A Review of ‘SHARE THE GOOD NEWS’ And A Vision for Authentic Catechetical Renewal

Éanna Johnson PhD - December 2014

A Review of ‘SHARE THE GOOD NEWS’ & A Vision for Authentic Catechetical Renewal in Ireland

Éanna Johnson PhD – December 2014

CONTENTS

Page INTRODUCTION 3

BACKGROUND 4

‘SHARE THE GOOD NEWS’: NATIONAL DIRECTORY FOR 8

A VISION FOR AUTHENTIC CATECHETICAL RENEWAL IN IRELAND 17

2

INTRODUCTION

Share the Good News (SGN) is the National Directory for Catechesis in Ireland1, which was prepared by the Irish ’ Conference at the request of the Vatican and publicly launched in January 2011. The Church recommends the preparation of National Catechetical Directories, which should set out norms and criteria for adequate and appropriate catechesis at local level, and which may include an analysis of the situation in relation to catechesis and a programme of action. Each National Directory should be faithful to the Church’s guidance and teaching, especially the General Directory for Catechesis 1997 2 and the Catechism of the 3, the principal standards of reference for pedagogy/methodology and content. Catholic catechesis in Ireland has been unsatisfactory since the mid-1970s. The past generation and a half of young people have been largely lost to the Faith – deficient and defective RE programmes in our Catholic schools have been an obstacle to adequate knowledge and formation, encouraging a ‘horizontal’ or secularised understanding of the Faith, amenable rather than a counter-witness to the growing secularisation of society. This Review of Share the Good News by Dr Éanna Johnson follows on from his involvement in the Directory project since it was announced in 2005. He responded to the initial invitation to make submissions, and in 2006 he was one of those invited by the National Catechetical Office in Maynooth to study and comment on the Directory’s first Draft. In 2009 he studied and submitted comments on the 4th Draft. Some good aspects in the 1st and 4th drafts were to be commended, but it was also necessary to draw attention to several key problems, which unfortunately persisted right through to the final document: analysis of the existing catechetical situation in Ireland was superficial, past failures were endorsed and extended, while Catholic catechesis (the whole purpose of the Directory) was marginalised and supplanted by a secularised version of ‘Religious Education’. Preparation of a National Directory for Catechesis should have led to much-needed catechetical reform and renewal, but instead Share the Good News represents a setback, a golden opportunity wasted, inviting further internal secularisation of the Church. Positive elements in SGN and its approval by the Irish Bishops and the Vatican, may give the impression that the document is satisfactory, or at least can be used selectively. However, SGN is so intrinsically problematic that it is better set aside. Authentic renewal of Catholic catechesis in Ireland remains an urgent need, which will be extremely difficult and challenging, seeking to reverse the failures of the past forty years, but with the help of God all things are possible (Phil.4:13). Motivated by a love of Christ and his Church, especially the little ones who hunger for the Truth, Dr Éanna Johnson would like to share a vision for catechetical renewal in Ireland, fully faithful to the Church’s Magisterium on catechesis and modelled on the fullness of the special gift to Ireland which is the Vision of Knock.

1 Irish . Share the Good News. Dublin: Veritas Publications, 2010. 2 Congregation for the Clergy, General Directory for Catechesis, 1997. 3 Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Catechism of the Catholic Church. London: Geoffrey Chapman, 1994, 1999.

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BACKGROUND

Vatican Council II & Catechesis The Catechism of the 4 was composed by decree of that Council, and published in 1566, and served as the principal standard of reference for catechesis in the Catholic Church for over four centuries. During this time Catholic catechesis focused on teaching orthodox Catholic doctrine in a carefully structured manner, linked with a varied devotional life – Mass, the Sacraments, traditional prayers, missions, retreats, pilgrimages and other devotions. This ‘catechetical-devotional’ model was largely effective in handing on the Faith and forming Catholics in commitment to God and his Church, strong in faith and moral behaviour. 5 The documents of the provided rich resources for renewal and development of catechesis – Paul VI considered the Second Vatican Council itself to be ‘the great catechism of modern times’.6 At the Second Vatican Council some of the Bishops favoured composition of a new Catechism to succeed the Catechism of Trent, but instead the Council prescribed that ‘a directory be compiled for the catechetical instruction of the Christian people in which the fundamental principles of this instruction and its organization will be dealt with and the preparation of books relating to it’7.

Blessings that Flowed from Vatican Council II As the Second Vatican Council ended in 1965 the Catholic Church in general was brimming with optimism about the future of the Faith, and many blessings followed for catechesis. Responding to the wishes of the Council Fathers the General Catechetical Directory 8 (GCD- 1971) was published in 1971, providing excellent guidance in the conduct of Catholic catechesis, taking full account of the Second Vatican Council, and incorporating the best of catechetical developments, such as the biblical and kerygmatic movements, which favoured greater emphasis on Scripture and the history of in Christ. In the following decades many more Church documents were published providing excellent resources for Catholic catechesis, especially: Evangelii Nuntiandi – On Evangelisation in the Modern World 9 in 1975, Catechesi Tradendae – On Catechesis in Our Time in 1979, the remarkable Catechism of the Catholic Church 10 (which succeeds the Catechism of the Council of Trent) in 1992, and in 1997 the General Directory for Catechesis 11 (a comprehensive updating of the earlier Directory of 1971). Responding to the Church’s guidance there have been many excellent developments and initiatives in Catholic catechesis around the world. The most important standards of reference today for Catholic catechesis are Sacred Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) and the General Directory for Catechesis (GDC-1997) – the CCC expresses the content, what should be taught in catechesis, while the GDC-1997 expresses how catechesis should be carried out, the pedagogy (educational strategy), methodology and organisation.

4 J.Donovan DD (translator). Catechism of the Council of Trent. London: Baronius Press, 2006. 5 George Weigel. Evangelical Catholicism – Deep Reform in the 21st-Century Church. New York: Basic Books, 2013. 11-17. 6 John Paul II. Catechesi Tradendae – On Catechesis in Our Time. 1979. 2. 7 Second Vatican Council. Decree of the Pastoral Office of Bishops, Christus Dominus, 1965. 44. 8 Congregation for the Clergy, General Catechetical Directory, 1971. 9 Pope Paul VI. Evangelii Nuntiandi – On Evangelisation in the Modern World, 1975. 10 Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Catechism of the Catholic Church. London: Geoffrey Chapman, 1994, 1999. 11 Congregation for the Clergy, General Directory for Catechesis, 1997.

