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» Recent HMIe reports
Published 05/6/2008
Click here to see details of recent HMIe reports on Catholic schools in Scotland.
» School education should be founded upon the truth
Published 05/6/2008
CNA reports that Cardinal Antonio Canizares Llovera of Toledo has spoken out on school education, saying that, it should be founded upon the truth, especially nowadays, when there is a cultural climate that “seeks to keep human reason from tending towards the truth.”
In an article he wrote on education, the cardinal explained that schools “must help kids to love, think and act according to right reason. For this reason they have as their mission the search and the presentation of the truth, with no other limits than the truth itself.”
Educational policies, he said, must have the value and dignity of man at their center, be based on the truth about man, that is, in conformity how God created him.
After emphasizing that the Church is certain that man can only base himself on the truth of Christ, “who shows man what man himself is and reveals to him the greatness of his vocation,” Cardinal Canizares explained that “without violating right reason in any way, we can affirm and bear witness that every aspect of authentic humanism is closely linked to Christ.”
“The search and access to truth, the fulfillment of the truth, the obtaining of the truth about man himself, belongs to this authentic humanism. To exclude from man access to this truth is the root of all alienation,” the cardinal warned.
“For this reason,” he continued, “the central problem for schools, in my view, is the issue of the truth, which is nonetheless not one of the many questions that man must face, but rather, the fundamental issue that cannot be eliminated and that spans all times and stages of life and of the history of humanity,” the cardinal said.
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» Cardinal calls for truth about Catholic schools
Published 05/2/2008
Cardinal Keith O'Brien has called on Scotland's politicians to voice their support of Scotland's Catholic schools. At the annual conference of Catholic Secondary Head Teachers in Crieff of 1st May 2008, the Cardinal praised First Minister Alex Salmond for his view that "It's time to celebrate Catholic education in Scotland" and called on other party leaders to make similar statements.
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» True Meaning of Freedom
Published 04/21/2008
If words such as authority and obedience touch a nerve, try looking at them again in the light of Christ, says Pope Benedict XVI. Speaking to more than 58,000 people gathered in Yankee's Stadium for the last major event of his five-day visit on Saunday 20th April 2008, the Pope commented on what constitutes authentic freedom. (ZENIT report)
The unity of the Church, he said, is also apostolic: "It is a visible unity, grounded in the Apostles whom Christ chose and appointed as witnesses to his resurrection, and it is born of what the Scriptures call 'the obedience of faith.'"
The Holy Father said words like authority and obedience, "to be frank [...] are not easy words to speak nowadays. Words like these represent a 'stumbling stone' for many of our contemporaries, especially in a society which rightly places a high value on personal freedom."
"Yet, in the light of our faith in Jesus Christ," he continued, "we come to see the fullest meaning, value, and indeed beauty, of those words. The Gospel teaches us that true freedom, the freedom of the children of God, is found only in the self-surrender which is part of the mystery of love.
"Only by losing ourselves, the Lord tells us, do we truly find ourselves. True freedom blossoms when we turn away from the burden of sin, which clouds our perceptions and weakens our resolve, and find the source of our ultimate happiness in him who is infinite love, infinite freedom, infinite life."
"Real freedom," said the Holy Father, "is God’s gracious gift, the fruit of conversion to his truth, the truth which makes us free. And this freedom in truth brings in its wake a new and liberating way of seeing reality."
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» Crises of Truth and Faith Linked, says Pope
Published 04/18/2008
ZENIT reports that Pope Benedict XVI has told a group of leaders and representatives of Catholic education that the modern "crisis of truth" is rooted in a "crisis of faith."
"Education is integral to the mission of the Church to proclaim the Good News," the Holy Father affirmed.
But he acknowledged that some question the Church's involvement in education. "It is timely, then," the Pontiff said "to reflect on what is particular to our Catholic institutions. How do they contribute to the good of society through the Church's primary mission of evangelization?"
"All the Church's activities stem from her awareness that she is the bearer of a message which has its origin in God himself," the Holy Father explained. And he went on to say that "the one who seeks the truth becomes the one who lives by faith."
