One of the State's most prestigious fee-paying schools, Blackrock College, is to hand over control of its day-to-day operations to a lay board of management.
The move, which is likely to significantly reduce involvement by the Holy Ghost Fathers in the management of the school, follows a previous decision by the order to hand over trusteeship of the school to a private company, Desplaces Educational Association (DEA).
This was due in in part to a shortage of priests in the order, meaning it had insufficient numbers to run its five schools.
In a letter to parents, Mr Diarmuid O'Murchu, the head of the DEA, says the decision has been made to appoint boards of management to Blackrock College and its junior school, Willow Park.
For the first time, these boards will formally include parents and teachers in the management of the schools.
Up until now, Blackrock College has been run by the president of the college, who has traditionally been a member of the Holy Ghost Fathers.
But in a significant departure from this tradition, the new management structures mean the school will now be brought in line with the requirements of the Education Act of 1998.
This requires schools to move away from the "all powerful" school-manager model towards a board of management structure, where this is practicable.
Considerable attention has been devoted to the issue of best practice in the future management of both schools, the letter continues.
A series of meetings will be held in the near future to provide parents with details of the new management structures at the schools.
However, the letter emphasises the continuing role of the Holy Ghost Fathers congregation in the ownership and management of Blackrock College and Willow Park within the new structures.
It is understood that the DEA has the right to nominate four members to the board of management of the school, all or none of whom could be members of the religious order. In this way, the Holy Ghost Fathers can ensure they continue to play a role in the day-to-day management of the school.
Significantly, however, a further two members of the board will be drawn from the teaching staff at the school, with two others elected from parents of students enrolled at the school.
Boards of management have already been established in three of the five schools which the order operates in the State - St Michael's College, Ballsbridge, St Mary's College, Rathmines, and Templeogue College.
It is understood that the one remaining school - Rockwell College in Co Tipperary - will also establish a board of management in the near future.
DEA was established by the Holy Ghost Fathers to oversee and maintain the ethos of the religious order in their schools. In the future, Blackrock College will effectively have the same board of management structure as the majority of other schools.