The Catholic Schools Partnership, an initiative between the Conference of Religious in Ireland and the Irish Bishops' Conference, is an umbrella support group for everyone involved in Catholic education.

Set up to take account of the changing role of religious in education, its 33-member council includes bishops, teachers, priests and religious (see list of council members below).

Speaking at the inauguration in the Emmaus Centre, Swords, Co Dublin, Bishop Leo O'Reilly of Kilmore said it was "an historic day in the life of the Irish church”.

Partnership chairman Fr Michael Drumm called for a serious dialogue within the church on its role in education, including "where we see ourselves in the future, how much energy do we have for it and how can we provide for lay leadership as religious become fewer and fewer on the ground".

Fr Drumm acknowledged that at primary level "there are too many Catholic schools for the number of Catholics in our State". Of the 3,169 primary schools in the State, 2,894 are under Catholic patronage.

Parental choice was the key issue, he said, and "there are some people, Catholics and others, who would prefer and would welcome a broader range of diversity of provision".

Nevertheless, he said new second level schools should include some new Catholic secondary schools to provide choice for parents. He also spoke about "extraordinarily small" primary schools and questioned their sustainability.

He spoke strongly about the volunteerism of 20,000 people serving on boards of management of 3,500 Catholic primary and secondary schools in the State. This kind of voluntary contribution was unmatched in any sector in Irish society and its importance was seriously underestimated, he said, adding that however much boards might be criticised, schools were thriving because of it.

Addressing those gathered in the Emmaus Centre, Cardinal Sean Brady said Catholic Schools Week coincided this year with a very public escalation in the debate about the future of the Catholic Church in the provision and management of education in this country.

Critical to this debate, he said, "is the clear recognition that parents have a right to have their children educated in accordance with their philosophical and religious convictions."

"Consequently, the State has a duty to support this right with public funds.

"It is important to point out that Catholic parents are taxpayers. It would be helpful if the idea that the church has no right to be involved in schools which are paid for out of public funds was acknowledged as a complete red herring and blatantly unjust!

"Those parents who choose and value the Catholic education provided for their children are taxpayers in exactly the same way as parents who send their children to other types of schools.

"To disadvantage any group of parents because of their faith is completely contrary to the principle of equality and pluralism."

The Cardinal claimed that there is "no such thing as a value-free school".

"If parents want the government of the day to define and manage the ethos of their schools, it is important to ask what philosophy of life, of the human person, of the child would the government of the day promote.

"What system of values would it seek to promote? That of the particular party in power?

"Would it change from government to government?

"Just as it is right," he continued, "to question the over-provision of Catholic schools relative to perceived demand, it is also right to ask why, of all the newly built schools in areas of population growth in Ireland in recent years, very few are Catholic."

"There has to be an effective way of establishing parental choice when a new school is being built as a result of population growth."

Referring to the Ryan and Murphy reports, the Cardinal asked what are the implications of "the less publicised but very significant criticisms of State-run organisations" in these reports.

He said that establishing "stronger systems of inspection and accountability by the State for patrons, boards of management and principals in the application of best practice in safeguarding children" would be "a more just and appropriate response to the lack of confidence in patrons than dismissing the rights of parents to a faith-based education and impugning the superb work of whole school communities".

Members of the council of the Catholic Schools Partnership:
Fr Michael Drumm, executive chairman;
Kathleen Bradley, school principal, Derry;
PJ Callanan, CPSMA;
Sr Marie Carroll, Irish Sisters of Charity;
Msgr Jim Cassin, Episcopal Education Commission;
Br Patrick Collier, De La Salle;
Fr David Corrigan, Marist order;
Maireád D’Arcy, parent and pastoral worker;
Fr Tom Deenihan, diocesan secretary, diocese of Cork;
Sr June Fennelly, Ursuline education office;
Sr Thomasina Finn, Sisters of Mercy;
Eileen Flynn, general secretary CPSMA;
Sr Maighréad Ní Ghallchobhair, Dominican Sisters;
John Hayden, former chief executive of the HEA;
Sr Margaret Mary Healy, CPSMA;
Dr Brendan Kelly, Bishop of Achonry;
Ferdia Kelly, general secretary AMCSS/JMB;
Gerry Lundy, Council of Catholic Maintained Schools, Northern Ireland;
Anne McDonagh, archdiocese of Dublin education secretary;
Br Mark McDonnell, Christian Brothers education office;
Bishop Donal McKeown, chairman of Northern Ireland Catholic Commission for Education;
Fr Denis McNelis, parish priest at Laytown;
Maeve Mahon, Kildare and Leighlin diocesan adviser;
Paul Meany, principal Marist College, Ballsbridge;
Noel Merrick, president of AMCSS/ JMB;
Msgr Lorcan O’Brien, moderator archdiocese of Dublin;
Brendan O’Reilly, national director of Catechetics;
Bishop Leo O’Reilly, chairman of Episcopal Commission for Education;
Sr Ena Quinlan, AMCSS/JMB;
Paul Scanlan, general secretary Presentation Brothers Schools’ Trust;
Fr PJ Sexton, lecturer Mater Dei;
Maria Spring, president CPSMA;
Anne Walsh, deputy principal CBS Kilkenny.
(Source: Irish Times)