Thus, the Pontiff said, a school's Catholic identity is "a question of conviction -- do we really believe that only in the mystery of the Word made flesh does the mystery of man truly become clear? Are we ready to commit our entire self -- intellect and will, mind and heart -- to God? Do we accept the truth Christ reveals? Is the faith tangible in our universities and schools? Is it given fervent expression liturgically, sacramentally, through prayer, acts of charity, a concern for justice, and respect for God's creation? Only in this way do we really bear witness to the meaning of who we are and what we uphold."
"From this perspective one can recognize that the contemporary 'crisis of truth' is rooted in a 'crisis of faith,'" Benedict XVI continued. "Only through faith can we freely give our assent to God's testimony and acknowledge him as the transcendent guarantor of the truth he reveals."
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» World at a crossroads, needs hope, Pope tells Americans
Published 04/18/2008
ZENIT reports that Pope Benedict XVI has told Americans that the world is at a crossroads between great promise for the future and the breakdown of the foundations of society, and Christians are called to give witness of their hope in this context. The Pope affirmed this on 17th April to a crowd of 45,000 gathered in Washington Nationals stadium for at Mass in the U.S. capital.
Benedict XVI encouraged the faithful in an "unceasing missionary outreach," saying that he prays that "this significant anniversary in the life of the Church in the United States, and the presence of the Successor of Peter in your midst, will be an occasion for all Catholics to reaffirm their unity in the apostolic faith, to offer their contemporaries a convincing account of the hope which inspires them and to be renewed in missionary zeal for the extension of God's Kingdom."
He continued: "The world needs this witness! Who can deny that the present moment is a crossroads, not only for the Church in America but also for society as a whole? It is a time of great promise, as we see the human family in many ways drawing closer together and becoming ever more interdependent. Yet at the same time we see clear signs of a disturbing breakdown in the very foundations of society: signs of alienation, anger and polarization on the part of many of our contemporaries; increased violence; a weakening of the moral sense; a coarsening of social relations; and a growing forgetfulness of God.
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» Pope encourages us on the road to Emmaus
Published 04/7/2008
ZENIT reports the Pope's encouragement that, even though the trials of life can make one feel abandoned by the Lord, an encounter with the Risen Christ can help recover the hope of faith. The Pope said this on 6 April 2008 in a commentary on the Gospel account of the meeting of Jesus with two disciples on the road to Emmaus.
"This drama of the disciples of Emmaus is as a mirror of the situation of many Christians of our time. It seems that the hope of faith has failed. Faith itself enters into crisis because of negative experiences that make us feel like we are abandoned by the Lord. But this road to Emmaus on which we travel can become a way of purification and maturation of our believing in God."
The Holy Father continued: "Even today we can enter into conversation with Jesus listening to his word. Even today he breaks the bread for us and gives himself as our bread.
"And in this way the encounter with the risen Christ, which is possible even today, gives us a deeper and more authentic faith, tempered, so to speak, by the fire of the Easter event; a robust faith because it is nourished not by human ideas, but by the word of God and by his presence in the Eucharist."
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» Catholic schools are built on Christ's empty tomb
Published 04/6/2008
Our schools prepare children for eternity, not just for sitting examinations, says Fr John Bollan in this article in the Catholic Herald of 21 March 2008.
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» Free Presbyterians want 'faith schools'?
Published 03/31/2008
The Scotsman reports that faith schools based on hardline Presbyterian principles should be introduced, according to the Free Church of Scotland. The editor of the Free Church of Scotland's official magazine, the Reverend David Robertson, said it is time to return to education delivered on religious lines. He has written to the First Minister as part of Mr Salmond's national conversation.
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» Outstanding HMI report for St Timothy's
Published 03/25/2008
The Herald reports that a primary school in one of Scotland's most deprived areas has received an outstanding report from HM Inspectorate of Education.
The verdict on St Timothy's primary and nursery in the east end of Glasgow, published today, is the best ever for a Glasgow primary - and one of the best for any school in Scotland.
The Carntyne school received six "excellent" ratings - for pastoral care; climate and relationships; expectations and promoting achievement; equality and fairness; partnership with parents, the parent council and the community; and leadership of the headteacher. Of the other nine quality indicators, eight were rated "very good.
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