The commissioners and staff of ACCS wish all our stakeholders and friends a Joyful Christmas.
May the peace, joy and love of Jesus — our Emmanuel — be with you this Christmas and throughout the new year.
May you have a restful and happy holiday. God bless you!
On 17 November, the chaplains and Religious Education (RE) coordinators of Catholic schools gathered at the Catholic Archdiocesan Education Centre (CAEC) for a time of fellowship with fellow educators. An engaging session was conducted by former RE educator, Mrs Patricia Lee. The teachers were also briefed about various events ACCS has planned for 2016.
They were also introduced to the programmes to be conducted by the Brisbane Catholic Education Office, namely the ‘Catching Fire’ Faith Formation programme for principals, vice-principals and RE coordinators due to take place in August, as well as the Religious Education Access Programme (REAP) workshops in November 2016.
Ms Geraldine Krishnasamy, who attended the event, shares with us about her reflections on the gathering.
What was the focus of the event, and how did you find yourself relating to it, from your own experience in the classroom?
The event was a gathering of all RE Coordinators. The facilitation was very well conducted. It gave me an opportunity to interact with other RE Coordinators and learn how they ensure the Catholic ethos in the school is maintained. The session helped me reflect on the activities, events, programmes I had initiated in my school and the importance of having such programmes. The session also made me realise that it is from the little activities I do in my own classroom that I make the faith come alive in small ways.
How did you feel while reviewing the highlights of the year? How does it help you plan ahead?
Firstly, I have to thank God for providing me with the time to attend the meeting this year. I was previously unable to attend the gathering because I was in the afternoon session and usually the sessions were held in the afternoons. This is actually my first attendance because my school had gone single session starting this year.
Through the interaction with the RE Coordinators from other schools, I learnt how some activities that I thought were impossible can indeed be done in my school. How my school manages Catholic Values Education with Values Education (for non-Catholics) was well-received by the RE Coordinator from another school.
The opportunity to plan for our future and writing down our wish list was awesome. It gave me a direction and concrete goals I can look forward to.
What was your main takeaway from the session?
RE activities are just as important as the other subjects taught in school. I learned that as the RE Coordinator, I am actually very important in school because I serve to ensure that the Catholic ethos of the school is firmly upheld. It is of paramount importance to bring the faith evident in all programmes in the school.
I also learnt that it is important to have the support of the Catholic community in the school even though the number of Catholic staff may be small. It is quite sad to see that the number of Catholic teachers in my school is much lower compared to some other schools.
An RE coordinator present at the session gave pragmatic advice in saying that ultimately, we have to answer to the Ministry. As much as I see the significance of being an MOE staff, I also value and respect my role as an RE Coordinator.
On 10 August, the religious education services team from the Brisbane Catholic Education Office (BCEO) returned to Singapore to conduct the Religious Education Training Programme (REAP) Workshop.
A team of six senior education officers flew from Australia to deliver the workshop, a third run in Singapore, on Saturday, 15 August at the Catholic Junior College, to an overwhelming number of 90 participants.
The participants were split into four groups that rotated over the course of the day. Music, visual arts, scripture activities, prayer strategies and drama were explored in the itinerary for the day and were aimed at providing useful resources and techniques for teachers in their instruction of young children of the faith in compelling and meaningful ways. The day’s eventful programme was closed with a blessing, followed by afternoon tea at around 3.30pm.
Participants of the workshop felt that the programme was well structured, practical and relevant and felt that they would be able to apply or even reflect on the content presented. Kathleen Ang, a teacher at CHIJ St Joseph’s Convent, appreciated that the session on music coupled “silent mindfulness with active song and dance,” and she was “thankful for the introduction of the different [material] that made understanding the liturgy easier”.
Tan Eng Lian, also a teacher at CHIJ St, Joseph’s Convent felt that the workshops on teaching scripture and prayer strategies “have broadened [my] repertoire of ways to teach religious education … [it was a] very refreshing change of teaching and sharing scripture.”
Mark Minjoot, Principal of Montfort Secondary School, also affirmed the sentiments: “The trainers and facilitators were very skilful, and each session was extremely engaging and meaningful. I strongly recommend it to anyone involved in Catholic Education. Everyone and anyone – teachers, administrators, religious will benefit from this!”
