it from his mother. Missionary life fascinated him from an early age – he was overcome with the impulse to bring the good news of the gospel to those who were entitled to hear it.

All his life he had great devotion to St Joseph and to the Sacred Heart. He had been schooled by the Jesuits and Benedictines, at home and overseas, and enjoyed a long association with the Carmelites. He was a man of the Victorian age, with a broad international view developed by the many travels he took on through most of his adult life.

Vaughan it seems was never a parish priest or even a curate, but after training for the priesthood in Rome became vice rector at the new seminary at Ware, where he was popular. During that time he investigated missionary and priestly training in many different contexts. Juxtaposed between periods of poor health and recuperation there would be intense and prolonged bursts of energy – the fitful energy perhaps of a man racing against the clock.

He co-founded a dream of Cardinal Wiseman – a missionary society of diocesan priests (the Oblates of St Charles) - a very revolutionary idea at the time. After travelling widely in Europe and America (regardless of the Civil War there), investigating missionary societies and seminaries, as well as fundraising which involved considerable personal suffering and anxiety), at only thirty four years old he founded a new missionary order: the Mill Hill Missionaries. He absorbed himself in his first love: evangelisation and the order grew and prospered under his care. He had found his great mission for life.

But he was a marked man. At only forty he was made Bishop of Salford, where he remained for twenty years, visiting all his parishes, and founding the Children’s Rescue Society, St Bede’s Commercial College for catholic children and countless similar initiatives. In my view, his eyes

confirm the story that he felt guilty over the plight of the neglected and poverty stricken Catholic children of Manchester, with little future ahead of them. He had been too busy to help them. This sense of remorse drove him on to further projects despite the intolerable level of his responsibilities. Some say he took on too much – no doubt he would agree.

Just a few years before, he had founded the Catholic Truth Society – to become known over time as ‘the CTS’ - and it continues to this day as an active publishing charity. It began as a small pamphleteering outfit, inspired by what Vaughan had seen of the power of the Protestant printing press in America and the disinformation he felt was being successfully propagated there. Just as the great communicators and sellers of today find their audiences at their laptops, tablets, iphones and ipads, thus by-passing as many intermediaries as possible, so Vaughan went direct to his audience: in the parish churches up and down the country. So a rare new breed was born, the ‘CTS boxtender’ – laypeople always at hand in the parish with a small, portable wooden box, opened up to display and sell halfpenny booklets to educate and support the faithful and anyone else who dropped by. With James Britten, an Anglican convert and botanist from Kew Gardens, and a few shillings, Vaughan set it up in 1868.

Like everything with Vaughan, it was placed in Our Lord’s hands. It proved timely. Perhaps one of the greatest experiments in mass education and social cohesion, Vaughan’s CTS produced thousands of inexpensive, accessible and popular tracts that put Catholicism back in the frame. They were a source of knowledge, spiritual food, catechesis and novelty: Catholics at last belonged. Readership accelerated at unimaginable rates between the 1920s and 1940s as two horrific wars took their ghastly toll on the human spirit and psyche. CTS’s benchmark was the best authors writing on the things that mattered. Readers were encouraged to leave their tracts, once read and digested, on the bus, on a park bench, on a train seat. The great underground movement had begun. The movement’s

Herbert Vaughan

army then was as it remains today: a combination of readers who could buy CTS booklet very cheaply and donors who gave generously to support the CTS mission to evangelise and to keep it going.

In 2018 there are 7000 booklets in CTS’s archive. From those I have read, no matter what topic and what author, I sense the writer’s eyes catch my gaze through the faded pages. They all whisper the same forceful truth, with the tantalisingly tragic reality that it can be dismissed as instantly as it can be accepted: God loves each one of us, he always has; he love us deeply and without reserve, no matter who we are, nor what we have done; Jesus his beloved Son demonstrates that all forms of death have been conquered by his passion and victorious destruction of death. The truth therefore is this: that there is absolutely nothing to fear in this life: no joy, no happiness, no suffering, no rejection, no death can separate us from the love God has for us. If Vaughan’s eyes say anything, they say precisely that. And where there is any doubt, then by his works he should be judged.

He went on to buy The Tablet and the Dublin Review and was at the heart of Catholic communications for what they were in those days, since the re-establishment of the Catholic hierarchy in 1850. For many years this often involved writing and editing articles and proofs at his desk long into the night. His working motto was essentially that the truth itself has an overwhelming attraction, and must be communicated no matter how unpopular it might seem. People may reject it, or they may grapple with it, or accept it; but they certainly have the right to hear it, as it is. He was fully engaged in the hot button issues of his day, political, social and ecclesiastical – he had strong views but was ready to change or modify them where he saw the truth was better served for doing so.

One of his deepest personal and spiritual crises was triggered when he was privately and sharply criticised for the speed at which he said Mass. This had a profound effect upon him. For several years thereafter they say he often wept during Mass. He had always been an inspiring and gifted speaker and retreat-giver all his life. Many commented on his serene and humble manner. Though he was well attired at the liturgy, many commented on his threadbare clothes and that he was a man of poverty.

Then bad news came. It was not his health

this time, but a request from the Pope that he become Archbishop of Westminster. He begged to be excused his appointment but when he could see there was no way out, at the tender age of sixty, he threw himself into Our Lord’s hands and gave it all his energy, despite recurring and increasing illness.

As a great fundraiser he raised funds to build Westminster Cathedral, surprising everyone by the sheer size of the project, its style and grandeur. He wanted to put Catholicism back on the map, not just for the world to see, but to inspire and encourage his flock after centuries of being forced into the shadows – as Christ had been. The first liturgy in the almost finished cathedral was his own requiem. He died at Mill Hill among his Missionary Order confreres on 19 June 1903, the feast of the Sacred Heart, after a long illness, aged seventy-one.

On CTS’s one hundred and fiftieth birthday this year, perhaps we should all be grateful to Herbert Vaughan for his impulse to evangelise, his commitment to the truth, and for his life of love and service. In an age where we are drowned in information, where everyone must be seen to have an opinion on everything (however poorly considered), and must transmit it on social media to anyone who has time to listen –what is our direction of travel? A recent CTS research project among students at London University revealed that amid the mountains of meaningless information bombarding them every day, one key question and one alone persists: how can I live a meaningful and happy life, that works – what is the purpose of my existence? Who will provide them with a considered, logical, accessible and truthful answer? The same question Victorians and Edwardians have asked, interwar and post-war generations have asked, and 1968 flower power generations have asked, the John- Paul 11-we-love-you generations have asked. Far from being taboo, it is truth, the truth, which remains firmly in focus today.