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Paradox of Setbacks in Catechesis post-Vatican II

While the graces and blessings of God were poured out in abundance at and after the Second Vatican Council, the Evil One – the Father of Lies and Spirit of Darkness – was also very active, seeking to destroy the work of the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of Truth and Light. Pope Paul VI noted serious doctrinal problems, and said that the smoke of Satan had entered the Church. In relation to catechesis, alongside good developments in Catholic catechesis which have been noted above, there were also widespread problems of the utmost gravity. In the Netherlands, without waiting for the guidance of the General Catechetical Directory 1971, a new catechism for adults was published in 1966, generally known as the ‘Dutch Catechism’ 12. In response to complaints, mostly from , Pope Paul VI appointed a Commission of Cardinals, which praised the Catechism’s good features, but also noted many deficiencies requiring correction. The text of the Dutch Catechism was never corrected, and it went on to be a significant and enduring negative influence in international catechetical circles, especially in the developed world13. A number of Church documents drew attention to these serious problems in Catholic catechesis. The General Catechetical Directory 1971 warned of potential problems14, while Catechesi Tradendae 1979 deplored actual problems that were taking place.15 Tragically, these early warnings were widely ignored, such that the same sort of deficiencies and problems were noted in 1997 by the General Directory for Catechesis 16, and in 1997 and 2003 by a Committee set up by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to examine catechetical texts for conformance to the CCC. 17 The problems noted in Catholic catechesis are not so much false statements contrary to the teaching of the Church, but rather deficiencies, inadequacies and confusions, resulting from omissions, imbalances and an overall ‘horizontalist’ perspective (secular, this-world-only, neglecting the spiritual and eternal). The problems are not limited to some aspects of Catholic catechesis but range across the full spectrum of Church teaching. Because of their nature, these problems are often difficult to detect and specifically identify. This corruption of Catholic catechesis, affecting both faith and morals, has caused heart- breaking distress among the faithful – clergy and laity, especially parents/grandparents – and led to widespread ignorance of the Faith, especially among the under-50s. In the period since Vatican II the resources available for authentic Catholic catechesis have probably never been better or more easily available in the history of the Church, so it is paradoxical and inexplicable that this same period has seen such harmful catechetical materials produced, some even sanctioned under official Church auspices.

12 Higher Catechetical Institute, Nijmegen. A New Catechism - Catholic Faith for Adults. New York: Herder and Herder, 1967. 13 Michael J Wrenn. Catechisms and Controversies – Religious Education in the Postconciliar Years. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1991. 140-148. 14 General Catechetical Directory 1971. 5, 7-9, 36, 39, 69. 15 Catechesi Tradendae. 17, 30, 49, 61. ‘Catechetical renewal .... has brought with it articles and publications which are ambiguous and harmful to young people and to the life of the Church. ... catechetical works which bewilder the young and even adults, either by deliberately or unconsciously omitting elements essential to the Church’s faith, or by attributing excessive importance to certain themes at the expense of others, or, chiefly, by a rather horizontalist overall view out of keeping with the teaching of the Church’s Magisterium’. 16 General Directory for Catechesis 1997. 2, 9, 28, 30, 181/2 17 Reports of USCCB Standing Committee on Catechesis, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. 1997, 2003.

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Which Path for Ireland after Vatican II?

This ‘catechetical-devotional’ model, with strong home, school and linkages, was followed in Ireland prior to and immediately following the Second Vatican Council, as elsewhere in the Catholic world. 18 The Irish Catholic Bishops’ ‘Penny Catechism’ was the text for primary school catechesis – a concise and well structured summary of the key truths of the Faith, with the Roman Catechism as the standard of reference.19 Ireland’s secondary schools normally had a programme with widely used common text books, which built on the basics of the Penny Catechism, covering: doctrine, liturgy, apologetics, and Scripture. Dioceses had Inspectors who visited secondary schools to review progress, and conducted regular written examinations in religious knowledge. One would have expected Ireland to be a shining example of post-Vatican II Catholic catechetical success, because we were starting from a very strong base – an extensive network of Catholic schools, dedicated teachers, supportive parents/grandparents and clergy, tried and proven catechetical programmes that only needed updating and renewal faithful to Vatican II – and the Irish Church did not stint on pouring resources into religious education. Common experience now indicates that the reality in Ireland is far from success, and is more expressive of catechetical disaster.20

Two very different paths faced Catholic catechesis in Ireland in the 1970s. Pope St John Paul II on the final day of his 1979 visit to Ireland, in an address in Limerick specially for lay people, said Ireland was at a point of decision in her history, and must choose between the way of Christ and the way of the world 21. Tragically, catechesis in Ireland had already since around the mid-1970s started to copy problematic catechetical developments from overseas, rather than faithfulness to the Church’s Magisterium. Defective and deficient programmes in our schools, primary and secondary, have prepared our Catholic people to accept the way of the world, absorbing rather than counteracting the wider secularisation of Irish society.

The Penny Catechism was replaced in Ireland’s primary schools by the unsatisfactory Children of God series, which reflected more the Dutch Catechism than the Church’s Magisterium. In the 1990s the Children of God series was replaced by the even less satisfactory Alive-O Programme22. In 2002 the Bishops’ Commission on Catechetics announced the preparation of a new Syllabus for a new primary level RE programme to succeed the Alive-O Programme. An unsatisfactory draft Curriculum appeared in 2011. A new primary school programme is in preparation, but initial indications are discouraging. At secondary level the good RE programme, along with the system of inspection and examination, were simply abandoned, and nothing of substance put in their place, leaving a

18 Such a model was also the experience of the young Joseph Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI, growing up in Bavaria. See Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. Salt of the Earth – The Church at the End of the Millennium; An Interview with Peter Seewald. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1997. 41-50. 19 Texts similar to the ‘Penny Catechism’ were used in other countries, e.g. In USA the ‘Baltimore Catechism’. 20 What , especially urban, cannot relate to Fr Peter McVerry’s summing up: ‘When I look at the last forty years of Catholic education in Ireland, I am led to the conclusion that Catholic education has completely failed. … could be renamed not quite Last Communion but Second Last Communion because there is one more day in church and that is Confirmation. … Yes children, welcome to adulthood’. Peter McVerry SJ in Reimagining the , 231. Editors: Ned Prendergast & Luke Monahan. Dublin: Veritas Publications, 2003. 21 The Visit. John Paul II in Ireland. Dublin: Veritas Publications & ACW Art Publishers, 1979. 83-88. 22 Éanna Johnson carried out a theological and pedagogical analysis of the Alive-O Programme, for which he was awarded a PhD in Theology by the Pontifical University, St Patrick’s College, Maynooth; thesis accessible at http://eprints.nuim.ie/3076/ The analysis showed Alive-O to be unsatisfactory, which conclusion was supported by a nationwide Learning Assessment Survey of pupils who had completed the 8years of the Alive-O Programme; survey results can be seen at www.eannajohnson.org