The workshop was the culmination of an itinerary that started with the Literacy Education Access Programme (LEAP), another partnership project between the BCEO and the ACCS. This pilot attachment programme saw four primary schools and six kindergartens host 10 literacy teachers from the Archdiocese of Brisbane between 12 and 14 August. During the attachment programme, the Australian Primary and Preschool educators were able to observe English lessons in both Kindergartens as well as Primary 1 and Primary 2 classes. It also gave the visiting teachers the chance to exchange ideas with the teachers, vice-principals and principals of the host schools.
One of the visiting teachers, Jo-Anne Downing, was inspired after the programme: “What has been very obvious is the passion and commitment of the teachers to the children’s wellbeing and learning. Children are recognised as unique individuals and as such are treated with love and respect. All schools [seem to] recognise and aspire to the values and qualities of their founding patron and to the Gospel values, which is evident immediately upon entering the schools.”
Evelyn Chapman, Brisbane Education Officer (Arts), was just as impressed: “My experience working with the Singaporean teachers has been profound. Commitment and alignment from all staff about their understanding of mission and values is inspiring. I will take this back to Brisbane as a challenge to all our schools and teachers to truly know, understand and act on their mission”.
Building on a budding relationship between the BCEO and the ACCS, the Australian team will be conducting up to five programmes in 2016, including a full, four-day run of REAP in November 2016. Look out for announcements on these exciting programmes in the coming months.
Msgr Ambrose Vaz reaffirms Catholic educators of their important role and identity at this year’s Teacher’s Day Mass.
Nearly 200 Catholic educators, staff, family, and friends once again gathered to commemorate Teachers’ Day, at a specially organised Mass held on 12 September. Organised annually by the Archdiocesan Commission for Catholic Schools (ACCS), the Eucharistic celebration took place at Catholic High School, and was presided by Msgr Ambrose Vaz and concelebrants, Fr Edward Seah and Fr Adrian Danker.
In his homily, Msgr Ambrose reaffirmed the identity and mission of Catholic educators as he drew parallels to the week’s gospel, in which Jesus asks His disciples, “Who do people say I am?”
Popular opinion and God’s definition
Msgr Ambrose explained that there is often a popular opinion of the identity of the messiah, who is seen as “a powerful figure; in terms of earthly, political, even military power”, as compared to an identity of the messiah according to God.
He elaborates, “The disciples had got the terminology right, that Jesus is the messiah. But Jesus went on to teach them what this truly meant. The messiah would be like the son of man, a title that would describe obedience to God, such obedience that would even require one to submit to suffering, and to ultimately be put to death.”
In this same way, Msgr Ambrose expresses that there is also often a popular opinion of the identity of teachers, “where the teacher is one that simply imparts knowledge and dispatches information”, as compared to the identity of teachers according to God, “as seen in Jesus, THE teacher”.
He emphasises, “A teacher does much more than impart knowledge, much more than dispatch information. The understanding of the identity of a teacher, as seen in Jesus, is to communicate, to pass on, an experience of God.”
Walking in the presence of the Lord
Going further to reaffirm the identity of a Catholic educator, Msgr Amrbose also highlighted that this seemingly tall order is in fact very possible, if teachers choose to “walk in the presence of the Lord”. This was not only the responsorial psalm for the Mass, but was also the theme of this year’s Teacher’s Day Mass.
“This is what the teacher is ultimately all about. The teacher shares from his or her ordinary experience, of what it is to walk in the presence of the Lord, and to remind others to experience the same joy,” explained Msgr Ambrose.
He also acknowledged the difficulties teachers often face in their work, particularly when students “resist being taught or cared for”. Msgr Ambrose reaffirmed the dedication of educators, who in the face of discouragement, “continues to communicate God’s love in their lives, by the way they live out this conviction of God’s love for us.”
He added that this is why, in the second reading, St James writes that faith is not just something “believed in our minds and hearts, but is also shown, expressed in the way we live”. Because good works always accompanies faith, Msgr Ambrose affirms that, “As teachers, we are tasked really to express, through the life we live, our dedication and service, our commitment to our students, our willingness to express in our lives the love of God.”