Only recently a young job-interview candidate, when asked why do you want to work for CTS, said to me something I have heard so many people say over the years: ‘A couple of friends of mine in difficult situations, with real problems, were greatly helped by a CTS booklet … what you do helps people, brings them back to their bearings, gets to the truth of things. I’d like to be a part of that.’ As he spoke, his eyes reminded me of many others I have looked into in my journey here. Happy Birthday CTS.

CTS Onefifties

To mark 150 years of publishing, the Catholic Truth Society have released a series of rediscovered gems from its extensive archives.

As CTS Publisher Fergal Martin said, “1868 to 2018 ... is something to celebrate. We have delved into our archives of thousands of titles and uncovered countless ... the huge range and diversity of CTS publishing across a century and a half. The CTS archive represents a unique and valuable resource chronicling the changing concerns of the Catholic population of the British Isles and beyond over the last 150 years. There is something original and special here for everybody. Our hope is that readers can dip into the past - and find the present.”

Exploring real issues faced by real people, CTS Onefifties take us from Victorian England through the two great wars; from the certainties of 19th century piety to the 1968 sexual revolution.

The Onefifites include some great names –Robert Louis Stevenson, G.K. Chesterton, Hilaire Belloc, Cardinal Newman, Ronald Knox, Robert Hugh Benson and Jean Cardinal Danielou; Catholic household names from the mid 20th century: Francis Ripley, Bede Jarrett, Vincent McNabb and Martin D’Arcy; and historians of the calibre of Herbert Thurston SJ, Christopher Dawson and Christopher Hollis.

These classics showcase Christians grappling through the decades with great social and political change, and the perennial questions of death, courtship, vocation and peace. Fascinating pieces are included – an eye-witness account of the Hiroshima atomic bomb, and Robert Louis Stevenson’s robust defence of Fr Damien de Veuster’s heroic work among the lepers of Molokai. To give readers real value, one minibook often contains two or more original titles from different periods, which can make for fascinating comparisons.

Here are great testimonies of faith, sparkling apologetics, struggles with the big and smaller issues of the day, as well as quaint and inspiring insights into the meaning of life with all its hopes and challenges; above all the story of faith that has shaped the lives of generations.

The Onefifties booklets are in classic CTS pocket-size format, and priced at 150p (£1.50) to mark the anniversary.

For more information on CTS Onefifties please go to: www.onefifties.org/titles/

New Hall student shortlisted for Young Fashion Designer of the Year

Yolanda Lu, a Year 13 student at New Hall School, Chelmsford, has been shortlisted, from a field of many entries, as a finalist in the prestigious Young Fashion Designer UK award.

Young Fashion Designer UK is an exciting national competition, which was established in 2010. It focuses on enhancing the talent of Young Fashion Designers, and to showcase and promote the exceptional work achieved by students aged 11-18 studying textiles and fashion throughout the United Kingdom. At New Hall, fashion and textiles is encouraged to flourish as part of the flexible Fine Art curriculum.

Yolanda is set upon studying at the London College of Fashion in September, whilst having also secured offers to study Fashion at the University of Creative Arts, Leeds, Edinburgh and Central St Martins. We look forward to seeing more achievements from Yolanda after she leaves the Sixth Form this year, following in the footsteps of

immensely successful and creative former New Hall students, such as the worldfamous fashion designer, Anya Hindmarch.

Alongside a successful academic programme, New Hall School provides excellent facilities and training for budding sports stars and fantastic music and performing arts provision. The Catholic boarding and day school for students aged 3-18 has a distinctive ‘diamond model structure’ and a strong ethos of pastoral care, which supports students in their endeavours, allowing them to achieve success in a wide variety of fields.

Above: Yolanda Lu, New Hall student and Young Fashion Designer of the Year finalist

One of Yolanda’s designs

Sharing the Journey in Long Eaton

Helen McElhone, school chaplain writes…

On Thursday 21st June you may have seen a school on the move! All the pupils and staff of English Martyrs’ Catholic Voluntary Academy walked in unity to raise awareness of the global refugee crisis.

Last September Pope Francis launched the Share the Journey campaign. He has declared this time a ‘unique opportunity’ for us to press our governments to make global commitments which place the human dignity of people on the move at their heart. CAFOD’s response was to invite Catholics in England and Wales to walk the 24,901 miles which is the distance around the world, not because they want us to keep fit but because it is important that all people are aware of the plight of refugees and migrants around the world.

We walked a circular route from our school passing our neighbouring schools on the way. It was a distance of 1.14 miles. When we multiplied that by the number of people who were walking (290) we have walked a total of 330 miles. We have added our total number of miles to the CAFOD totaliser and hope that we have done our bit to influence the decisions of World Leaders when they meet at The United Nations this September to develop new global agreements on refugees and migration.

Sharing the Journey on NottsTV

Monday morning and a message on the answerphone. Nottstv1Charlotte from NottsTV has seen that we are having a Share the Journey walk this morning and would like to come along and interview us! It wasn’t how I was expecting the day to start!

Charlotte arrived and set up her camera and it was great to have our Solidarity display in the background – displaying lots of photos from around the Diocese of the many walks that have taken place.

After the interview we went outside to prepare for our short, 1 mile walk, around the block, making it back in time for Mass in the Convent at 12.30pm

Charlotte walked with us and filmed as she went. She also interviewed Roger Neale, husband of Ann, one of our school volunteers. Roger is recovering from a knee operation and has been adding his recuperating miles to the campaign.

As I write (Thursday 26th July) the totaliser now stands at 83,968 miles, well into our fourth loop of the globe!

Sharing the Journey in Glossop

Well done to our Catholic Community in Glossop! As well as walking for the Share the Journey campaign, staff and students at St Mary’s Catholic primary school also managed to raise funds! Headteacher Simon Groake told me; “The whole school rallied round to walk through the town to show our support for the plight of refugees and to raise funds for CAFOD’s latest campaign, “Share the Journey”. Parents, family members and parishioners joined the children on their walk. In Norfolk Square we sat and reflected upon the feelings refugees must have. We honoured them with a minute’s silence and sang ‘When I needed a neighbour’ On returning to school, parishioners handed out refreshments for the children after their walk. We hope to have raised £1000 for CAFOD with our sponsored walk. The Liturgy Council organised the whole event to promote the Catholic Life of the School.”

What great witness from the parish and school who added 226 miles to the totaliser that day. They also managed to get their ‘journey’ published in the local paper, the Glossop Chronicle! Fr Greg Tobin, parish priest, said, “I was delighted to see such a positive article in the ‘Chron’ about St Mary’s school joining in the CAFOD ‘Share the Journey’ campaign. There were some lovely photographs and a form of evangelisation as the school went down into the town highlighting the plight of refugees, and the work of the Church in relieving their suffering through the work of CAFOD.”

