Pope John XXIII's final encyclical on the subject of peace, "Pacem in Terris," written after the Cuban missile crisis which he helped to resolve, is an extended treatment of the basic principles of political morality and particularly significant for its adoption--the first time by the Catholic Church--of the discourse of human rights.…

The purpose of this paper is to consider some reasons why philosophy, in its current highly pluralist state, can be a valuable means of creating, with the help of divine grace, an opening for faith. My paper begins with (1) the challenging conceptual diversity that besets the very idea of Catholic higher education, i.e., the theme of this issue of…

Augustine's training in pagan rhetoric, his classical education, and the productive tensions he experienced between pagan and Christian exemplars played a formative role in his spiritual journey. An examination of the generative aspects of these encounters with otherness yields insights for our own understanding, not just of the importance to…

Owing to a variety of complex historical and socio-cultural factors, the Irish education system remains heavily influenced by denominational mores and values [Ferriter, D. 2012. "Occasions of Sin: Sex & Society in Modern Ireland." London: Profile Books], particularly those of the Roman Catholic Church [O'Toole, B. 2015.…

This paper seeks to address a gap in the literature regarding lay teachers and their role and status within Catholic schools, studies have been carried out investigating this from the perspective of teaching religious and the Catholic Church but have yet to fully investigate this from the lay teachers' perspectives themselves. The period 1940-1980…

First-year writing courses at Catholic colleges and universities can provide students the communicative tools to intellectually engage with Catholic doctrines and beliefs in the public sphere. However, writing programs can neglect to balance grammar, logic, and rhetoric. This article provides a practical Catholic first-year writing course design…

This article provides the history of Catholic state-aided schooling in Zambia for over a century. It notes how the Catholic Church came to view its school to be a pivotal means of church development. By cooperation with the state it entered more fully into the nation's future by offering high-quality state-sponsored schooling. This proved to…

In this paper, I argue that a "de facto" politicizing approach to the principles of Catholic Social Teaching miscasts several qualities of that body of teaching, leading to several negative prejudices. As a remedy to this politicization, I propose a "familial hermeneutical" approach that renders the principles of Catholic…

This article reflects on the place of RE in a pillarised education context, taking into account the fact of religious diversity and pluralisation among the school population on the one hand, and the freedom of religion and education of faith-based schools on the other. Particular attention will be given to Belgium and the Netherlands, which do not…

Taking into consideration a discussion on the relationship between religion and education in a laic country, and possible consequences of such relationship for society (DUARTE and NETO, 2013; EMMERICK, 2010; HAGOPIAN, 2006; MENDONÇA, 1995), this bibliographic paper aims at investigating possible effects or consequences of religion on education in…

In Ireland primary RE is a fractured, contested, complex and changing territory devoid of a common language and characterised by a proliferation of syllabi and curricula generated for increasingly diverse school types. For centuries the dynamic decolonising process has led to a questioning of former orthodoxies and an attempted de-linking of the…

This essay investigates the development of the boys' magazine, "Our Boys," and how this became a powerful auxiliary to the Christian Brothers' work in schools. It championed the values that the Christian Brothers had propagated since their foundation in 1802. Often characterised as Celtic and Romantic, it was neither, but aimed at…

A recent article in this journal, "Teaching about Catholic--Jewish relations: some guidelines to assist the work of teachers in Catholic schools," by Clare Jardine (Volume 7, no 1, 46-60), includes a page on "A new approach to New Testament studies." There the author points out that "The situations described in the Gospels…

Childhood studies place emphasis on children's agency, their ability to understand their own world and act upon it. Children actively participate in meaningful social interactions in both formal and informal settings. Considering recent large-scale migration in Ireland, it is vital to understand how children interact in an increasingly diverse…

This article explores the ethos of multi-denominational primary schools in the context of increasing cultural and religious diversity in the Republic of Ireland. In particular, it investigates how the official ethos is played out in day-to-day school interactions. The mixed-methods study draws on data collected from 11 community national schools…