Psst! Want a parish training programme with integrity?

Why don't all of our Bishops refer catechist,
parish administrator and deacon training here?

It is only fair when I have been beating Catholic Adult Education in England and Wales about the head, to flag up institutes of excellence (yes, one at least does exist).

The courses offered by the Education Parish Service and St Mary's University (still can't get used to using that word in this context) seem to me to be what we used to call "soft" in their approach to teaching what must be the most specific and precise subject in the world, that of Catholic theology.

I would argue that there are no grey areas in our Faith; it is all plainly there in black and white terms.

God is to be referred to using the words 'Father/He/Him' and women need not feel excluded when we have our blessed mother in the form of Our Lady (please stop them using the brash 'Mary') as the mother of God and the bridge between Earth and Heaven.


Birmingham's Maryvale Institute seems to have it all; a curriculum that sticks to core doctrinal facts rather than going off into woolly subject areas that are pre-occupied with feminist agenda issues and politically correct dogma and a straightforward and clear approach to the subject matter.

The Maryvale website is sound and informative and, at a time when financial pressures are on the Dioceses of England and Wales, it just seems so utterly logical to steer all adult education towards one central institute.

That is the pattern set by secular Further Education over the past ten years for precisely the twin aims of focusing on excellence and economy of scale.

So why don't the Bishops shut down those odd little parish support groups in the back streets of Peckham Rye and similar and focus on a centre of excellence- Maryvale!

A good initiative for the Bishops.....

....and not too challenging.

Father John Abberton on Stella Maris has a brief cri de coeur post on the parlous state of Catholic Education in the west.
He has posted that, along with homosexual factions within the Vatican and a general lack of adherence to Church teaching on homosexuality, the Holy Father should look next to Catholic Education in schools and, I suspect Fr A would also include, parishes.

Of course, if we had Bishops of any calibre, they would have already sorted this problem, it's not rocket science.

But, it occurs to me that there is one move that could be implemented quickly and effectively.

Maybe 'Catholic Doctrinal Studies?'

The Bishops, collectively, could develop a GCSE level course on Catholic Doctrinal Teaching; there is no reason why it should remain at this level, it could also be developed as a National Diploma in time.

Catholic Secondary schools would be directed to include this course as a mandatory part of the curriculum and application made to resolving the restrictions posed by the national curriculum (believe me, there are ways around this obstacle).

This qualification would provide a useful foil to the standard Religious Education examination that focuses on comparative studies.

Now, provided that the syllabus was designed in a manner faithful to Catholic teaching (and not handed over to a bunch of liturgical harpies) this would be a good way of reclaiming lost ground; not the only way by any means, but a good start.

So what are the chances of their Lordships taking up a scheme along these lines?

Hen's teeth, flying pigs and rocking horse dung spring to mind.