Other walks have also been organised in the parish so thanks to all involved especially CAFOD parish contact Moira Hind.

By Maggie Mairura

By John Shoreland

News Roundup

Pope Francis

In his Angelus address for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Pope Francis focused on the truth that God wants to save the whole human person - body and soul.

The Church invites us to contemplate” the mystery of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s bodily Assumption into heaven, he said, explaining that, at the end of her life, Mary was taken “body and soul” into heaven; her body “did not know the corruption of the grave”. This, he said, was a special privilege granted to the Mother of God on account of her unique corporal and spiritual union with her Son, Jesus.

This privilege “gives us the confirmation of our own glorious destiny,” he said.

In the past, philosophers had understood the value of the human soul, and that it was destined to happiness. But they could not conceive that the body, too was destined for heavenly beatitude in union with the soul. This is the Christian doctrine of the “resurrection of the body,” which Pope Francis described as “an element proper to Christian revelation and a pivotal element of our faith”.

But the Assumption, while reminding us of the unity of the human person, also reminds us “that we are called to serve and glorify God with our whole being,” body and soul. “Serving God only with the body would be an act of a slave,” the Pope said; while “serving Him only with the soul would be in contrast with our human nature.”

Pope Francis concluded his reflection with words of encouragement:

“If we have lived in this way, in the joyful service of God, which is expressed also in generous service to our brothers and sisters, our destiny, on the day of the resurrection, will be like that of our heavenly Mother. It will be given to us, then, to realize fully the exhortation of Saint Paul: ‘Glorify God in your body!’ and we will glorify him forever in heaven.”

Youth Pilgrims

Thousands of young people packed into Rome’s Circus Maximus, cheering Pope Francis as they shouted excitedly, waving flags and generally showing exuberance as youth do.

The Pontiff told the 70,000-strong crowd of Italian Catholic young people, who were on pilgrimage, to follow their dreams, despite worrying about jobs..

With many walking on pilgrimage for days from all over Italy to reach Rome for a Youth Festival, the Pope answered questions submitted to him in advance.

The Pope urged them to take ‘risks on that street of your dreams’. He declared that ‘fear brings pessimism’.

‘Your dreams are your responsibility and your treasure: let them be your future’.

‘Dreams are important. They keep our eyes wide open, help us to embrace the horizon, to cultivate hope in every daily action, and the dreams of young people are the most important of all. They are the stars,’ the Pontiff added.

Pope Francis at the World Council of Churches

Pope Francis visited the World Council of Churches on the occasion of its 70th Anniversary, in Geneva.

In his welcoming address, the WCC president, Dr Olav Fykse Tweit, said, ‘ Your Holiness, your visit is a sign of this hope we share. It is a milestone in the relations among the Churches … from all over the world.’

Pope Francis at a Mass mainly for 30,000 Swiss Catholics said, ‘The Lord bids us to set out ever anew on the path of communion that leads to peace. Our lack of unity is, in fact, openly contrary to the will of Christ. But it is also a scandal to the world, and harms the most holy of causes: the preaching of the gospel to every creature.’

Reports on Religious Education Provision in England

A recent report, ‘The State of the Nation: A report on Religious Education provision within secondary schools in England’ found that 28% of schools do not make specific time for RE. At a conference organised by the Religious Education Council of England & Wales, (REC), the National Association of Teachers of Religious Education,(NATRE) and RE Today Services, who commissioned the report, pupils overall did not support the motion ‘In an increasingly secular society, there is no need for Religious Education’. They commented that RE helps one’s balance in outlook, one’s culture and it deters extremism; they thought that the right to withdraw from RE should also be revoked as they would like to withdraw from many other subjects such as PE and Maths.

In another report, ‘A New Settlement Revised: Religion and Belief in Schools’, the authors, Linda Woodhead and Charles Clarke reiterate their call for widespread reform. They say that many Anglicans would support their view.

It did , however, suggest that schools should not admit pupils by ‘faith admission’. The Catholic Education Service described this statement as a ‘direct attack on the Catholic Church’. Bishop Marcus Stock of Leeds said that the authors have opted for ‘a reductionist approach which is exclusively sociological and has no consensus among RE professionals’. The C of E’s chief education officer, Nigel Genders, whilst welcoming the report’s support for RE in schools, commented that the statement on faith admissions was almost contrary to the freedom of parents to choose faith schools.

The report has a caveat in that in looking to promote inclusivity in schools, attention should be drawn to the effect of faith admissions.

Laudato Si’ - Major new research institute

The Jesuits in Britain have announced that a new research institute called the Laudato Si’ Institute (LSI) is being established at Campion Hall, the Jesuit permanent private

Hall of the University of Oxford. The LSI will be established during the academic year 2018-2019, and will formally open in September 2019, ICN reports.

The aim of the Laudato Si’ Institute is to foster interdisciplinary research arising out of the intellectual challenges presented most vividly in Pope Francis’ encyclical letter Laudato Si’, while being faithful to Ignatian traditions and reflective practice.

The premise of Laudato Si’ is that the crumbling of the earth’s fabric, largely through human activity, is ultimately devastating for humanity and other creatures, particularly the poorest communities on earth.

In contemporary Western thought, academic disciplines are often treated by specialists in isolation, so that the interrelationships between different social, ecological, technological, political, economic, philosophical and religious issues are obscured. The Laudato Si’ Institute will comprise:

(1) An ambitious research programme using a dialogical method that enlists philosophical, ethical and theological insights as well as scholarly research in the natural and social sciences.

(2) A global network of allied activities inspired by Laudato Si’ in order to foster international collaboration and link scholarship across different global cultures and contexts.

The Laudato Si’ Institute will be informed by and act as a resource for allied educational initiatives of the Jesuits in Britain and elsewhere. It will also engage with scholars in other faith traditions as relevant to its research themes.

Its overall mission is to contribute to the intellectual basis for individual and structural transformation towards an ecological conversion at the levels of individuals, communities, public policy and governance.

Professor Celia Deane-Drummond, currently Professor of Theology and Director of the Center for Theology, Science and Human Flourishing at the University of Notre Dame, USA, will be the inaugural Director of the Institute.

MA in Catholic Social Teaching

A brand new MA degree in Catholic Social Teaching is being launched at St Mary’s University, Twickenham. The core modules were run as a PG Certificate for the last year. The final programme details have been approved and validated. The programme involves both parliamentary interns supported by the Bishops’ Conference and those who are studying to be permanent deacons.

This is probably the first degree in Catholic social teaching to be offered anywhere in the British Isles, comments ICN.