Concluding his homily, Msgr Ambrose expressed gratitude to Catholic educators for their service and ministry to God’s children. “On behalf of the Church, the Archdiocese, we really thank all our teachers for being that example of God’s love in the dedication of their lives, in the way that you carry out not only instructing your students, but essentially and hopefully, teaching them the joy of being called by God to be His children,” he said.
The teachers’ fellowship
The Mass was followed by a reception, where visitors as well as student volunteers had their fill of food and drink. Teachers relished in the opportunity to get to know one another, as there were educators who “don’t know many Catholic teachers, because I don’t teach in a Catholic school,” shared Edward Toh, English and Art teacher at East Spring Primary School, “The homily really spoke to me; to recognise Jesus also as a teacher for us.”
Monica Khng, Assistant Programme Teacher at Christian Outreach to the Handicapped, agreed to his sentiments, “It was wonderful to see the students so well co-ordinated with their teachers and the bond and team-spirit they share. It is a nice reminder that we have to be like that as teachers; to build them up and be examples and mentors, as we often stand as moral compasses for students, pointing toward the life of Christ.”
Fr Edward Seah, Interim Executive Director of ACCS, expressed gratitude for the success of the event, which had certainly helped encourage and edify Catholic educators in Singapore. Encouraging educators is one of ACCS’s major interests, as Fr Edward reveals the reason for choosing this year’s theme, “We chose the one that we felt is the most edifying. The theme, ‘Walking in the Presence of the Lord’, helps to remind educators that they are not walking alone. God is always with them, especially so when they are doing God’s work.”
By Msgr Ambrose Vaz
Dear teachers and friends, we come to celebrate this Mass today, not so much as to celebrate a day – Teacher’s Day – but more to celebrate a vocation – a call from God – to teach. The success of our mission, how we carry out our vocation, depends very much on the understanding, the conviction, of our identity. If we’re not clear about our identity of what it means to be a teacher, it will be quite impossible for us to effectively carry out our mission.
We see this in our gospel today (Mark 8:27-35): Jesus asking his disciples who do people say he is and finally asking them: “Who do you say I am?” Not so much for an ego-trip; not because he wanted to know if he was well-known, but because he wanted to share with them and to clarify what their understanding of his identity was and what was his understanding of his identity.
So we find that he [had] asked them “who do people say I am”. The disciples said that [his] identity is John the Baptist, others Elijah, others one of the prophets. What Jesus would say was, “Well, that was far from true, but what do you say?” Peter comes up with the right identity: “You are the Christ, the Messiah, the anointed one of God.”
Jesus would say that that was the right answer but then he was quite sure they didn’t really understand the implications. In terms of the terminology, they got it right: he was the Christ, he was the Messiah, but there were so many different opinions – expectations, you could say – as to who and what the Messiah would be all about.
The most popular opinion was that the Messiah would be a powerful figure in terms of earthly, political, even military power. They were hoping that the Messiah would come and defeat the Romans [and] take Israel to the time of King David, victorious in war, extending the borders of the land, and so on. Some would say that besides that, he would be a political figure, one that would also perhaps bring them up to a level of prosperity; material prosperity that would far exceed anything Israel ever knew. They had their idea of a Messiah, but it was wrong. Jesus deepens this conversation so that he could clarify what the world thinks the Messiah is all about and what God expects the Messiah to be.
Jesus began to teach them the true identity of the messiah. He would be like the Son of Man. A title that would describe obedience – obedience to God. Such obedience that would even require him to submit to suffering, destined to suffer grievously, be rejected by the elders, chief priests and scribes and ultimately to be put to death but eventually to rise after three days. Then of course we see Peter, who started to remonstrate with them: “This is not what we understand of the messiah; this is wrong!” But Jesus had to tell him: “Get behind me, Satan“. “Your way of understanding the Messiah is very wrong, that is not the identity of the Messiah.”
