Recent statements by the Ministries of Education, on both sides of the Irish border, have left a solemn warning that the end of religious education in Catholic schools could be around the corner. This calls for a serious, positive, and radical response. I dare to propose a national plan of action in this article.
Restore parents’ birthright
“You are the first teachers of your child in the ways of faith, and may you be the best teachers” is what we tell the parents at the baptism of their child. This is the theory, but not the practice. For centuries, bishops, priests, teaching Brothers, Sisters, and lay teachers have been and still are the first teachers. We presented faith, and continue to speak about it, as an accumulation of religious knowledge, and so we use the language ‘teachers’, ‘religious education’, and ‘knowledge of the faith’. In this way, parents have been stripped of their birthright. This would be an opportune time to return it and to be serious about what we tell them at their children’s baptism.
In this regard, we could learn something from the staff of St Anne’s nursing home. They addressed this kind of superior attitude towards their residents with a large, beautiful statement in decorative calligraphy, which hangs in the lobby: “You do not live in our workplace. We work in your home.”
What the way of faith is
Faith is not a head trip. Biblical faith is a ‘relationship’. Abraham, a pagan, is our model of faith because he walked with God. To believe and put one’s faith in God in the Gospel of John is to become a disciple and friend of Jesus, and in Mark, to be his companion. We need to speak the language of our roots, which is primarily relational, is people-friendly, and easy for parents and children to understand.
Relationship with Jesus
Where do we begin to empower parents to be the first to form (not ‘educate’) their children in a relationship with Jesus? “If you don’t hear the name of Jesus spoken,” warns St Athanasius, “close your ears.” The ordained must be infected with Jesus, live Jesus, preach, and teach Jesus if they are to infect parents to infect their children. Jesus is caught, not taught!
We are Christians
We are baptised Christians. A Christian is firstly a disciple, a follower of Jesus. Therefore, Jesus is the sole object of formation, and we should speak this relationship language, not ‘receiving the sacraments’. We have replaced discipleship, a relationship with Jesus, with ‘getting’ three sacraments without any affiliation to him, and his body, the Church. They are reduced to ‘somethings’ to get instead of a loving relationship with ‘Someone.’ There is only one sacrament: Jesus. He is the sacrament of God.
A new challenge
That religious education will likely be removed from schools, is not a crisis, nor some academic problem to solve. It’s an exciting new challenge to move from head to heart formation, both for parents and for children. Who will be Jesus the Good Shepherd? Naturally, the shepherd of every diocese in Ireland. What a powerful witness it would be for a national thrust led by the bishops of Ireland! Delegate the priests to minister Confirmations. Go to the deaneries for as long as is needed, and meet personally with the lost sheep. “Know the smell of the lost sheep,” as Pope Francis put it. Begin with primary schools contacting the parents through the school to arrange the meetings.
The ministries of education have provided a krisis, in the Greek meaning of decision or choice, thus offering a golden opportunity to empower parents. See it as a grace-filled moment to relinquish the good and aim for the best. They are making it easier for the bishops because the latter now have a compelling reason to engage with the parents. And the parents will be open to dialogue as never before. Carpe Diem! – seize the day, and make this a new beginning. Bishops could rejoice with Isaiah, “See, I am doing something new” (43:19). A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to catechise and evangelise the parents.
The goal
Jesus is the goal. Evangelisation, conversion, and metanoia will turn the parents around, facing him, which is the essence of conversion. The parents, not the children, should be the focus. It would be a disastrous failure if the parish replaced the school, and continued to ‘teach religious education’ and ‘religious knowledge.’ It would be a continuation of discrimination against the parents and withholding their birthright. It would be like farming out the children to strangers for adoption who would give them information but no formation.
It is about discipleship, costly grace, being a follower and companion of Jesus, in which sacramental preparation is incorporated”
Formation happens best within the worshipping community. The bishops must encourage and exhort the parents to join the believing community weekly for the celebration of the Paschal Mystery – the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. It is irreplaceable. They will need to make it crystal clear to the parents that the reason for the weekly celebration is not sacramental preparation per se. It would be best not to use that language. It is about discipleship, costly grace, being a follower and companion of Jesus, in which sacramental preparation is incorporated.
Assure the parents that the parish will support them in their rightful role as the best formators (not educators) of their children. Promise them that they will not be expected to acquire a lot of religious knowledge to carry out this privilege of guiding their children to a relationship with Jesus. All that will be required of them is to do the bare minimum expected of every Christian: Bring them every Saturday evening or Sunday, to experience Jesus’s love for them and their parents; to worship God with their neighbours and friends; to give him praise and thanks because everything we have comes from him.
(i) Fr Sean Smyth is a retired Irish priest whose diocese is in Canada – Prince George, British Columbia. He is based at Knock Shrine and wrote a book on evangelisation called Jesus: The Answer to Evangelizing the Irish Church.