Rev Dr Ashley Beck, Programme Director at St Mary’s, writes: “In recent years the branch of moral theology known as Catholic Social Teaching has become increasingly important - and not just in the Catholic Church. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has called it ‘one of the greatest treasures that the churches globally have to offer’. Politicians, economists, and community leaders are increasingly attracted to the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. Pope Francis regularly reminds us that ‘each of us shares a calling to work for the common good’. But, what does this call exactly mean? What is the grounding of Catholic Social tradition?

“Our new programme aims to address these and similar questions by exploring social encyclicals of the Roman Catholic Church, their key themes such as justice, human dignity, common good, and poverty; investigate key sources that inform Catholic Social Teaching against the background of lived experience; and look at some of the ways in which the teaching has been applied.”

Do we need a referee?

A charity in Rwanda has for three years been encouraging youngsters to play soccer without a referee.

The charity, Christian Action for Reconciliation and Social Action founded Football for Peace, with the mission to heal the trauma and division that remained in the wake of the genocide.

Christophe Mbonyingabo, the founder,

joined the Tutsi militia when 20 years old. His father and two brothers were killed in the violence. After becoming a Christian, he brought together people from each side. He worked in schools and universities as the effects of the conflict were affecting the next generation.

Football for Peace, boys and girls playing together refereeing themselves, is intended ‘to educate them to grow their capacity of solving their own problems, not waiting for a third person to come between, and their capacity for accepting their mistakes and apologising … to win the game is not only based on the goals, but also on how people follow the rules of the game,‘ says Christophe.

Heythrop Collection to go online

Heythrop College Library will be closing after the end of the academic year 2017-2018. The collection of more than 250,000 volumes of books and bound volumes of periodicals, widely regarded as one of the finest collections of theology and philosophy in the UK, will continue to be made accessible onsite - many discoverable online for the first time - to readers through Senate House Library from October 2018.

The Jesuits in Britain have entered an agreement with Senate House Library, University of London, where members of the Library can access the titles and order via the online catalogue for arrival at the Library on the same or next day.

Newman to host Conference for Researchers in Catholic Education

• Newman University, Catholic education

As part of their 50th anniversary year, on Thursday 13 September 2018 Newman

University, Birmingham, will host the annual conference for Network for Researchers in Catholic Education.

The conference, which runs between 9:30am and 5:00pm, will have the theme of How can the self-understanding, priorities and work of Catholic educators be enhanced by a critical retrieval of the developing theological heritage? It will include keynote speakers Professor John Sullivan and Dr Patricia Kieran.

The Faculty of Education will be joining forces with the Theology subject area at the university to allow for opportunity for critical dialogue on this important topic among those engaged in Catholic education as researchers, practitioners, leaders, or policy makers.

The university also invites submission to present short papers on matters related to Catholic education. Papers are particularly welcomed that address the conference theme and in turn presenters are invited to draw upon the developing Christian theological heritage to address issues for Catholic education today. Abstracts should consist of no more than 300 words and should be submitted to Dr Sean Whittles.whittle@heythrop.ac.uk by 15 June with full text of the papers submitted by email no later than 31 August if the paper is accepted.

As well as the conference on 13 September, Newman University will be hosting a pre-conference workshop on Wednesday 12 September between 3pm-7pm. The workshop will be led by Visiting Professor at Newman University, Professor Stephen McKinney, as well as Senior Lecturer in Theology and Catholic Certificate in Religious Studies, Eamonn Elliott. The preconference will include a range of workshops and seminars on researching Catholic Education.

The full conference fee is £75, or for those wishing just to attend on 13 September the rate is £65. There is also a discounted fee for

partner schools of Newman University and for unwaged delegates.

In order to register, attendees should visit the Newman University e-store (https:// estore.newman.ac.uk).

Relic found

A relic found recently in London is thought to be a bone of St Clement, who was Pope from 88-99.

James Rubin discovered it in a waxed red and gold case in a collection by his environmental team. It has been presented to Westminster Cathedral.

Asian style

Having followed the rescue of the schoolboys and their football coach from their ordeal when caving in Thailand, it was very interesting to see the reaction of parents and the country as a whole to receive them back. Relief, and thanksgiving , yes. Congratulations and thanks to those who risked so much to rescue them, yes, in abundance.

The notion of ‘self’, however, seemed not to exist. The style in Western countries after such a potential disaster would have been very different from a culture that embraces Buddhism. In Thailand as the news filtered through, parents were very understandably relieved but there was seemingly little

Blessed John Henry Newman statue at Newman University

casting of blame, no photographs of the boys initially, or of the relatives and families, no taking the coach to task, little pulling of heartstrings. Here was an application of an austere philosophy where self is subsumed, almost as if the population has undergone a national formation from a very young age.

What happened next? Most of the boys spent time with Buddhist monks to bring them back to normality.

The coach had sent an apology to the parents but they told him that there was no need for an apology: they trusted him. These parents themselves even though allowed to see the boys only fleetingly, were imbued with the same spirit. It was no surprise to hear that the coach himself had spent time in a monastery.

New Chancellor for Leeds Trinity University

Yorkshire-born actor, award-winning playwright and Creative Director of Claybody in Stoke-on-Trent, Deborah McAndrew has been installed as the Chancellor of Leeds Trinity University in June.

The Installation Ceremony in the University’s Chapel on Friday 15 June was attended by family, friends, staff and students, along with representatives from the University and the region, including Deputy Lieutenant Ed Anderson, Representative of Her Majesty the Queen, Cllr Graham Latty, the Lord Mayor of Leeds, and Isla Bentley, the Leeds Children’s Mayor.

The ceremony began with an academic procession that featured representatives from across the University, followed by an opening prayer from the Right Reverend Marcus Stock, Bishop of Leeds.

Professor Margaret A House OBE welcomed guests and spoke about the new Chancellor.

There was a performance from Leeds Trinity Cathedral Children’s Choir before Charles Isherwood, President of Leeds Trinity Students’ Union, gave a citation detailing Deborah’s professional achievements. The formal installation was

made by Ian Burrell, Chair of the Board of Governors at Leeds Trinity University.

Born in Huddersfield, the Chancellor lived in Leeds throughout her childhood before studying Drama at university. She trained as a teacher before embarking on a successful career as a writer and actor. Having worked extensively in theatre, television and radio in a career spanning almost 30 years, Deborah co-founded Claybody Theatre Company in Stoke-on-Trent in 2013, where she is currently Creative Director.

Deborah McAndrew has performed and published plays including original work, such as her award-winning World War One drama, An August Bank Holiday Lark, and adaptations of classic novels, such as Charles Dickens’ Hard Times, Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol..

No Comment

A church in Devon closed its doors and silenced its bells for two weeks during May this year to protect a pair of blue tits and their eight offspring who had nested inside the lectern.