Today my dear friends, this Gospel is very apt for us as we celebrate Teacher’s Day; very apt as we reflect on what the identity of a teacher is all about. Because that is, of course, the popular opinion or understanding of what a teacher is all about and God’s understanding of what a teacher should be. Most of the time perhaps, people tend to think that a teacher is one that imparts knowledge – the one that dispatches information. As long as I tell you and give you some information, I have taught you. But God’s understanding as he did in Jesus, the teacher, would be much more than imparting knowledge, dispatching information.
The understanding of the identity of a teacher as seen in Jesus is to communicate, to pass on an experience of God. Essentially, a teacher is one that communicates to the one they had taught, the experience of truth, essentially consisting of a relationship with God, the ultimate truth. And so we make use of the opportunities we get as we pass on knowledge, whether it be secular sciences or any other type of knowledge. Even in the process of communicating this knowledge, it is good to ask ourselves: Do we pass on the experience of a loving God?
This is what we see in our Responsorial Psalm (Ps 116:1-6,8-9): “I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.” This what a teacher is ultimately all about: The teacher, sharing from his or her own experience of what it is to walk in the presence of the Lord and remind others to experience that same joy.
We know today therefore, how difficult it can be to be a teacher. Not only is it just telling others about the ultimate good, but first being able to experience it, to live it out for ourselves, to be able to be convincing in passing it on to others.
When we look at the first reading (Isaiah 50:5-9A), the Prophet Isaiah as a teacher, and his conviction of who God is in his life, that he is able to say: “I set my face like a flint. I know I shall not be shamed. Despite all the difficulties, I’m going to go through, for my part, I made no resistance. I offered my back and did not cover my face.” Basically, a teacher is being very thick-skinned in communicating the truth, in communicating the essential ultimate truth, the experience of a loving God in our life. A teacher will face much difficulties. Sometimes perhaps in total resistance from students who do not want to accept being formed, being taught, being loved, being cared for, being shown the meaning of God’s love; there would be those who completely reject and refuse such instruction. Then there will be others who will perhaps belittle the effort that you make [and] who will not appreciate the need for us to do that.
Yet the true teacher continues to communicate, firstly in our own lives, by the way we live out this conviction of God’s love for us, and secondly, by showing it in practical example. And that is why St James tells us in our second reading (James 2:14-18). Faith is not just something that we believe in our minds or in our hearts, but [it] has to be shown, expressed in the way we live. Faith is like this, St James tells us: Good works must accompany it. And so as teachers, our task will be to express, through the life we live – our dedication, service, commitment to our students – our willingness to express in our life the love of God. Sometimes it is difficult. We find children who are not willing to learn, not willing to cooperate. We find systems, maybe, that do not really encourage us to give of ourselves. Nevertheless that is what faith is all about, expressed in good works.
If we go back to the Gospel again, we see Jesus, the ultimate teacher, who comes to teach us the recipe of life. The whole role and purpose of life is to be able to experience truth, communicated in love, that we see in Jesus. Today, we ask ourselves, as teachers, [if we are] effective in bringing this love of God to the people we minister to, to our students, even as we are called to instruct them in the different sciences, subjects that we teach, all bearing in mind that our ultimate goal is much more than helping them to pass exams but to help them to understand the meaning of life. Sometimes we can do well, we can pass exams, but we still miss out the real meaning of life. The real meaning of life is to be able to experience the joy of God who calls us into his life; to be able to experience him through experiencing love. A love that we cannot teach but can only show; we can only express [it] in the way we live our lives.
Today, dear teachers, we thank you on behalf of the Church and the Archdiocese. We thank all our teachers for being that example of God’s love in the education of their lives, in the way that you carry out, not only instructing your students [and] teaching them many new facts, but essentially and hopefully, teaching them the joy of being called by God to be his children. See him principally in your own joy in being called to be a teacher, to communicate this important message to your students.
As we celebrate this Mass today, we pray for all our teachers, as well as our students. We pray principally for our teachers that they never get too tired of ministering to the students [that] they are called to; that they never get too tired to express the love of God in their own lives, especially in moments when they are burdened, tired, sometimes even perhaps rejected. We pray for our teachers. We pray today that God will continue to send as many good teachers who will be desiring to communicate much more than knowledge but would be desiring to share their lives [and] to share God with their students. We pray for this [and] we pray for one another as we celebrate this Mass.