Double warnings issued to Irish Church – a way forward
Recent statements by the Ministries of Education, on both sides of the Irish border, have left a solemn warning that the end of religious education in Catholic schools could be around the corner. This calls for a serious, positive, and radical response. I dare to propose a national plan of action in this article.
Restore parents’ birthright
“You are the first teachers of your child in the ways of faith, and may you be the best teachers” is what we tell the parents at the baptism of their child. This is the theory, but not the practice. For centuries, bishops, priests, teaching Brothers, Sisters, and lay teachers have been and still are the first teachers. We presented faith, and continue to speak about it, as an accumulation of religious knowledge, and so we use the language ‘teachers’, ‘religious education’, and ‘knowledge of the faith’. In this way, parents have been stripped of their birthright. This would be an opportune time to return it and to be serious about what we tell them at their children’s baptism.
In this regard, we could learn something from the staff of St Anne’s nursing home. They addressed this kind of superior attitude towards their residents with a large, beautiful statement in decorative calligraphy, which hangs in the lobby: “You do not live in our workplace. We work in your home.”
What the way of faith is
Faith is not a head trip. Biblical faith is a ‘relationship’. Abraham, a pagan, is our model of faith because he walked with God. To believe and put one’s faith in God in the Gospel of John is to become a disciple and friend of Jesus, and in Mark, to be his companion. We need to speak the language of our roots, which is primarily relational, is people-friendly, and easy for parents and children to understand.
Relationship with Jesus
Where do we begin to empower parents to be the first to form (not ‘educate’) their children in a relationship with Jesus? “If you don’t hear the name of Jesus spoken,” warns St Athanasius, “close your ears.” The ordained must be infected with Jesus, live Jesus, preach, and teach Jesus if they are to infect parents to infect their children. Jesus is caught, not taught!
We are Christians
We are baptised Christians. A Christian is firstly a disciple, a follower of Jesus. Therefore, Jesus is the sole object of formation, and we should speak this relationship language, not ‘receiving the sacraments’. We have replaced discipleship, a relationship with Jesus, with ‘getting’ three sacraments without any affiliation to him, and his body, the Church. They are reduced to ‘somethings’ to get instead of a loving relationship with ‘Someone.’ There is only one sacrament: Jesus. He is the sacrament of God.
A new challenge
That religious education will likely be removed from schools, is not a crisis, nor some academic problem to solve. It’s an exciting new challenge to move from head to heart formation, both for parents and for children. Who will be Jesus the Good Shepherd? Naturally, the shepherd of every diocese in Ireland. What a powerful witness it would be for a national thrust led by the bishops of Ireland! Delegate the priests to minister Confirmations. Go to the deaneries for as long as is needed, and meet personally with the lost sheep. “Know the smell of the lost sheep,” as Pope Francis put it. Begin with primary schools contacting the parents through the school to arrange the meetings.
The ministries of education have provided a krisis, in the Greek meaning of decision or choice, thus offering a golden opportunity to empower parents. See it as a grace-filled moment to relinquish the good and aim for the best. They are making it easier for the bishops because the latter now have a compelling reason to engage with the parents. And the parents will be open to dialogue as never before. Carpe Diem! – seize the day, and make this a new beginning. Bishops could rejoice with Isaiah, “See, I am doing something new” (43:19). A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to catechise and evangelise the parents.
The goal
Jesus is the goal. Evangelisation, conversion, and metanoia will turn the parents around, facing him, which is the essence of conversion. The parents, not the children, should be the focus. It would be a disastrous failure if the parish replaced the school, and continued to ‘teach religious education’ and ‘religious knowledge.’ It would be a continuation of discrimination against the parents and withholding their birthright. It would be like farming out the children to strangers for adoption who would give them information but no formation.
Formation happens best within the worshipping community. The bishops must encourage and exhort the parents to join the believing community weekly for the celebration of the Paschal Mystery – the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. It is irreplaceable. They will need to make it crystal clear to the parents that the reason for the weekly celebration is not sacramental preparation per se. It would be best not to use that language. It is about discipleship, costly grace, being a follower and companion of Jesus, in which sacramental preparation is incorporated.
Assure the parents that the parish will support them in their rightful role as the best formators (not educators) of their children. Promise them that they will not be expected to acquire a lot of religious knowledge to carry out this privilege of guiding their children to a relationship with Jesus. All that will be required of them is to do the bare minimum expected of every Christian: Bring them every Saturday evening or Sunday, to experience Jesus’s love for them and their parents; to worship God with their neighbours and friends; to give him praise and thanks because everything we have comes from him.
(i) Fr Sean Smyth is a retired Irish priest whose diocese is in Canada – Prince George, British Columbia. He is based at Knock Shrine and wrote a book on evangelisation called Jesus: The Answer to Evangelizing the Irish Church.
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