6 free-for-all, with many classrooms having unstructured discussions on topics of the day, others following some chosen text, still others doing nothing. After twenty-five years the ‘solution’ to the chaos has been to hand over leadership in religious education to the secular State (ROI) for public examinations in Junior and Leaving Certificate Examinations in ‘Religious Education’; the Syllabi express a secular perspective on all religions and non- religious positions, which could only encourage pupils to adopt a secular mind-set, providing an unsatisfactory foundation for education of Catholic students in Catholic Faith. 23 There had been little formal ‘adult catechesis’ so designated before Vatican II, but a considerable amount of adult catechesis actually took place in a variety of ways. The principal way was the Sunday homily, or sermon, which usually had a significant catechetical content. Retreats, missions and sodalities also had much catechesis. But in the 1970s and 1980s most of this adult catechesis was lost. Sodalities virtually disappeared, missions became much less frequent. Retreats lessened in popularity, and the catechetical input also diminished, with a greater emphasis on reflection and meditation. After Vatican II the Sunday catechetical sermons became the homily breaking open the Word of God from the Scripture readings of the Mass, excellent in principle, but in practice the homilies have tended to lack real substance24. There used to be an effective partnership in Catholic catechesis between home, school and parish but this was largely lost resulting from introduction of deficient and defective programmes since the 1970s. A study carried out in 1999 on the Children of God series found that parents and parish clergy were like separate islands, so disconnected from the school religion programme that the Report was titled, ‘Islands Apart’. 25

In 2004 the Vatican asked the Irish Bishops to produce a National Directory for Catechesis in Ireland, which was a wonderful opportunity for reform and renewal of our Catholic catechesis. Work started in 2005, but an unsatisfactory 6-year preparation process finally produced Share the Good News, which regrettably is also unsatisfactory.

23 National Council for Curriculum & Assessment. Religious Education Syllabi: Junior Certificate 2000, Leaving Certificate 2003. Dublin: The Stationery Office, Dublin. 24 J Anthony Gaughan. At the Coalface – Recollections of a City and Country . Dublin: Columba Press, 2000. 183: Based on a lifetime of pastoral experience in Dublin Archdiocese, Fr Gaughan identified three paramount factors responsible for the decline in Faith among the people: affluence, the influence of the media, and the unsatisfactory nature of catechetical programmes in the pulpit and in the school. 25 Martin Kennedy. Islands Apart – Consultation Report regarding the ‘Children of God’ series for senior primary-school children involving parents, children, teachers and . Dublin: Veritas Publications, 2000. The Children of God series had been in use for over twenty years, yet of the parents surveyed 77% said they knew a little or nothing about the programme, and 86% of priests reported knowing a little or nothing about the programme. The Alive-O Programme could only drive the three islands further apart, because of the lack of content in the Pupils Books, which parents and priests might see, while the programme is essentially contained in the Teachers Books, which parents and priests are unlikely to see and unlikely to learn much if they do see because the Teachers Books are so voluminous, complex and confusing.

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‘SHARE THE GOOD NEWS’ - NATIONAL DIRECTORY FOR CATECHESIS IN IRELAND

What is a National Directory for Catechesis? Both the General Catechetical Directory (GCD-1971) and the General Directory for Catechesis (GDC-1997) recommend and provide guidelines for Conferences of Bishops to draw up Catechetical Directories for their territories.26 The main purpose of a National Directory for Catechesis is to provide guidelines clarifying the nature of catechesis, its object, tasks, contents, and method, to achieve an adequate and effective catechesis at the local level.27 A National Directory for Catechesis may also include a thorough and objective analysis of the situation relevant to evangelisation and catechesis at local level.28 Based on this analysis a Programme of Action 29 may be developed, which will determine the objectives or goals, the tasks and responsibilities of all those involved, and the necessary resources. Any programme of action must be in harmony with the objectives and norms of the Universal Church and at the same time fully responsive to local needs. Experience confirms the usefulness of such a programme of action for catechesis, which is usually drawn up for a specific period, at the end of which it is revised, taking into account new emphases, objectives and means.

Transparency should be a central characteristic of all aspects of the preparation of the National Directory for Catechesis.30 The entire Christian community should share in the study and analysis of the situation, so that the people may be made aware of the questions and be disposed to action. If the analysis is flawed or deficient the subsequent programme of action cannot help but be deficient, at best, and potentially counter-productive.

Preparation Process Lacked Transparency and Participation.

Teaching the faith is the first of every ’s three main tasks – teach, sanctify, govern.31 A National Directory for Catechesis is the responsibility of the entire Episcopal Conference, with due respect for the authority of individual bishops in their own dioceses. Responsibility for preparing the new Directory for Catechesis was delegated by the Bishops’ Conference to the Episcopal Commission on Catechetics. It would have been better delegated to a publicly named team of Bishops, because the great majority of the members of the Catechetics Commission were not bishops, and many could be considered members of Ireland’s catechetics establishment and therefore had conflicts of interest in relation to objective analysis of the existing and past situations on catechesis in Ireland.

26 General Catechetical Directory 1971. 103, 117; General Directory for Catechesis 1997. 11, 282. 27 GCD-1971. 99-107, 116-117; GDC-1997. 279-282. 28 GCD-1971 99-102; GDC-1997 279-280. 29 GCD-1971. 103-107; GDC-1997. 281, 283. 30 The Bishops of Ireland made an explicit commitment to transparency in a statement after their Winter General Meeting in December 2009: ‘Charity, truthfulness, integrity and transparency must be the hallmark of all our communications’. 31 Code of Canon Law, 1983. 375, 386. CCC 888-896. GDC-1997 222-223. Acts 6:2-4.