The inaugural combined Catholic Preschools Teacher’s Day celebration was held on 4 September 2015 at the Yio Chu Kang Grassroots Club from 9am to 2pm, attended by Preschool teachers and principals.
These 114 educators participated actively in games and dance activities organised by the staff of St Anne’s Church Kindergarten and Nativity Church Kindergarten.
Mrs Agnes Lee, a teacher at St Anne’s Church Kindergarten, was involved in the planning of the celebration. She saw this celebration as “an opportunity to celebrate each other’s calling to be a teacher”. “To me, it must be a meaningful get-together for us to rediscover the special qualities of a Preschool teacher. The feel-good activities allowed teachers to not only reflect on how they symbolise themselves [as an educator], but at the same time, to affirm each other.”
A sense of community and belonging was experienced by teachers, with many commenting that they had arrived as strangers, but departed as one big family of Catholic Preschool educators.
A participant at the celebrations, also named Mrs Agnes Lee, said: “[it] was certainly a special and unique occasion where we had meaningful fun”. Mrs Lee, Principal of Holy Family Kindergarten, added: “I enjoyed [myself] most when we shared, learned from each other, sang, danced and played games together. I was tremendously inspired by the many creative events put up by the teachers.”
“I really enjoyed this opportunity of celebrating Teacher’s Day together where there was so much bonding and friendship made. We definitely had a time of our lives!”
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Our Canossian schools — St Anthony’s Canossian Primary and Secondary, Canossa Convent Primary and the Canossian School for the hearing impaired — made up a 180-strong combined choir to perform in an interfaith concert celebrating SG50. They sang Let There Be Peace on Earth at the concert titled Harmony in Diversity, celebrating religious and racial Harmony in Singapore.
Held at The Star Vista in a crowd of about 5,000, the event was jointly organised by New Creation Church and Taoist Federation (Singapore). It brought together 10 of the major religions — including Buddhists and Bahai’s, Christians, Hindus and Muslims — and the four main races in Singapore in song and dance. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was the guest of honour.
Deacon Matthew Kang, Chairman of New Creation Church, said, “As Singapore celebrates the 50th year of its independence, we give thanks for one of the most precious legacies that has been handed down to us – our racial and religious harmony. It is something worth celebrating and New Creation Church and Taoist Federation are happy and honoured to be co-organising this meaningful event.”
Mr Tan Thiam Lye, Chairman of Taoist Federation (Singapore), added, “We are very happy and encouraged that every race and religion represented in Singapore is involved in some way in tonight’s celebration event. Through this event, the relationships between the leaders of different faiths and races have been strengthened. This is a wonderful outcome.”
Sr Theresa Seow FDCC, Vice-Chairperson of the Archdiocesan Catholic Council for Interreligious Dialogue, and member of the event’s organising committee, shared her delight for the Catholic Church’s involvement in this interfaith event: “To see 180 children of our Catholic schools come together to perform was beautiful.”
She added: “The song performed by the choir was an appropriate one for the occassion, seeing that peace among different religions is what we’ve had in Singapore these 50 years. It is also our desire for future generations to have this peace, not just here in Singapore, but also in the world; it was symbolic that it is the children who sang that message.”
In spite of the logistical and administrative challenges of bringing so many schools together, the schools overcame the obstacles because “everyone was excited about participating in the event,” shared Ms Chua Lee Beng, HOD of CCA at St Anthony’s Canossian Primary School.
Recalling the performance, Ms Chua added: “I was watching the students sing on stage from the holding room backstage and I could not help but feel a sense of pride of the combined effort of the four schools, coming together as one Canossian family to share the message of peace with the different religions and races in Singapore. The reviews that I read on Facebook reaffirmed that their song touched those who attended the event that night.”
Apart from the performance put up by our Catholic schools, the concert also featured a drum performance by members from the Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery, a solo Indian classical dance, and songs by a multiracial group of singers, and a special joint martial arts display by Wudang Sheng Hong Health Preservation Centre and Perguruan Sim Putih. The night ended with the recitation of the national pledge of Singapore, a fitting reminder that “we, the citizens of Singapore” are “one united people, regardless of race, language or religion”.
