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Primary School Catechesis

Syllabus for Primary School Catechesis

CCC

The Irish Bishops’ Conference has announced that a new religious education syllabus for Catholic primary schools is in preparation. Éanna Johnson has developed this Syllabus – fully faithful to Church teaching, especially as expressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the General Directory for Catechesis – and now offers it to the Bishops as a contribution towards the preparation of our new syllabus.

For copy of Syllabus click here

General Directory for Catechesis

Alive-O

Review of Alive-O Books 1-4

This Review, written by Éanna Johnson especially for parents, compares the Alive-O programme Books 1-4 with Catholic Church teaching, as expressed principally in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

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Overview

Overview of Alive-O 5-8

This Analysis by Éanna Johnson looks at the Overview of Alive-O Books 5-8, which was prepared by the Administrator of the Alive-O project and published by Veritas. The Analysis takes the Overview as written, and does not compare it with the actual content of the Alive-O programme. The Overview is found to contain much good material, but nevertheless falls short of authentic Catholic faith, through incorrect statement, omissions and imbalances.

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Survey of RE Knowledge

Survey

This Survey was aimed at assessing the Catholic religious knowledge of pupils in their first year of secondary school. The Survey was carried out in the academic year 2006/07, and covered 450 pupils in ten schools around Ireland.  While there are some encouraging responses to the survey, the results overall indicate that most pupils are lacking in knowledge which is essential for authentic Christian faith.

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Sermon on Mount

Survey of Diocesan Advisers on Alive-O Programme

A confidential Survey of all Diocesan Advisers in primary level catechetics was carried out in January 2007, to ascertain their views on the Alive-O religion programme, which has been in use in Ireland’s primary schools since 1996. The Survey yielded a wide range of views on Alive-O, from very positive to highly critical.

For detailed Survey Results, click here.

Teaching Angels at Primary School

Image of God

Review by Éanna Johnson, published in The Sower, January – March 2005 issue. The review examines the teaching on angels and demons at primary school level in two catechetical series: the Image of God series (published by Ignatius Press), and the Alive-O programme (published by Veritas). The Image of God is found to be excellent in introducing children to the Catholic Church's teaching on angels. The Alive-O programme is found not to be faithful to the teaching of the Church, and unfair to the children by keeping them in almost complete ignorance of the truths about angels and demons (the fallen angels).
Additional notes are provided, with relevant references in the Alive-O programme.

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Alive-O 7

Alive-O Books 1-4 & Scripture

Alive-O Books 1-4 do not treat Sacred Scripture in conformance with the teaching of the Catholic Church. Alive-O handles Scripture like 'spiritual plasticene', a resource that may be reshaped at will. In this analysis Éanna Johnson examines Alive-O's treatment of the Parable of the Lost Sheep as one of several possible examples of Alive-O's approach to Scripture.

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Nurturing Children’s Religious Imagination

Nurturing Children's Religious Imagination

Book review by Éanna Johnson, published in the Irish Catholic, October 21 2004. Review of Nurturing Children’s Religious Imagination: The Challenge of Primary Religious Education Today, edited by Raymond Topley and Gareth Byrne, published by Veritas. The book contains 17 articles, mostly by students undertaking the Masters in Religious Education (Primary), jointly offered by St Patrick's College, Drumcondra, and the Mater Dei Institute of Education, Dublin. Many issues are dealt with in the articles, but none address what many see as the major issue facing religious education in Ireland over the past generation, which is the widespread failure to hand on the Catholic Faith.

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Scottish Catholic Observer

The Alive-O Programme is used in Catholic primary schools in Scotland. The Programme was the topic of considerable controversy in the letters page of the Scottish Catholic Observer. The Observer invited Éanna Johnson to contribute an article based on his research, which was published in the issue of October 7, 2005. The same issue had a lead article by the SCO’s Donna Nicholson, and a relevant letter to the Editor.

