Younger teachers in Catholic schools are less likely to believe in God or attend religious services – The Irish Times

Younger staff at Catholic schools are less likely to believe in God or attend religious services, resulting in a declining number of teachers providing faith-based education, according to new research.

The findings are contained in a report prepared by an international group of researchers who surveyed 4,000 school staff and teachers in what is the largest ever study into the reality of Catholic education in Ireland.

Currently, almost 90 percent of primary schools and half of secondary schools have a Catholic patron, while about 69 percent of the population calls themselves Catholic.

The research shows that in many cases the religious education curriculum is not taught in a comprehensive and professional manner.

There is also widespread ignorance of key documents setting out the vision and purpose of Catholic schools, with up to 80 percent of school staff unsure or unaware of these publications.

The significance of age as a factor in the religiosity of school personnel is evident from studies of belief in God and attendance at religious services.

While the share of school staff who say they believe in God is over 90 percent among those over 50, this drops to 67 percent among those under 30.

Similarly, the proportion of self-declared Catholics who attend a religious service once a week, as required by the teachings of the Catholic Church, is 41 percent, while among the under-40s this drops to 18 percent.

At the elementary level, more than half of teachers in Catholic schools “do not believe in a personal God” and less than half, 49 percent, say they are “not committed and practicing Catholics.”

The report notes that most children in Catholic primary schools are prepared for the sacraments by staff who describe themselves as other than practicing Catholics, raising questions about children’s faith formation and preparation for the sacraments.

It is said that there are similar challenges in Catholic secondary schools, as a third of religious teachers are not committed and practicing Catholics, even though developing faith is a central educational goal of their schools.

The data shows that Catholic schools will face increasing challenges in appointing Catholic principals as vacancies arise.

While two-thirds of Catholic school leaders described themselves as committed and practicing Catholics, the corresponding figure among those over 50 is 44 percent.

The report notes that even if there is continued or increased demand for places in Catholic education, schools face a “decreasing and more diluted pool of Catholics from which to draw both volunteer and professional staff.”

The study was conducted by a team of academic researchers based at Mary Immaculate College and the Mater Dei Center for Catholic Education, as part of the Global Researchers Advancing Catholic Education project.

Dr. Daniel O’Connell, assistant professor of religious education at MIC, said one aspect of education that needs to change in primary education is the number of schools that currently have a Catholic patron.

“Many dioceses do not have the capacity to properly support and resource their Catholic schools, especially the teaching of the patronage program (religious education),” he said.

He said some kind of “structured, sustained ongoing professional development” was essential for staff in Catholic schools and “this needs to happen urgently.”

Bishop of Ossory Niall Col said many of the findings were striking and “will not come as a surprise to many”, given that society is becoming increasingly secular.

However, he said good news about the excellence of faith-based schools and their academic, personal, social and spiritual achievements was an “underplayed theme” in the public debate.

“More often than not the target of hostile voices in politics and the media, Catholic schools are in fact quietly coming to the fore in the way they work towards better levels of inclusion and participation, not least in the way where they welcome and promote intercultural and interfaith communities. education.”

While the report pointed to an “urgent” need for training and support for staff around the identity and ethos of Catholic schools, he said he remained positive about their future role in the development of students as “both citizens and disciples”.