More coverage by Channel NewsAsia, Catholic News.
Over a hundred students and teachers from Catholic schools were involved in special performances at the recent SG50 Thanksgiving Mass. They share how in their participation, they have discovered the beauty of being a Catholic School.
The recent SG50 Thanksgiving Mass that took place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium has certainly helped put Catholic education in Singapore back in the limelight, leaving many with a deep sense of pride and hope. Not only was the Church’s history and contributions to the nation’s education sector commemorated, but special performances were also prepared by more than a hundred students and teachers from Catholic schools here.
CHIJ Kellock Primary School’s choir sang uplifting hymns and harmonised with the 60-member full orchestra, while both St Anthony’s Canossian Primary and Secondary Schools’ percussion groups worked together to drum up an energetic performance with a diverse number of instruments.
In the challenging process of putting everything together within just a couple months of practice, teachers and students of the participating schools share that they have come to truly see the beauty of being a Catholic school.
School, Church, Nation
Though the relationship between Church and School can admittedly be blurred at times, it is events like the SG50 Mass that helps students come to a deeper appreciation of their schools’ connection with the Catholic Church. They had not only learnt about the Church’s role in building up the education sector of Singapore, but were also given the chance to actively participate in celebrating the hopeful future of both Church and nation.
“The school and the choir were thrilled to be part of the JoySG50 performance team. Our principal reminded us that when the Church calls, we respond in faith and love. As part of the Catholic school community, we look forward to opportunities where we can share the good news of God’s love with those around us,” explained Mary Soh, Teacher Liaison for the CHIJ Kellock Primary Choir.
Because the choir consisted of non-Catholic students as well, the teachers of CHIJ Kellock Primary also paid special attention to help students understand and appreciate the hymns they sung. It was not simply a performance, but truly a thanksgiving occasion.
To the students who had lovingly volunteered their time, whether Catholic or not, their participation was important because of one common trait that unites themselves, the school, and the Church – being Singaporean.
Students echoed one another’s sentiments as Deborah Ann Lim, a choir member from CHIJ Kellock Primary expressed, “I am grateful to be given this once in a lifetime opportunity to perform at Singapore’s 50th birthday.” Jacynthe Liew and Steffi Chua, also choir members, chimed in, “Especially since PM Lee was also present to grace the occasion!”
The bigger picture
For the percussion groups of St Anthony’s Canossian Primary and Secondary Schools, performing at the SG50 Mass together as sister schools had also been a valuable lesson to see the bigger picture of their Catholic education.
Veron Yap, Teacher Liaison for St Anthony’s Canossian Schools, shared, “It was an opportunity for the students to come together as sister-schools in close partnership to work for a common goal. It was a platform for students to challenge themselves and overcome what they perceive as their limitations, and they have proved themselves resilient and optimistic.”
The schools’ willingness to participate in the occassion reflected the value of Catholic education, which is not only concerned about grades, but the development of the whole human person. Veron describes, “We believe that each student has an innate, God-given talent, and we just need to take the chance to help them discover it. These platforms are opportunities for students to be developed holistically.”
Overcoming limits
Because of the limited preparation time, which had been further hampered by the June Holidays, the St Anthony’s Canossian Primary and Secondary School percussion groups had to practice separately first, then subsequently combine their rhythms.
This proved challenging because the schools had different musical styles, and it was the first time they were collaborating with one another. However it was through these difficulties that teachers could help students see that they were in this together, and that God was in control.
“We committed everything to God and put in time to practice. Both schools were given time to interact so as to team-build and form warmer ties before the performance,” Veron illustrates.
For the choir from CHIJ Kellock Primary School, teachers had also created learning tracks for the different voice parts and uploaded them onto the school’s online learning wall. This way, the disadvantage of the June holidays taking away practice time was minimised.
“Students were tasked to learn their melodic parts via this social medium, which has helped our choir to be more confident with their voice parts and to sing in beautiful harmony,” Mary expressed.