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Preparation of Ireland’s National Directory for Catechesis was publicly launched in May 2005, with a consultation process, titled ‘Dialogue in Faith’, promising a ‘new vision in shared partnership in catechesis’. The lead role of preparing the new Directory was given in 2005 by the Episcopal Commission on Catechetics to Rev Dr Gareth Byrne (Mater Dei Institute of Education). A website was set up with some limited information about the new National Directory for Catechesis. Submissions were invited from interested parties of not more than 500 words, but allowing a very limited response time of about three weeks. This was a good start, but subsequently open dialogue, consultation and communication were minimal. The website was never updated. The great majority of the members of the Church – clergy, religious, parents, teachers, young people and other laity – were excluded from participation and kept uninformed about what was happening. This lack in consultation and communication was contrary to good practice and the specific guidelines in the GDC- 1997, and also did not deliver on the promise of a ‘new vision in shared partnership in catechesis’ in the 2005 announcement of the National Directory for Catechesis. It would have been easy and inexpensive to put drafts and other progress information on the website, but this was not done – unlike the commendable precedent set in preparation of the Youth Ministry document under the Chairmanship of Bishop Donal McKeown.32 Every possible encouragement and guidance should have been given to the faithful to help them in studying drafts of the Directory and responding,33 and in the process achieved involvement, education, and enthusiasm of the faithful for Catholic catechesis and evangelisation, resulting in the best possible Directory for future guidance of Catholic Catechesis in Ireland. The Episcopal Conference follows the very commendable practice of issuing Press Releases promptly after each of their Quarterly General Meetings. During the six years of preparation the only reference to the Directory was a brief statement in June 2007 giving advance praise for the Directory and saying that preparation was ongoing. However, after the launch of Share the Good News as a fait accompli the Quarterly Press Releases give it generous attention and praise. In February 2006 copies of a Draft of a new Directory were posted by the National Catechetical Office to a number of people inviting comments, but only allowing about ten days for a response. Éanna Johnson had responded to the initial invitation for submissions and was one of those invited to comment on the first Draft; in 2009 he received and submitted comments on the 4th Draft. Some good aspects in the 1st and 4th drafts of the Directory were to be commended, but it also was necessary to draw attention to several key problems, which persisted right through to the final document.

32 A Draft Youth Ministry document was posted on a website (March 2008) and a public request was made for all interested persons to respond with comments. Called Together. Making the Difference – A Framework Document for Youth Ministry in Ireland. Redemptorist Publications, on behalf of: The National Committee of Diocesan Youth Directors (NYDYD) & the Commission for Pastoral Renewal and Adult Faith Development of the Irish Bishops’ Conference. May 2009. 33 By way of comparison, the US Bishops in 2002 made a Draft of their revised National Directory for Catechesis available to all the faithful, encouraging them to respond within 4 months. The Bishops of Scotland are currently preparing the Senior Phase of their National Syllabus for Religious Education in Catholic Schools – This is Our Faith and they have put the Draft up on their website, www.bcos.org.uk

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Situation Analysis Superficial – Failures Endorsed As noted above, both the GCD-1971 and GDC-1997 recommend that prior to preparing a plan for Catechesis there should be a thorough and objective analysis of the current situation in relation to catechesis, in which the entire Christian community should share, as a basis for formulation of plans. 34 The analysis should be thorough and objective, seeking to become aware of reality from the point of view of catechesis: how it is situated in the process of evangelization; the balance between the various catechetical sectors (children, adolescents, young people, adults); the co-ordination of catechesis between parish, family and school; its quality, contents imparted and methodology used. The analysis should determine the extent to which the Church’s evangelising and catechetical activities are attaining their goals, the results achieved, identifying the effectiveness or otherwise of various activities in use or contemplated. The analysis should also assess the general religious and moral situations; also the sociological, cultural, and economic conditions, to the extent that these factors can greatly influence the success of evangelisation and catechesis. SGN undertakes and presents some reasonable analysis in relation to the Irish situation in general 35, but its analysis of the situation in relation to evangelisation and catechesis is superficial in the extreme, simply accepting everything about the catechetical situation as it is. As noted above the catechetical situation in Ireland is extremely poor, but in SGN there is no questioning, no objective investigation, no evaluation of results obtained; all past failed practices and policies are enthusiastically praised and endorsed. SGN did not carry out any religious knowledge assessments, which was particularly remiss considering that the catechetics establishment has not carried out any such assessments. A survey of religious knowledge of adults in Ireland (Republic and Northern Ireland) carried out by the Iona Institute in 2007 36, confirms that knowledge of faith is significantly deficient, and that the younger the age-group the greater the deficiency. The absence of objective analysis of Ireland’s catechetical situations may have been influenced by fact that, as noted above, SGN’s lead-author 37 and many members of the supervising Episcopal Cathechetics Commission were members of the catechetics establishment, and therefore had potential conflicts of interest. The deficit in analysis means that SGN lacks a sound basis on which to build plans – like building a house on sand. 38

34 GCD-1971 99-102; GDC-1997 279-280. 35 SGN Chapters 1, 4. 5 & 6. 36 Religious Knowledge Poll carried out by Lansdowne Market Research for the Iona Institute and the Evangelical Alliance, 2007. See www.ionainstitute.ie. Results were published – Michael Kelly, Religious Knowledge Shock – Are we failing our children? The Irish Catholic, Thursday 12 April 2007. P.1, 8-12. One might have expected Church authorities to welcome this objective survey, but the Survey was criticised by some bishops. Patsey McGarry, Christian survey may have had agenda, say bishops. The Irish Times, Thursday, June 14, 2007. P.11. 37 Gareth Byrne. Children’s Religious Education: Challenge and Gift. In Nurturing Children’s Religious Imagination. Editors: Raymond Topley & Gareth Byrne. Dublin: Veritas Publications, 2004. 237-251. The approach treated all religious traditions and experiences as of equal value. Gareth Byrne. Religious Education Renewed – An Overview of Developments in Post-Primary Religious Education. Dublin: Veritas Publications, 2005. 5-6, 19-20. Fr Byrne expressed strong approval for faith development and for Religious Education as a subject in secondary schools which should be the foundation for the National Directory for Catechesis. Gareth Byrne. Lifelong Faith Development in the Home, Parish and Other Educational Environments. 35-41. In Exploring Religious Education. Editors: Patricia Kieran & Anne Hession. Dublin: Veritas Publications, 2008. The focus is on ‘faith development’, not evangelisation and catechesis, with strong endorsement of the State Syllabus for ‘Religious Education’. 38 Mt.7:24-27.

