Rethinking education in Galway

“Many of those who come out of our Catholic schools are not necessarily models of good Christian living”. That’s according to Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, in an filmed interview with Martin Beuster of the Ignatian Identity Group (IIG) linked to Coláiste Iognáid, Galway.

The interview is one of two (Minister Ruarí Quinn will be interviewed by former Coláiste Iognáid principal Frank Canavan) filmed to be shown at an international conference on the future of faith-based schools in Ireland and organised by IIG.

The Archbishop also repeated his belief that the present model of patronage for schools was no longer fit for purpose stating that the fact that he was the patron of 80% of schools in the Dublin area indicated how out-of-date the system was.

He spoke also of the need for fruitful co-operation between school, parish and parents, saying that the more these aspects of community converged the better the sacramental life of the children would be.

And he was insistent that adult faith formation, much neglected in the past, was an absolute necessatity if a faith based education was to thrive in the future. People need a faith formation which respects the fact that they are adults, that treats them as if they were adults and forms them in such a way that they develop an adult faith relevant to the world in which they live, he said.

Entitled ‘State and Church in Irish Education: Sharing Responsibility for Renewal’, the two-day conference (Friday 26 and Satuday 27 Oct) will host contributions from Professor Kathleen Lynch (UCD),  Fr Micahel Drumm, Dr Anne Looney, Jose Mesa SJ, the Jesuit delegate for Education worldwide, Dr Michael Jackson, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Richard Leonard, author of ‘Where the Hell is God?’ and many more.

The conference will take place in the Connemara Coast Hotel, Furbo, Galway and for further information visit:  http://www.rethinkingeducation.ie/