Organising chairman of the Church’s SG50 celebrations, Fr Derrick Yap OFM, highlights that it is important for the younger generation to feel proud of the Church, to understand that, “God has called us to be His children, and to belong to this beautiful Church.” Thus, he explains, “I tried to involve as many young as possible so that in days when they’re feeling down, hopefully something that was said, something that was sung, or someone that they met here, they remember it and they hold it in their hearts that God is real, for them at this moment.”
In his short meetings with school supervisors, school management committee members, chaplains and parent volunteers, Jesuit Fr Christopher Gleeson emphasised the need for faith formation.
Just as people have personal trainers for the body, there needs to be “personal training for the soul”, he stressed.
“The riches of our Catholic faith lie in our spiritual tradition,” he added.
During his 17 March session with school chaplaincy teams and parent volunteers, he shared about potential resources that Catholic schools here could use for the faith formation of teachers and students.
He also spoke about how students at one of the Jesuit schools in Australia went through a series of formation sessions in order to become Eucharistic ministers, a role that the students took seriously.
Meeting with school supervisors, school management committee chairmen and principals on March 18, he reiterated the need to tell the stories of schools’ Religious founders, pointing once again to the Emmaus story as a model of accompaniment.
Encouraging school board retreats, he said, “One’s own depth of spirituality as a school governor is a crucial element in the Catholic life of a school.”
Stated Fr Gleeson, “Never underestimate the power of the Catholic tradition or the congregational story as a lens on the Gospel,” adding that Christian communities that are not Catholic do not have the powerhouse that Catholics have because of their Religious traditions.
Ms Leslie Goonting, a parent volunteer said of the session, “I think we are empowered a bit more to know about what is happening in Australia. We have an idea of what’s available here and where the gaps are.” She hopes that “Catholic school leaders will more strongly embrace and prioritise the need for spiritual formation of the children and youth they serve and to also introduce all teachers and staff to what Catholic education is and form them accordingly.
By Mel Diamse-Lee, Catholic News.
Source: Catholic News, April 5, 2015, Volume 65, Number 07
At the 2015 Catholic Education Conference, Archbishop Goh and Jesuit priest exhorted educators to point to the source of Catholic values and talk about the stories of their Religious founders. Catholic News reporter Mel Diamse-Lee sat in.
Archbishop William Goh challenged educators to speak of the source of values, Christ, to their students during teachable moments.
The impassioned homily of Archbishop William Goh rang out throughout the packed auditorium of St Gabriel Secondary School on March 16 as he encouraged teachers to talk about Catholic values to their students and point to Christ as the source of these values.
“A Catholic school that does not proclaim Christ explicitly at the end of the day, I don’t think is a Catholic school,” Archbishop Goh told some 400 Catholic educators, parents, members of school management committees and Religious Brothers and Sisters attending the Catholic Education Conference organised by the Archdiocesan Commission for Catholic Schools (ACCS).
At the Mass prior to the conference, he said that with the world changing rapidly as a result of technology, science and mass communication, “traditional values that we hold so strongly and steadfastly are being eroded away”.
Noting that “all our Catholic schools started with strong moral and religious values,” he added that “perhaps the current generation of leaders that we have … benefitted from our Christian Catholic education”.
However, because of secularisation and the negative effects of relativism, individualism and consumerism, these values are being challenged.
“What distinguishes us from non-Christian schools? Our values ultimately, are not simply ethical values, no, they are the values founded in Christ. Christ is the centre of all we do. When we give them [students] values but don’t give them the source of the values, we shortchange them. It’s like giving fish to people but we don’t teach them how to fish.”
Addressing teachers in the audience, he said, “As educators, you are to form minds. Your task is to give life. More than the physical and material, your task is to give the fullness of life … Ask yourselves, ‘Are we sincere in giving [students] a fuller life?’ ”
The archbishop also noted the four major challenges facing Catholic schools today: the dwindling population of Catholic students, the declining presence of Religious, whom he called “icons of the sacred”, from their schools; the role of the Ministry of Education (MOE) as the main payer and policy maker; and the autonomous way Catholic schools are run, being sponsored by various Religious congregations.
Keynote speaker, Jesuit Fr Christopher Gleeson, emphasised that telling stories, like Jesus did with parables, reinforces the Catholic identity of schools.