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Evangelisation & Catechesis Supplanted by ‘Faith Development’ & Secularised ‘Religious Education’ Evangelisation is the primary mission of the Church, she exists in order to evangelise.39 The Church teaches that catechesis is an integral element of evangelisation.40 Catechesis in the Church’s mission of evangelisation is the overarching theme of the General Directory for Catechesis 1997 41, while within catechesis a central place is given to the pedagogy (or basic educational strategy) called ‘the pedagogy of God’ 42, which is the way of Jesus, the way of divine Revelation. The pedagogy of God and catechesis as an integral part of evangelisation should therefore be foundational themes for every National Directory for Catechesis. SGN does not locate catechesis within evangelisation, does not promote the pedagogy of God as the fundamental strategy for education in Faith, indicating that it adopts a foundational strategy different to that of the Church.

The first step in SGN’s strategy is to introduce a concept it calls ‘Faith Development’, which is superimposed over and effectively supplants Evangelisation. The term 'faith development' is not used in Magisterial documents in relation to catechesis. ‘Faith development’ is a term that can appear positively in other contexts, but does not have any official or generally accepted meaning, facilitating SGN to choose its own meaning for 'faith development'. SGN initially defines 'faith development' as having six elements43, as follows:  Initial Proclamation;  Christian Initiation;  Catechesis;  Religious Education;  New Evangelisation;  Theological Reflection. SGN then goes on to describe 'faith development' as ‘an all-inclusive term’ which embraces most of Church life (as detailed in footnote below). 44

39 Paul VI. Evangelii Nuntiandi – On Evangelisation in the Modern World. : Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1975 (EN), 14. GDC-1997. 46-57. Evangelization can be understood in terms of: proclaiming Christ to those who do not know Him; Christian witness; preaching the Gospel; call to conversion and faith; catechumenate and Christian Initiation; catechesis; inner adherence to living the Christian life; conferring and the other sacraments; entry into the community; formation of Christian communities and building up the Church; continuous education in the faith and theology; continuing conversion; apostolic initiative and the renewal of humanity. 40 EN 17. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 425-429. 41 GDC-1997. 34-91; 276-277. 42 GDC-1997. 137-147. 43 SGN 3, 31, 130. 44 SGN 43. SGN 130-169 (Chapter 7: Resources & Implementation) includes as ‘faith development’ the following: liturgy, community events, parish buildings, migrants, the sick, people with special needs, helping those with financial problems, ecumenism, inter-religious outreach, schools and colleges, marriage and family life ministries, IT and websites, finance, religious education programmes and texts, ecclesial movements and communities, training of priests//seminarians/teachers/catechists/etc, chaplaincy, press and media, and more.

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SGN justifies using ‘faith development’ on the grounds that it is a broadly embracing concept, but this is not valid because the Church’s understanding of evangelisation is already comprehensive (see footnote 39 page 11). SGN’s strategy of ‘Faith Development’ gives rise to many problems, including:  SGN’s strategy on ‘faith development’ confuses, obfuscates and diminishes the meaning of Evangelisation in a number of ways. Evangelisation per se, the Church’s primary mission, disappears. All that SGN recognises is ‘new evangelisation’, which is a part of but not the fullness of evangelisation. The term ‘new evangelisation’ was put forward by Pope St John Paul II to describe that particular type of evangelisation appropriate in countries of established Christian tradition where entire groups of the baptised have lost a living sense of the faith and are removed from the Church and from Christ. 45 Instead of being part of evangelisation, SGN makes ‘new evangelisation’ subsidiary to its own concept of ‘faith development’.  SGN further confuses and diminishes Evangelisation by making Initial Proclamation, Christian Initiation and Catechesis subsidiary to ‘Faith Development’, and not as the Church teaches, part of Evangelisation.  SGN proposes ‘Religious Education’ as a component of ‘Faith Development’. SGN’s concept of ‘Religious Education’ presents a secularised perspective on all religions and unbelief. SGN then uses ‘Faith Development’ like a Trojan Horse to insert secularised ‘Religious Education’ into educational settings and most aspects of Church life, giving preference to ‘Religious Education’ over Catholic Catechesis.  SGN proposes the creation of an extensive (c. 1,400 people) and very expensive, ‘faith development establishment’ in every parish, diocese and Episcopal Conference offices in Maynooth, with potential to be a dominant influence in most of Church life.

The second step in SGN’s strategy is to introduce a concept it calls ‘Religious Education’.46 Magisterial documents on catechesis do not use the term ‘religious education’ and it is significant that most of the references in SGN’s section on ‘Religious Education’ are secular sources, none from Magisterial documents. The term ‘religious education’ can have many different meanings. SGN’s description of what it means by ‘religious education’, 47 is vague and wishful. SGN also makes clear that ‘religious education’ is not Catholic catechesis. A more explicit understanding of what SGN means by ‘religious education’ comes from the State Syllabi for Religious Education in the Junior and Leaving Certificate examinations48 in the Republic of Ireland, which are enthusiastically embraced and promoted by SGN. These Syllabi reflect a secular perspective, understanding that religion has an essentially human foundation, the human search for meaning, rather than a religious or transcendent foundation; 49 the Syllabi recognise religious belief, but not the actual existence of any deity or transcendent Being. By contrast the Church understands the foundation of religion as the desire for God written in the human heart, the search for God. 50

45 John Paul II. Redemptoris Missio, 33. GDC-1997. 58. 46 SGN 38-39. 47 SGN 38. ‘Religious education helps people to develop religious ways of thinking, feeling and doing; teaches people to think profoundly and make choices; encourages engagement with religious questions, facilitates discussion, and helps people grapple with crucial questions’. 48 National Council for Curriculum & Assessment. Religious Education Syllabi: Junior Certificate 2000, Leaving Certificate 2003. Dublin: The Stationery Office. 49 Junior Cert Syllabus, p.5; Leaving Cert Syllabus, p.5. 50 Catechism of the Catholic Church, 27.