(from a report in the Church Times)

Networking

Let’s hear from you!

Celebrating School Achievements

Brief reports and accounts of events in schools or similar, particularly related to the distinctive nature of the mission of Catholic schools are welcomed, to celebrate and share with our readers. Please send reports and photographs to editor@networkingcet.co.uk

Articles

More detailed accounts of school events or reflections on particular issues are also welcomed; accounts of no more than 2,000 words, with supporting photographs where possible should be sent toeditor@networkingcet.co.uk or posted to -

The Editor Networking(CET)Ltd

9 Elston Hall Elston Newark Notts NG23 5NP

We look forward to hearing from you

Book&Media Review

The Creed: Professing the Faith Through the Ages,

Scott Hahn, Darton, Longman & Todd, 2017, ISBN 978 o 232 53343 9.

Something needs to be done about the creed. At its best, the well-chosen words of the homily awaken the congregation to an awareness of God’s work amongst us. The director of music has prepared the requisite dynamics. The organist is fully in command of her colourful instrument. The creed is ready to take its inspirational place amidst the dramatic action of the Mass.

Or is it something to be got through, a passport control, an act of obedience rather than a display of imagination?

Scott Hahn is the man for this job. He has a light touch and voluminous knowledge.

He sketches the history of the creeds. He says why we need a creed. Using a song by Rich Mullins, he claims it is the creed that makes us. The first Christians were Jewish. They followed the Covenant of Moses. Their new Covenant needed new words to express the meaning of a new baptism. Question and answer statements were used so that the catechumens clearly understood what they were taking on. “Do you believe in the

Father?” “I do”. “Do you believe in the Son?” “I do”. Do you believe in the Holy Spirit?” “I do”.

As time went on people began to question the simple threefold presentation, so clarifications were added. We are taken through the heresies of the first four centuries until the Council of Nicaea. It is a short but well put together account. If at times you raise an eyebrow it’s because there is something you did not know, or something you can easily verify, or something understandable because of the need for brevity.

In the second half of the book, Scott Hahn attempts to invigorate our saying of the creed by explaining each of the three statements, Father Eternal, Jesus Christ the Son of God, and the Spirit. This is an excellent summary of Catholic faith. He loves his faith and his pleasure is infectious. It is helpful to see how someone else would explain the truths of the faith.

A troublesome fact in the argument is that the Patriarch of Constantinople introduced the Nicene Creed into the Mass only in the seventh century. Till then it was seen as superfluous because the Eucharistic Prayer, based on the Passover rites, already enacted the gratitude of God’s people for the creation, the exodus, the first covenant and now the second covenant “on the night before he suffered”. When the creed was introduced, priests began to say the Eucharistic prayer silently, because it was repeating what the creed had said. Scott Hahn notes that “with the introduction of the creed the Christological heresies came to an end” (p73). So that is it then? He feels it was “to unify the people and confirm their faith”. In other words it was not a hymn, but crowd control!

Yet he has a way of putting things which makes the reader think twice. He has anecdotes, (Rich Mullins the songwriter), similes, (I’m a professor but it does me no good to sign my checks with my job title alone, the bank recognises only my name.) turns of phrase, (the savvy Arius!). It is a friendly, cheerful beginning. The question is raised. Why do we recite the creed in the middle of the Mass?

John Baron, our reviewer, is a priest of the diocese of Lancaster. He has worked in Malawi , has taught in a seminary, and has led a parish in the diocese alongside his work as a school chaplain.

By John Shoreland

Leadership and the Catholic school,

Alan J. Murphy, CPDF, 2015 18pp £3. Gospel

Values and the Catholic School,

Alan J. Murphy, CPDF, 2015 16pp £3.

Alan Murphy writes with the authority of a former Director of the MA in Catholic School Leadership Programme at St. Mary’s, Twickenham, and also with experience in school leadership. From this combined experience he has derived valuable professional educational wisdom in these ways:-

i He understands that Continuing Professional Development is essential for all teachers and school leaders.

ii He also understands that, in the present intensified work situations in schools, educators have less time for reading, than was the case in the past.

iii Catholic educators require not only CPD but also Formation (in spirituality, gospel values and Catholic social teaching) – hence the CPDF logo on these booklets. For Catholics ‘formation’ is the larger concept, of which ‘training’ is a subset.

These booklets present clearly focussed accounts of what teachers and heads need to know about the principles and practice of leadership and values in Catholic schools today, presented with wisdom and commendable brevity.

I recommend all Catholic schools and colleges to add these booklets to their present collection of CPDF resource material.

For further details, Alan Murphey can be contacted at:alan.murphy@cpdf.co.uk and at www.cpdf.co.uk

Professor Gerald Grace, who is our reviewer, is Director to the Centre for Research and Development in Catholic Education (CRDCE) at St. Mary’s Catholic University, Twickenham, and Editor of International Studies in Catholic Education (ISCE) an academic and professional journal for Catholic educators.

He can be contacted at crdce@stmarys.ac.uk

The Second Calling

Hans S. Reinders, Darton

Longman & Todd,

2016

486pp pbk, ISBN 978-0-232-53217-3

£9.99

This book is described as “a novel inspired by the life and work of Jean Vanier and the ministry of L’Arche”. Its author is Hans S. Reinders who held the post of Professor of Ethics at the Free University of Amsterdam. Jean Vanier personally invited the professor to write a book to introduce the work of L’Arche to the uninitiated.

A novel has been defined as “an invented prose narrative of considerable length and a certain complexity that deals imaginatively with human experience involving a group of persons in a specific setting”.

The prescription of “ considerable length” is certainly met in this volume for it runs to four hundred and eighty six pages. And it certainly meets the criterion of focusing on “ a group of persons in a specific setting”. That group of persons is, of course, of a very recognisable nature given the connection with Jean Vanier. It consists of those who help unreservedly and those in need of considerable support and succour. We are introduced to people whose heroic devotion is so unquestioning as they seek to aid those whose life patterns are so limited by their disabilities. In both instances the “human experience” is significantly removed from that of the normal reader. Relatively

few of us have the courage and level of devotion to match those who dedicate themselves to the unquestioning service of others. And, mercifully, many of us do not suffer from the disabilities that have been visited on the poor disadvantaged.

The prescription in the definition of a novel quoted earlier that it is of “ a certain complexity” does not, however, fit this narrative. Hans Reinders has adopted a fairly predictable approach in which he introduces us to the variety of characters discretely. The chapter headings provide a ready clue to the structuring . So, for example, chapter two of Part One introduces us to Jonathan ( The New Assistant) and that section offers us something of a detailed portrait of that young man and his history. Further chapters and sections will turn the focus on other individuals : Alonso Calderon, Lucie Miles, The Foreign Intern ( Peter Entwistle) ,A Blind Potter ( Joaquin ) And Part VII focuses on the vocation crisis experienced by Ramon Jimenez.

