“Education is a collaborative task shared by home, school and parish and among these three there should

Diocese of Hallam Schools’ Department A RATIONALE TO UNDERPIN THE CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF VIBRANT AND RENEWED INTEGRATED CATHOLIC COMMUNITIES “GRATITUDE FOR THE PAST ENTHUSIASM FOR THE PRESENT HOPE FOR THE FUTURE” INTRODUCTION “Education is a collaborative task shared by home, school and parish and among these three there should be dynamic interaction, since they are chiefly responsible for the development of the whole person” Evaluating the Distinctive nature of a Catholic School. Third Edition “The vital partnership of home, school and parish provides the context for the life-long process of religious formation.” Broad areas of Attainment in Religious Education When considering faith development in the Catholic community some people unnecessarily fall into the trap of either blame or despair, yet signs of growth and renewal are all around us. In the Synod of European Bishops held in Rome in the autumn of 1999, John Paul 11 said: “Do not give way to discouragement, to ways of thinking and living which have no future, for we place our hope in the Word of God” The Bishops themselves go on to urge us: “ To proclaim the gospel of hope, to celebrate the gospel of hope and to serve the gospel of hope” The Irish Jesuit, Michael Paul Gallagher speaks of the need to “Recognise the smoke signals of hope that rise from what indeed may seem like a burntout desert”. As Catholics we speak of ‘the faith’ referring to the ...