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The secular perspective of the Syllabi is further emphasised in relation to morality, which is understood as essentially a human phenomenon, the human need to order relationships, 51 with no necessary connection with religion. In contrast the Church teaches that morality is founded on the dignity of the human person, created in the image of God and redeemed by Christ. 52 The Christian perspective is that faith and morals, love of God and neighbour, are inseparable. 53 The State Syllabi treat religion and morality quite separately, which is a secular perspective. Among religions the Syllabi give most attention to Christianity, not because Christianity is recognised to be true or better in any way than other religions or atheistic positions, but only because of the historic influence of Christianity in Irish society. However, the presentation of a generic ‘Christianity’ is defective and deficient, more a secular caricature than the real thing. In addition the Syllabi are constructively anti-Catholic because the Catholic faith, which is the majority faith of the people of the State both now and for the past 1500 years, is never mentioned, not even in the Leaving Cert Section, ‘Religion: the Irish Experience’. As to the actual experience of Catholic pupils in second-level schools in relation to ‘Religious Education’ SGN did not carry out or reference any research, but merely presents a glowing account of what is aspired to or wished for. 54 For example SGN does not mention or seek to explain why less than half of pupils take Religious Education in the Junior Certificate examinations, and only 5% of pupils take Religious Education in the Leaving Cert exam. Apart from its secular perspective, the Leaving Cert Syllabus is complex and much influenced by opinion, bias and ideology, which could contribute to the low uptake. Anecdotal evidence of education in Catholic faith in second level schools is predominantly negative. SGN recommends that there should be neither Catholic catechesis nor evangelisation in Catholic schools55, while the Objectives in SGN’s Implementation Plan are all under the heading of ‘Faith Development’, giving secularised ‘Religious Education’ an entry point into most of Church life. In these ways Catholic catechesis is effectively supplanted by secularist ‘Religious Education’, subverting the true nature and purpose of a National Directory for Catechesis.

SGN’s section on Catechesis56 contains much good material, but this is not likely to be of much benefit when Catechesis has been severed from its rightful place as an integral part of evangelisation, evangelisation itself has been supplanted by ‘Faith Development’, and Catholic catechesis has been largely supplanted by secularised ‘Religious Education’.

SGN’s presentation on Catechesis also has some significant omissions. There is a commendable emphasis on the aim of catechesis to bring people to maturity of faith after initial proclamation and initiation. Omitted, however, is that often initial proclamation, conversion and initiation are integral to catechesis 57 and that this is the case for the vast majority of Catholics in Ireland.

51 Junior Cert Syllabus, p.38-39. Leaving Cert Syllabus, p.42-43. 52 CCC 16, 1691/2. 53 Mt.22:34-40. 54 SGN 107-111. 55 SGN 99-111, 131-132, 136-140, 145-152, 158-159, 166-168. 56 SGN 34-37. 57 GDC-1997. 61-68.

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Another omission is commitment to faithfulness to the Magisterium, the authoritative teaching office of the Church, most particularly requiring for Catholic catechesis perfect harmony with the CCC, and due consideration for the norms and criteria in the GDC-1997. 58 It is good that SGN includes quotations from these documents, but this is not enough59 -- an explicit commitment to follow the Magisterium is required, which is then put into practice. As noted above SGN does not promote the ‘pedagogy of God’ as the fundamental strategy for catechesis or ‘religious education’. By endorsing the ROI State’s ‘Religious Education’ syllabus for secondary schools, SGN implicitly favours a pedagogy based on a secular understanding of religion, a ‘pedagogy of secularism’. SGN commendably refers to the four main themes in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, but omits the other vitally important theme recommended by the GDC-1997 for the overall structure of Catholic catechesis, which is Salvation History. 60

Another important SGN omission is that Catholic catechesis itself may validly include information on other Christian churches and ecclesial communities, other religions and on non-religious options. This should only happen when pupils have received a good grounding in the truths of the Catholic faith. Such information should be age-appropriate and should always be given from a Catholic perspective, which is the only way of teaching the full truth about other religions and non-religious options.

While excluding Catholic catechesis from schools, SGN does allow catechesis in homes and parishes. However, this is of very limited value because neither homes nor parishes are well prepared for the task. Grandparents did get good catechesis, but they lack a tradition of giving a full catechesis in the home because the schools used to do that well, and they are only a support, not primary educators. The under-50 parents were poorly catechised so they are in no position to catechise their children. Priests are over-stretched already without trying to take on the massive task of catechising the youth of their parishes. Home and parish are additionally burdened with having to counteract the secularised ‘religious education’ the young will get in Catholic schools.

It is not clear why SGN includes Theological Reflection 61 as an element of ‘Faith Development’, because the term ‘theological reflection’ occurs neither in Evangelii Nuntiandi nor in the GDC-1997 as an element or component of evangelisation or catechesis. It would be more helpful to use the relevant section in the GDC-1997, 'Continuing Education in the Faith', because this refers to deepening of knowledge of the faith through study of theology.62 It would also have been appropriate for SGN to endorse the GDC-1997’s recommendation for deeper study of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 63 which contains a richness and breadth of theology, along with copious references to other works which could be followed up to give a very wide ranging study indeed of many dimensions of theology.

58 GDC-1997. 284. 59 Matthew 4:6. Satan quoted Scripture in trying to tempt Jesus to sin. 60 GDC-1997. 16, 98, 108, 115, 117. 61 SGN 42. 62 GDC-1997. 69-72. 63 GDC-1997. 119-130.

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Implementation Plan to Secularise Faith throughout Church Life A Plan in a National Directory for Catechesis should provide for development and strengthening of Catholic Catechesis in the context of Evangelisation, and may include correction of existing weaknesses. SGN’s situation analysis gave unqualified endorsement to existing catechetical programmes and policies. SGN’s ten-year Implementation Plan 64 builds on and extends existing failures, which could only complete the catechetical corruption of a second generation of Catholics in Ireland. The Plan of a National Directory for Catechesis should focus on Catholic Evangelisation and Catechesis. SGN’s Plan goes contrary to the Church, and focuses instead on its chosen strategy of ‘Faith Development’ and secularised ‘Religious Education’, while Catholic Evangelisation and Catechesis are marginalised. SGN’s Implementation Plan has seven different areas, each with a number of Objectives, which is reasonable in principle. However, all Objectives are framed for ‘Faith Development’, not Catechesis nor Evangelisation. Under the Objectives ‘Religious Education’ features prominently, with scant attention to catechesis and evangelisation. SGN’s Plan could therefore be expected to spread a secularised perspective on religion throughout the Church, rather than authentic Catholic Faith.