This careful, repetitive structuring is characteristic, too, of much of the dialogue in the story. There is a considerable reliance in the narrative on lengthy dialogue and that, unfortunately, is almost inevitably stilted. It is a great pity that we rarely have the wonderful experience of prose in the novel that Ramon relishes when he hears something that Claire had written. “Ramon repeated it slowly, probing the words in his mouth as if he were trying a new wine.”(p217).

However, Jean Vanier will have been pleased with the overall message conveyed by Hans Reinders as,to use Vanier’s own words he depicts a community “ where the weak and the strong,the rich and the poor would be brought together in community and final peace, where those who were rejected could heal and transform those who rejected them”. ( Our Life Together) . In Reinders’ story we are introduced to believable characters who have experienced those trials and vicissitudes that afflict so many disadvantaged members of our society . And, to accompany these on their journey we are given portraits of devoted and dedicated people who act out their faith in works of genuine charity. Its message is certainly one that one would eagerly recommend it to young readers in our schools.

Dominic Hyland who reviews here, a permanent deacon in the diocese of Lancaster, was formerly a university lecturer. Although he lives in Manchester, he is a keen supporter of Liverpool FC.

The Culture Code: the Secrets of Highly Successful Groups

Daniel Coyle, Random house Business Books, 2018, 280pp., pbk., ISBN 978 1 847 94126 8, £14.99.

The answer is that they all owe their extraordinary success to their team-building skills. In The Culture Code, Daniel Coyle, New York Times bestselling author of The Talent Code, which I reviewed in the last issue of Networking, goes inside some of the most effective organisations in the world to reveal their secrets. These vary from the Naval SEALS, to very successful companies, even to some that have been acquired by Amazon and Google.

He not only explains what makes such groups tick, but also identifies the key factors that can generate team cohesion in any walk of life. He examines the verbal and physical cues that bring people together. He determines specific strategies that encourage collaboration and build trust. And he offers cautionary tales of toxic cultures and advises how to reform them, above all demonstrating the extraordinary achievements that result when we know how to cooperate effectively.

Again, as in his previous books, his research is wide ranging and, it seems, impeccable. From the disrupter of meetings to the one who combines an ability to counter the disrupter and make progress within a group, to the fantastic coach or leader, to various styles of leadership that lead to success within the organisation, Coyle offers a myriad of solutions for those looking to succeed in leadership.

The chapters are arranged with three skills in mind viz. Build Safety, Share, Vulnerability and Establish Purpose, which give a clear indication of how

this book can provide what is required for any successful leadership team.

Sharing and combining thinking processes was illustrated in a task set for two very different groups, one a kindergarten staff, the other a highly thought-of group from industry, solved better by the former group because of their ‘togetherness’. Coyle also describes starlings evading birds of prey by murmuration, and flying in formation of hourglasses, spirals and tendrils.

I emphasised in reviewing The Random Code the importance of Myelin, the ‘white stuff’ of the brain. This time it is amygdale, using neural horsepower to build social bonds

The Epilogue, the Notes, and the Ideas for Action, p 226, are an essential part of the this book.

Combining cutting-edge science, on-the-ground insight and practical ideas for action, The Culture Code is a ground-breaking exploration of how the best groups operate. This will change the way we think and work together for success.

Overall an easy and brilliant read, essential for anyone in, or aspiring to, leadership.

Think, Learn, Succeed: Understanding and Using your Mind to Thrive at School, the Workplace, and Life

Caroline Leaf, Baker Books, 2018, 316pp., pbk., ISBN 978 0 8010 9361 6

Our thought lives have incredible power over our mental, emotional, and even physical well-being. In fact, our thoughts can either limit us to what we believe we can do or release us to experience abilities well beyond our expectations. When we choose a mindset that extends our abilities rather than placing limits on ourselves, we will experience greater intellectual satisfaction, emotional control, and physical health. The only question is . . . how?

Backed by up-to-date scientific research and biblical insight, Dr. Caroline Leaf empowers readers to take control of their thoughts in order to take control of their lives. In this practical book, readers will learn to use

- The 5-step Switch on Your Brain Learning Program, to build memory and learn effectively

- The Gift Profile, to discover the unique way they process information

- The Mindfulness Guide, to optimize their thought life and find their inner resilience.

Dr. Leaf tells her readers how to combine these powerful tools in order to improve memory, learning, cognitive and intellectual performance, work performance, physical performance, relationships, emotional health, and most importantly a meaningful life well lived.

Each of us has significant psychological resources at our fingertips that we can use in order to improve our overall well-being. Dr. Leaf shows us how to harness those resources to unlock our hidden potential.

Dr Leaf shows how individuals can construct their own ‘Metacogs’, the results of seeing the ‘5-step Switch on Your Brain Learning Program’; indeed, one of the appendices shows many examples. She talks of the function of the left and the right sides of the brain interaction. There are 31 pages of Notes and 23 pages of recommended reading but, unfortunately, no Index. Maybe the titles of the chapters composing the four sections of this excellent book make up for this, as they are headed mainly ‘Mindset’, a guide that relates to the Thinker Mindset, and those referring to Controlled Thinking, the Words, Controlled Emotions, Forgiveness, Willpower, Support, Spiritual, Healthy Stress, and many others.

This book is practically based and there is a Workbook to accompany this volume. In an interview in the the Church Times, she attributes a lot of her thinking to her strong Catholic home life and the great benefit of Church membership. As you can imagine, she has worked in many scenarios, emphasising how attention to the working of the brain can not only develop people’s ability but also cure many of the brain injured. She speaks of individuals ‘labelled as ADHD, bipolar,depressive or autistic’ saying that in her research and experience over 30 years, ’many of these conditions were influenced by a disorder of

the mind that was caused by trauma or negative thinking patterns’.

Her medical colleagues think highly of her work and of this book. I can only recommend it as essential reading for teachers. It is a good read as well!

John Shoreland who reviews these two titles is the assistant editor of Networking CET. He was formerly headteacher of an East Midlands Catholic Upper school, CATSC Professional Development Officer, and Ofsted inspector.

In brief

Sioux Center, Sudan: A Missionary Nurse’s journey,

Jeff Barker, Hendrickson / Alban Books, 2018, 228pp,pbk., ISBN 978 1 68307 085 6, £13.99.

Arlene Schuiteman has a lifetime of stories to tell. They ramble across the Iowa fields of her farm-family childhood, they settle into the oneroom schoolhouses that nurtured her first years of teaching, and they sweep away to Africa, where her gentle hands nursed thousands.

