‘Catholic’ teachers undermining the Church?

What do you seriously think will happen when enough of the staff of any Catholic school are non-Catholic or when enough of the Catholic staff within it either don’t practice their faith or can’t stand most of what the Church actually teaches?

Music Matters – Episode 3

A Glimpse of Heaven – Why Music matters in a Catholic School.

In the last article we looked at the power of music to take the truths of the faith and present them in a way that engages students, sticks in their heads, and ends up on their ipods.

Reflections on the Infinite Power of Paying Attention

courtesy of David Foster Wallace

Late last year I was stumbling around online trying to avoid actual work in my uninspiring get-me-through-uni retail job when I came across a long form article about tennis genius Roger Federer titled Federer as Religious Experience.

Engaging with the sacred

Opening children to the beauty of the Church through the Rosary and Benediction.

I am very lucky to work in a Catholic School where the Catholic name actually means something. We attend Mass as a whole school (350 students) once a fortnight and we celebrate the liturgical calendar (both feasting and fasting).

Music Matters – Episode 2

The truths of heaven – Why Music matters in a Catholic School

Why music matters

In any school there are many reasons why music matters. Numerous studies over the years have demonstrated that engagement with music can have such various and diverse positive effects as building a sense of community, improving memory, enhancing performance on cognitive tasks, allowing for improved mental health, and even strengthening the immune system!

Music Matters – Episode 1

A white Irish Catholic sings Black Gospel

Stephen Kirk is a Catholic composer, singer, musician and worship leader who lives in Canberra, Australia. He regularly teaches on prayer, music, and liturgy in a variety of contexts. In coming editions he will be sharing his ideas on liturgy and music in Catholic schools.

The Problem with Teaching

Last year, in New South Wales alone teachers made more than 500 mental stress claims. Taking into account the rest of the country the final figure is no doubt quite significant.