Assessment of Progress. An important feature of any implementation plan is to build in measures for quality control, evaluation and assessment, in order to determine how the plan is progressing, the extent to which objectives are being achieved. This feedback is vital to correct programmes and activities that are failing, strengthen those that are succeeding or introduce new initiatives to meet ongoing needs. Implementation of quality control and real measures of achievement would be particularly relevant now, because the catechetics establishment has not attempted an objective assessment of knowledge of Catholic faith or similar quality control measure in the past 40 years. Some surveys of knowledge of the faith have been carried out by other people65, revealing poor levels of knowledge among Catholics. SGN’s Implementation Plan fails to provide for quality control or assessment of progress. After its Objectives SGN gives ‘Indicators of Achievement’, but these are tasks, responsibilities and resources, not real indicators against which achievement could be assessed. Real indicators would help measure how well the Plan is succeeding or failing to advance the Church’s expectations for catechesis, e.g. knowledge of Catholic faith; Mass attendance; participation in missionary activities; levels of moral behaviour; state of the Catholic family (cohabitation, single parents, divorce, marriage breakdown,); vocations to the priesthood and religious life; the attendance of youth at , and more.

Faith Development Structure. In order to achieve its Implementation Plan for ‘Faith Development’ and ‘Religious Education’ SGN proposes the creation of an extensive new structure, with Faith Development Coordinators in every parish, Directors in every Diocese, led by a central Team (none Bishops) in Maynooth. The effect will be to create a new ‘faith development establishment’, with the potential to be a dominant influence in most of Church life, which could interfere with

64 SGN 129-169. 65 e.g. Survey of knowledge of the basics of Christian Faith carried out by the Iona Institute in 2007, see www.ionainstitute.ie, ; survey in 2007 of knowledge of pupils who had completed the Alive-O Programme, see www.eannajohnson.org.

15 existing Church structures and personnel, especially the role of the Bishop as leader of his Diocese66.

Full implementation would require about 1,400 new staff, who, given the breadth and depth of what constitutes ‘Faith Development’, would need to be very able, educated, and experienced. SGN does not question the feasibility of its proposed structure; will the required numbers and calibre of staff be available, and if so will the Church be able to attract and employ them? Neither does SGN estimate or question the availability of the necessary finance; a rough estimate suggests around €50 million per year.

Catholic Schools. Catholic schools used to play a key role in handing of the Faith, in evangelisation and catechesis, but their record since the 1970s has been poor due to introduction of deficient and defective programmes. SGN’s Implementation Plan does not attempt to correct the situation but proposes further secularisation of the school system, with no Catholic evangelisation or catechesis in Catholic schools, primary and secondary67, nor in the materials (textbooks, etc.) for Catholic schools68, but only secularised ‘Religious Education’. SGN recommends a ‘Catholic Ethos’ for Catholic schools, 69 which is not unreasonable in itself. However, ethos is a rather vague concept in comparison with the vision of the Church for Catholic schools, which is that the school is a vital part of Catholic evangelisation and handing on of the Faith. SGN also recommends that individual Boards of Management in Catholic schools should take responsibility for developing their own mission statements, codes and policies to reflect their understanding of Catholic ethos. Most aspects of a suitable Mission Statement should be the same from one Catholic school to the next. Therefore it should be up to the Church to provide a generic Mission Statement which would be accepted by all Catholic schools, with only minor variations to suit the character of each school.

Church Organisations, Small Christian Communities and Ecclesial Movements. SGN’s Objective (SGN 154) is well expressed, but unfortunately the ‘Indicators of Achievement’ are all couched in terms 'Faith development'. Catholic organisations, communities and ecclesial movements are generally orthodox in faith, respect the Church’s Magisterium, and many have admirable records in evangelisation and catechesis. These entities would be well advised to steer clear of SGN’s 'Faith Development' and 'Religious Education', and rely directly on the CCC and GDC-1997. Many green shoots of lively faith come from these groups, and the Church has much to learn from them.

Follow-up Leaflets. An Implementation Committee for Share the Good News was set up, and in 2013 issued a set of seven leaflets which largely serve to praise and promote SGN, summarising what is in the original document without adding anything new. The leaflets do not record any implementation achieved or propose specific implementation measures.

66 The Bishop governs his diocese with legislative, executive and judicial power, in accordance with the law of the Church. Code of Canon Law (CIC): 375, 386, 391. “Dearly beloved brothers, ……You are beyond all others the ones primarily responsible for catechesis, the catechists par excellence. . …Let the concern to foster active and effective catechesis yield to no other care whatever in any way. …….You can be sure that if catechesis is done well in your local Churches, everything else will be easier to do. .. (You will have) the joy and consolation of seeing your Churches flourishing because catechesis is given in them as the Lord wishes”. John Paul II. Catechesi Tradendae, 1979, 63. 67 SGN 145-152. 68 SGN 162-168. 69 SGN 149-151.

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VISION FOR RENEWAL OF CATECHESIS IN IRELAND

This Vision, prepared by Éanna Johnson PhD, is shared for consideration by all in the Church interested in renewal of Catholic Faith in Ireland. Opportunities for renewal of Faith through catechesis since the Second Vatican Council have not been acted upon, and defective and deficient programmes in our Catholic schools have contributed to the secularisation of the Church from within. It will be extremely difficult and challenging to reverse this situation, but with the help of God all things are possible (Phil.4:13). Superb resources are available to support authentic Catholic catechesis, from the Universal Church, from other countries and within Ireland. All parties have roles to play: the ; our Bishops and Priests; parents; Catholic schools; other members of the Church, laity and religious. The first step in reform and renewal in catechesis is for all the faithful to pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit; reliance on human efforts and abilities alone would render the whole exercise worthless, if not counter-productive.

The Holy See: The Vatican must continue to provide appropriate publications and documents to help in Catholic catechesis and should also be available for guidance in application of Church teaching on catechesis in Ireland. The relevant officials (Pontifical Council for the New Evangelisation) must ensure that catechetical publications of the Episcopal Conference that require approval of the Holy See – catechisms, syllabi, directories, etc. – are not put into use without the required approval, and that approval is withheld from unsuitable texts.

Ireland: The Vision of Knock could be seen as an image for Catholic catechesis in Ireland.

The most important figure is the Lamb, alive on the altar in front of the cross. Jesus our Saviour is Risen, having won our salvation through his sacrifice on the cross. All catechesis must be Christo-centric and convey the fullness of salvation history (the Father’s perfect Plan), from Creation to Jesus’ Second Coming.