Sioux Center Sudan is the story of a missionary nurse’s eight years on a tiny mission station in Nasir, Sudan, during the 1950s, the golden age of missions in America. There, Arlene faced immense challenges and yet learned to trust God in spite of the difficulties, including her unwanted expulsion from the country in 1963. Only decades later would she finally see the fruit of her work.

As a former Anglican nurse missionary in Pondoland, SA., at about the same time, Eileen Clarke commented to me, there is far too much detail, and the ponderous dialogue gets in the way of the basic story.

Leaving

faith behind: the journey and perspective of people who have chosen to leave Islam,

Fiyaz

Mughal & Aliyah Saleem, Darton, Longman & Todd, 158., ISBN 978 0 232 53364 4, £8.69

Leaving Faith Behind gives voice to women and men who were born into Muslim families and communities, but who have made the decision to leave Islam or to dissent against some of the most significant aspects of Islamic doctrine. Aliyah, who realised as a young woman that she did not have to live by rigid rules and concepts that suffocated her true self; Hassan, who became a practising Muslim in his teens, but whose doubts led him to leave the faith in his fifties; Jimmy, banished from his home and family when he was discovered to be gay; Marwa, who keeps secret from her community the fact that she can no longer practise a religion that she believes degrades and denies basic rights to women; Aisha, for whom the journey from belief to disbelief was a gradual process involving personal challenge and confrontations with friends and family.

As increasing numbers of people in Western society choose to turn away from organised religion, this book allows the stories of some of them to be heard: the reasons for their decisions to leave, the challenges of leaving, and the effects on their lives and relationships. It also captures portraits of life and culture within Muslim communities in our fast-changing world, and how they are reacting and responding to migration, secularisation, more inclusive attitudes to gender, sexuality, and other trends of modern society.

Book Launch at Heythrop College, University of London: Reserching Catholic Education

The book launch of Researching Catholic Education: Contemporary Perspectives, published by Springer (2018) took place at Heythrop College, University of London in February. This volume has been edited by Dr Sean Whittle (Visiting Fellow, St Mary’s University, London) and presents a range of perspectives on the current state of Catholic education in the opening decades of the twenty-first century.

All the chapters have their origin in an International Conference on Catholic Education, held at Heythrop College (University of London) in September 2016. The book brings together many leading scholars to present a survey of the latest research on Catholic education in areas such as the aims of Catholic education, Catholic schools and Catholic identity, leadership issues in Catholic schools and fresh thinking about the place of Religious Education (RE) in Catholic Education. Some of the contributors are: CATSC Treasurer, Dr John Lydon and Dr Maureen Glackin, St Mary’s University with their chapter ‘Getting Embedded Together: New Partnerships for Twenty-First Century Catholic Education;’ Prof. Gerald Grace, with a Chapter entitled ‘New Thinking, New Scholarship, New Research in Catholic Education – Some Perspectives

Sullivan with his chapter on ‘Diversity and Differentiation in Catholic Education’ amongst many others, including Prof. Richard Pring, Professor Stephen McKinney, Dr Leonardo Franchi, Dr. Michael Kirwan, S.J. and Dr Gareth Byrne.

In the view of the editor, Sean Whittle, this book demonstrates how the field of Catholic Education Studies has firmly come of age. Rather than being a subfield of educational or theological discourse, it is now an established field of research and study. As such, the book invites readers to engage with much of the new thinking on Catholic education that has grown rapidly in recent years. It offers a broad range of contemporary perspectives on research in Catholic Education and rich insights into current thinking about Catholic Education.

Some of the authors at the launch of the edited volume Researching Catholic Education and long-time colleagues

L to R- Professor John Sullivan, Liverpool Hope University

Dr John Lydon, CATSC/WUCT Executive / St Mary’s University, Twickeham

Professor Gerald Grace, St Mary’s University, Twickenham

(John Sullivan is a former programme director of the MA in Catholic School Leadership at St Mary’s University, John Lydon the current programme director and Gerald Grace a former external examiner for the programme).

Professor Richard Pring, University of Oxford, speaking at the conference that the book idea came from and author of a chapter in the book

St Augustine’s Priory, Ealing, celebrates Women’s Wellness

Women’s Wellness Week, an initiative launched by St Augustine’s Priory, Ealing, Catholic independent day school for girls, and held throughout the week of 11th June, drew together the school’s community in awareness raising, discovery and education about how to make choices for a healthy and fulfilling life.

This inaugural Women’s Wellness Week was a festival of learning and wellness, a valuable week where everyone learned something about themselves and how they work and that it is vital to accept and love yourself just the way you are.

There were events all through the week, from talks on women’s health from a parent who spoke to Seniors and Juniors about the importance of being aware of our bodies and health to a bake off at the end of the week, won by a cake with the words ‘Women’s Wellness Week’ iced on the top.

‘Ask the Midwife: a question and answer session’ for Seniors was held on the Tuesday led by Julia Melinek who answered questions from the girls about women’s health and well-being and gave sensible advice and explanations on topics ranging from puberty to childbirth. Mrs Melinek also led a session on Thursday 14th June for Juniors called ‘Embarrassing Bodies No More!’ where she again took written contributions from the girls and responded to requests for information about issues ranging from difficulties in sleeping to adolescence. As Ms Melinek commented, ‘Love your bodies and do not be ashamed of them’.

Julia Melinek’s daughter, Bella Glanville also ran sessions. This began on Tuesday with a Nail Bar in Priory 6 run by Bella and the Sixth

Form which raised funds for the a-Sisterhood organisation. On Wednesday 13th June Bella spoke to Preps on ‘I am lovely just the way I am’ and also took part in an activity carousel led by Sixth Form girls as well as staff on ‘The Myth of Perfection, Body Language, Body Games’

Julia Melinek and Bella Glanville made a powerful and inspirational mother/daughter combination. After spending twenty years as an opera singer Ms Melinek decided to retrain as a midwife and intends to become a doula, a birth companion who supports women and their families through pregnancy and childbirth. On this change of direction in her life she commented, ‘We go through multiple metamorphoses and it was important to go for it 100%’.

Ms Glanville is on a gap year before studying for a degree in Psychology and is founder of the Lovekidz’ foundation. She has also given two TED talks: one on the ‘Myth of Perfection’ and another on ‘Embracing Uncertainty’. (TED talks are given by expert speakers on education, business, science, tech and creativity).

There were also valuable talks from Magda Jenkins who spoke on Nutrition and Lizzie Rafii-Tabar and John Heathcote from The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists who spoke about Global Women’s Health.