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Scottish Catholic Observer

General Catechesis

Evangelisation & Catechesis – Bridging the Gap

Workshop presented by Éanna Johnson at the Catholic Leaders’ Conference, “Called, Connected, Commissioned”, in Athlone, January 28-30 2005. The Conference was organised by TINE – A Catholic Leaders’ Network for the New Evangelisation; President: Monsignor Pat Lynch. The Conference was attended by 150 leaders from all over Ireland, representing a wide range of groups and organisations interested in Catholic evangelisation. Principal speakers were Archbishop Sean Brady, and Bruce Clewett, who has considerable experience in evangelisation in Austria and USA. Full information on the Conference available at www.tine-network.org

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Critical Issues in Religious Education

This is a Review - published in the Irish Catholic, 2nd June 2005 - and Analysis by Éanna Johnson of the book ‘Critical Issues in Religious Education’, edited by Oliver Brennan, and published by Veritas Publications, 2005. The contributors to this book are Dr Kieran Scott, Sr Finola Cunnane, and Fr Oliver Brennan. The book advocates a particular kind of “religious education”, involving replacement of Catholic catechesis by state-supplied teaching in schools on all religions as equally valid human value-systems. Parish and family should model a ‘religious’ way of life, which equates with good humanitarianism.

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Critical Issues in RE

Youth 2000 Formation Course - Session on Catechesis

Youth 2000

Youth 2000 held a Formation Course for Youth Leaders on 29th March to 3rd April 2005, at the Retreat Centre, St Mary’s Priory, Tallaght. Éanna Johnson was invited to lead a Session on Catechesis. This is the Outline that accompanied Éanna’s presentation.

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New Directions in Religious Education

New Directions in RE

This is an Analysis by Éanna Johnson of the book ‘New Directions in Religious Education’, written by Dr Finola Cunnane, and published by Veritas Publications, 2004. Sr Cunnane is Director of Religious Education in the Diocese of Ferns, and Executive Secretary of the Irish Episcopal Commission on Catechetics. The book expresses the thinking of American scholar Gabriel Moran. The book advocates that Catholic catechesis should be eliminated from the schools and that the state should supply teaching on all religions as equally valid value-systems coming from different human traditions.

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Submission for National Directory for Catechesis

Diaglogue in Faith

This is Éanna Johnson’s Submission of 9th June 2005 in response to the invitation of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference to help in preparation of the first Irish National Directory for Catechesis. The text of the Bishops’ invitation and public advertisement are also included, for information.

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Draft National Directory for Catechesis

The Commission for Catechetics, appointed by the Irish Catholic bishops, is at present drawing up a National Directory for Catechesis. The new Directory is intended to apply the Church's General Directory for Catechesis to the Irish situation, in order to provide guidance for all those involved in handing on the Catholic faith in Ireland. The preparation process was publicly announced in May 2005 with an invitation for submissions. In late February 2006 a draft of the new directory was sent to 200 groups and individuals, asking for their comments. Éanna Johnson was one of those who received a copy of the Draft Directory, and has responded with comments.

For copy of Comments, click here

Be Good News

Be Good News

The Voice Today, ALIVE!, The Irish Family

Articles by Éanna Johnson on the preparation process for the Draft National Directory for Catechesis, published in The Voice Today (10th March 2006), Alive! (April 2006), and The Irish Family (14-17th April 2006).

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Other Related

Attracting Young People to the Church

Cast Out into the Deep

This is a book review by Éanna Johnson of Cast Out into the Deep: Attracting Young People to the Church, by Séamus Lynch, published by The Liffey Press. The review was published in The Irish Catholic, Thursday 3rd March 2005. Séamus Lynch wished to explore ways of attracting young people to the Catholic Church. So he put this question to about 100 people, “If you had to suggest one idea which might strengthen young people’s commitment to the Church, what would it be?” The book contains the responses, and also results of a survey that Lynch carried out of young people. This is an interesting book, well worth reading.

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