Character of Catholic schools
Picking up from where Archbishop Goh left off, Fr Gleeson gave the conference participants an opportunity to reflect on the theme of the conference, The Character of Catholic Schools. He put together a slide presentation with through-provoking quotations.
An educator for 21 years, he based his morning talk on the Vatican’s 2014 document, Educating Today and Tomorrow – A Renewing Passion.
Storytelling is a powerful way of transmitting the character of Catholic schools, Fr Gleeson said.
“Good storytelling builds on the experience of one’s listeners. The parables, which Jesus told, are ‘springboard stories’ leading people to discover the answers for themselves.”
From the Vatican document, he quoted: “Teachers are called upon to rise up to a major educational challenge, which is the recognition, respect and enhancement of diversity.”
He also spoke about “sacramental vision”, of finding God in all things, and being found by God in all things. “The test of our education is if we are able to produce people of discernment.”
Fr Gleeson’s afternoon talk focused on the character of a teacher, picking out the walk to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35) as a model for teaching.
Pedagogy is about accompaniment, Fr Gleeson said. In the Gospel where Jesus met two discouraged disciples leaving Jerusalem, Jesus models the six “best elements of companionship”: walking with others, listening to their heart, telling a story, disposing (not imposing) blessing, and setting hearts on fire.
“True education is about transformation, and all teachers are, or should be, important figures in the lives of their students,” he said.
During the breakout session, where participants were grouped according to school levels, four questions were posed based on the sharing of Fr Gleeson on the key characteristics of Catholic schools that are successfully nurtured, challenges of operationalising what has been discussed, and which of the challenges participants would want to take up to help Catholic schools realise their Catholic identity.
Fr Edward Seah, acting executive director of ACCS, also gave an update on the seven key areas of improvement identified at the ACCS conference in September 2013. Among these were the creation of a directory of Catholic educators, school chaplaincy teams, greater laity involvement, formation and induction of principals and vice principals, and implementation of a Catholic ethos self-assessment framework and a Civics and Moral Education/Religious Education curriculum.
Feedback
Participants at the conference felt encouraged and inspired by the homily and reflection points given.
Canossian Sr Margaret Goh, lead chaplain and supervisor of the four Canossian Schools and St Magdalene’s Kindergarten, said, “The conference was well thought through, especially with Fr Edward giving an update on what ACCS has accomplished in the key areas for improvement. I embrace the bishop’s challenge of evangelising in the sense that there is a need to point to the source of values. The [Catholic] schools can be avenues for evangelisation, without imposing.”
Mr Eugene Yeow, a Catholic Junior College teacher, said, “It was good for me to know that the good practices are there. The spiritual health of schools is not as bad as we are led to believe, although it could be better. Kerygma [ongoing formation] can be provided in order to deepen the faith [of teachers]… so the students get the best out of our own experience.
“The personal challenge would be the mindset of teachers, the tendency for Catholic teachers to be more quiet when it comes to evangelisation. The transformational step is to view why there is a need for it. It is so that the children can see the impact. On a school level, hopefully there would be a continued dialogue between Catholic schools management and MOE.”
Madam Elizabeth Dass, a teacher at the Canossian School (For the Hearing Impaired), felt that the conference was “something like bread, feeding us with information. It was an avenue for sharing with other teachers and sharing faith, opinions, experiences and frustrations. At the end of the day, we can always mention Jesus during teachable times. The conference inspired me to mention Jesus in a teachable way.”
Sr Delphine Kang, supervisor of Marymount Convent School, thought that the conference was “really very good. A lot of people were very excited, very inspired to be witnesses and sacraments in the school. It’s not new but it’s an awakening. It’s good now and again to be reminded.”
Parent volunteer, Ms Clare Leong, said, “I think the conference has been successful in getting the Catholic educators together to work towards a more united direction for all Catholic schools in Singapore. I really appreciated the opportunity to share and to exchange each school’s experiences, ideas and practices.
Address: 2 Highland Road, CAEC #02-01, Singapore 549102
Telephone: 6858 7080
Email: accs@catholic.org.sg