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Around the Lamb and altar are angels, reminding us we are in a spiritual battle against Satan and his demons, in which God gives us the protection of the angels. Satan is the Great Deceiver, the Father of Lies, the inspiration behind all false teaching. John the Apostle is robed as a Bishop and proclaims vigorously the Word of God, reminding us that every Bishop’s first task is teaching the Faith. The truths revealed by God are handed on by the Church through catechesis, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Joseph and Mary are a married couple, reminding us of parents as the first educators of their children, especially in the Faith. Joseph and Mary epitomise the love for the little ones, the children of God, above all that they come to know the truth of God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – through catechesis.

Bishops and Clergy: Teaching the Faith is the first of each bishop’s three main tasks: teach, sanctify, govern. He is to ensure the whole of Christian teaching is transmitted to all in his care, and must defend the integrity and unity of the faith. Priests and deacons share in the Bishop’s task of teaching the Faith, especially through the homily and catechetical instruction. All Bishops should get personally involved and take responsibility for Catechesis, in their own dioceses and collectively in Ireland as members of the Episcopal Conference. The Episcopal Council for Catechetics should revert to the structure of 2003 and earlier, with Bishops only as full members. Other designated persons could serve in an advisory capacity, who should first and foremost be orthodox in Catholic Faith and fully committed to the Church’s Magisterium, in addition to their own relevant knowledge, experience and expertise. Research should be carried out into the state of the Faith in Ireland, current and ongoing. There should be regular formal assessment in primary and secondary schools, and periodic professional surveys for the general body of the faithful. Results should be analysed and monitored to see what is working and what is not working, and appropriate action taken. The unsatisfactory catechetical programmes in Catholic primary and secondary schools should be replaced as soon as possible (see further below re Schools). Authentic Catholic catechesis programmes should be encouraged / promoted at parish level, the key resources being the CCC (including the Compendium of the CCC, Youcat the Youth Catechism, and the new Catholic Catechism for Adults), and the Bible, with Diocesan staff on adult catechesis in addition to Advisers for primary and secondary schools. Parish clergy should be aware of the defects and deficiencies in current RE programmes in primary and secondary schools. When satisfactory new programmes for education in Catholic Faith are introduced to Catholic schools, they should familiarise themselves with the new programmes and encourage/help with implementation in local schools. Parish clergy should deepen study/knowledge of the CCC and the Bible, giving attention to the need for basic catechesis in homilies (Sunday and daily) and in administering the sacraments, conscious that the past generation and a half lacked proper catechesis in Catholic schools. They should encourage and/or lead catechesis in the parishes, using the authentic Catholic resources. Bishops and clergy should encourage and support lay associations and movements that are giving authentic Catholic catechesis and formation to the members and to others.

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Parents:

Catholic parents have primary responsibility for the Christian education of their children in accordance with the teaching of the Church. Grandparents can be of considerable help and support to parents in handing on the Faith.

Every Catholic home should have copies of the Bible, the CCC and its Compendium (CTS edition is best), the Adult Catholic Catechism and Youcat if there are secondary school pupils or young adults in the home. Parents should study the CCC and Bible, either individually or with groups of other interested people, and be at least familiar enough with the CCC to know where to find answers to questions that will arise. Both parents are vitally important; fathers in particular need to avoid the practice of ceding spiritual leadership in the home to their wives. Have regular prayer in the home. Teach children at home to know authentic Catholic Faith, while modelling and guiding them in living the Faith. Meet and talk with the children’s religion teachers at school to see how school and home can work together. Be aware of defects and deficiencies in current school RE programmes. Assuming authentic new programmes in Catholic Faith are introduced into the schools (as recommended above) read and become familiar with the texts, the better to support encourage children in learning and applying their Faith. In the absence of new programmes use good Catholic resources to teach children the Faith at home, e.g. for primary level children: Bible Stories, St Joseph Picture Book Series, My First Holy Communion; for secondary level pupils: Youcat. Make concerns known to Bishops & other members of the faithful (Code of Canon Law 212).

Catholic Schools: The mission of Church and family are of divine origin – the Catholic school is a partnership between the Church and parents, from whom it derives its mission. The unsatisfactory Alive-O Programme in the primary schools should be replaced as soon as possible; every year it remains in place does more harm to the faith and morals of hundreds of thousands of children and their teachers. Any new programme must be in perfect harmony with the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and give due consideration to the norms and criteria in the General Directory for Catechesis (GDC 284).

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In order to phase out Alive-O as quickly as possible, the best solution would be to replace it with an appropriate authentically Catholic programme from another country, (a number of such programmes exist, e.g. Faith and Life, Image of God), suitably adapted to Irish conditions, similar to the new Irish Catholic Catechism for Adults. The current unsatisfactory approach in secondary schools should be phased out as soon as possible. An authentically Catholic Syllabus should be prepared for education in Faith at secondary level, with a list of officially Church-approved text-books, to be followed in all Catholic schools for their Catholic pupils. Diocesan Advisors should provide guidance and support, and also conduct periodic examinations or other formal Learning Assessment, using the approved Catholic Syllabus, the CCC and GDC as principal references. The Episcopal Conference should commission an independent audit of teacher training institutes, and other relevant institutions, and seek to bring about beneficial change. Catholic teachers should teach authentic Catholic Faith to their pupils as best they can in spite of the unsuitable programmes, using orthodox Catholic resources. (The Association of Catholic Teachers offers good Catholic resources for primary teachers). Teachers should make their concerns known to Bishops, in order to bring about authentic reform and renewal of teacher training and RE programmes in schools.

Laity: Catholic laypeople have the right and duty to acquire an appropriate level of Catholic teaching, with the help of the Bishops, so that they can live, proclaim and defend the Faith. They also have the right and duty to make their concerns known to the Bishops and other members of the Church.

Every Catholic layperson should own or have access to copies of the Bible, the CCC and its Compendium (CTS edition is best); also the Adult Catechism for Ireland, and Youcat for those who are young or in a position to serve/help secondary pupils and young adults. Study the CCC and Bible, either individually or with groups of other interested people. Know the CCC to find answers to questions that will arise. Participation in ecclesial movements and organisations can help build knowledge and practice of the Faith.

Avail of other courses of authentic Catholic study which extend/deepen knowledge of the Faith, and the ability to hand on Faith to others, in particular, training to be a catechist. Retreats, conferences and pilgrimages can also help to deepen and strengthen faith. Seek opportunities to hand on and/or defend the Faith – either informally or formally through courses, study groups, retreats, etc.

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