Golden Jubilee Celebrations

by Sr.M.Andrew

What joy The Towers experienced on 6th June, when with Bishop Richard, our priests and deacons, pupils, staff, our Sisters from France and Ireland, and so many friends, Sister Mary Patrick and Sister Mary Margaret celebrated their Golden Jubilee, fifty years in God’s service.

After a ‘cup-cake’ break-time, celebrations began in earnest with the Mass of Corpus Christi, (a little late this year, but our very

special feast.) To the strains of “You raise me up”, Sisters from France, England, Ireland, and Tanzania, processed with the flags of the countries where our Sisters are established: France, Italy, Brazil, England, Spain, Ireland and Tanzania. – always a very moving ceremony. Then as Bishop Richard and the clergy entered, the congregation raised the roof with Matt Redman’s “Bless the Lord”. Bishop Richard’s homily kept our little ones on their toes as he quizzed them on 50 plus 50 and questioned them on what of significance had been happening in the world 100 years ago. He spoke of the witness given by Sister Mary Patrick and Sister Mary Margaret over fifty years as they answered God’s call, and he urged our pupils never to forget God’s presence: “He is always with you,” he said, “caring for you, looking out for you, as a shepherd guarding his sheep.” This theme was taken up with the Offertory procession, “Do not be afraid, I am with you”. Our pupils sang with all their hearts. After a beautiful rendering of “Taste and see” by some of our soloists at Holy Communion, our amazing

Mass concluded with “Thanks be to God” and our Juniors excelled as they sang the third verse on their own.

Indeed, there was so much to be thankful for. Mrs.Trelfa, our Headmistress, put our gratitude into words as she thanked our two Sisters for their lives of dedication and brought to mind the many years Sister Mary Patrick has cared for wounded limbs and especially wounded hearts!

A delicious roast lunch and mouth-watering desserts for our guests and staff followed, whilst our pupils enjoyed a picnic and ice cream on the lawn – Rosemary, our catering manager, and her staff had worked miracles as usual.

It was then time to assemble in the gym for a surprise concert based on the various countries where our Sisters are established. We enjoyed music, songs, dance, poetry, and speeches in English, Irish, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), and Tanzanian.

This was a day to remembera day our pupils will never forgetand a huge thank you to all those

St. Thomas More RC College, Denton -

Students and staff at St Thomas More RC College, Denton have excelled themselves this Lent by raising a record breaking amount for our chosen charities. The students, staff, parents, guardians and families all worked extremely hard to raise funds for their Lenten charities, which were CAFOD, The Christie, and Cancer Research.

Last year, the students at STM raised over £1,500 for their chosen charities,

and this year Miss Hague, college liturgy co coordinator, set the bar even higher. She challenged staff and students to beat last year’s figure and in just three weeks the school community came together to obliterate this target.

Everybody in the school community was involved and students held raffles, cake sales, played dodgeball and even took part in a sponsored run during their PE lessons to raise funds for their chosen charities. Furthermore, the determination and competitive spirit

Manchester - Fundraising Success

of our students at STM illustrated their compassion and commitment towards helping others. One member of staff, Mr Dela Hoye, even agreed to shave his head if enough money was raised.

The Head Girl, Sharon Adesiyan, stated it was only fitting that the whole school came together to raise the funds for charity:

“As a school, we pride ourselves on looking after the community that we live in and we enjoy planning events to help others.”

Bolaji Adenuga, who is in Year 10 agreed:

“It is in our mission statement to be a community and that is what we are always focused on being –a community.”

Ms Burns, Headteacher, was overjoyed by the combined efforts of all in the college community – a true reflection of our Catholic Social Teachings.

Once the funds were in and counted, students and staff had expected to exceed the amount raised last year by a £1,000. However, the overall figure was a staggering £8,551.12!

This is a fantastic achievement and it demonstrates the excellent Catholic ethos that permeates every facet of school life at St Thomas More RC College.

An Exhibition of Creative Talents

The work of talented art students from Saint Paul’s Catholic High School in Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester was showcased in an art exhibition in the heart of the community, at Manchester Airport which was visited by students, staff, parents, friends and the local community. The exhibition was opened by the Lord Mayor, Councillor June Hitchen.

The Art department showcased students’ work in an exhibition titled Cultures. Cultures showed Aztec prints from the Year 8s, World Art by the Year 9s and African art and vases created by our Year 10 and Year 11 students. “The students have created wonderful

works of art from an array of materials. Each piece is so different and many reflect the inner thoughts of the students,” explained Miss Rebecca Coyle, Head of Art. “The students were so pleased and proud to showcase their work; there was a tremendous amount of time, energy, imaginative creativity and dedication on display.”

“I enjoyed showing the Lord Mayor the students’ work and explaining the thought processes behind the pieces. The Lord Mayor said that she was very impressed and that she would like to hear more so invited us to afternoon tea at the Town Hall.”

“We have a wealth of creative talent at Saint Paul’s and the exhibition, which was full of ingenious creations, was a fantastic example of the creativity of the young people at our school. It was a joy to see the culmination of the work from students; their work shows great maturity and depth,” said Mr Alex Hren, Head Teacher at Saint Paul’s.

By David Mahon, Founder of the Tumble Trust

St. Elizabeth of the Trinity A young saint of dazzling simplicity

THE beautiful young Carmelite saint, Elizabeth of the Trinity, offers us a style of enlightenment that speaks directly to the spiritual hunger and thirst of our times.

There was a holy daring about her life, and her story continues to open up a marvellous gateway to a profound form of contemplative prayer.

Born in France in 1880, Elizabeth is honoured today as ‘a prophet of the presence of God.’

Two years before she died at the age of 26, Elizabeth wrote to her mother: “There is a Being who is love and longs for us to be in communion with Him. Oh Mama, it is delightful, for he is there keeping me company, helping me to suffer, urging me to go beyond my suffering and to rest in him: do as I do, and you will see how that transforms everything.”

The life, and now the teaching of Elizabeth, is beginning to have a deep impact on contemporary spirituality. There is simplicity here we can learn and adopt for our own prayer life. Elizabeth was convinced that each of us possesses our heaven within us.

Tumble Trust, 7 Grammar School Road,Warrington, Cheshire WA4 1JN

Tel: 01925 635662

www.tumbletrust.org.uk

Her simple message is: ‘Just let your God love you.’

Elizabeth was canonised in 1998 by Pope John Paul II.

He acknowledged that she was one of the saints that had most influenced his own life.

For Elizabeth the words “God is love,” held the meaning and foundation of everything. There is at once a contemplative tidal wave and a fabulous innocence in her teaching.

She says: “We are here on earth so that we can be drawn into God’s vortex of love. So just let your God love you. If we can do that we are holy with the holiness of Jesus.”