Sir, - Fr Andrew Farrell deserves our support in his brave decision to withhold parish funds from his local Catholic schools, particularly as he has raised up for us the whole question of Catholic education and its relevance and indeed quality for today. In every other country of the world Catholic education is one part of the education system of any country. For example, in the UK where I lived and taught and ran a youth ministry to schools for many years, Catholic schools and all church schools are no more than a tenth of all schools available in the country. By practically everyone's submission, from the Government statistics and comments to teachers in all schools, Catholic schools in particular are thought of as the best on offer. League tables show it, as do indeed things such as sports achievements. Though not perfect, Catholic schools do engender a sense of community, even an alternative community and help foster reasonably good links to church and home. Prayer is common, as are weekly prepared masses in school and end-of-week prayerful assemblies with parents present. In a word, Catholic education is distinctive.
In Ireland, we know that primary education practically equals Catholic education, with 3,700 Catholic primary schools, 19 Educate Together Schools, one Jewish school, one Muslim (I am informed) and 202 which are under the general umbrella of the Church of Ireland, Presbyterian and Methodist Churches. By my maths that is 95 per cent Catholic schools at Primary level where sacramental instruction will be given as a part of the curriculum. Fr Farrell's action calls this whole equation into question. According to latest statistics only 39 per cent and 32 per cent of males and females respectively, between 25 and 34, living in Irish urban areas, are now attending church and that it is expected that this figure will perhaps drop as low as 15 per cent. Such a church/school system is surely ill-suited to the needs of modern Ireland. Are we afraid to have a large state primary sector which is non-confessional?
The whole of Third-level is nearly an exact mirror image of the primary and indeed secondary sector. All colleges are non-confessional apart from the Catholic teacher training institutes and the Church of Ireland teacher training college and the Cathechetical institutes and Theology colleges. We seem very happy to prepare for, attend and qualify from all the main universities which are all state institutes and have no tests of religion or confessional status.
The time has come for schools to be formally allowed and indeed encouraged to drop out of the Church system, and for the Churches to encourage this move. We are democrats and should be able to choose what we want without creating a whole new sector of state or Educate Together schools. If we were to loose three-quarters of the Catholic schools and have one quarter truly living out a Catholic mission, perhaps this would better meet our educational needs and stop the level of sacramental formalism which is often associated with church practice. As in the UK, parents would then be able to choose a Catholic education for their children which would be distinctive.
Without courage and reform this will not happen, and the value of our Catholic education for our pluralist state will surely further diminish and be a continued burden on Catholic parishes. From the point of view of the Gospel, the church is one of the greatest beneficiaries of the separation of Church and State. Let the debate continue. - Yours, etc.,
Cormac O'Duffy, Faith Alive Ireland Project Director, Ennis, Co Clare.