| Diocesan Adviser for Religious Education Primary Schools |
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The Diocesan Advisors for Religious Education team for Primary School has responsibility for the 161 Primary and National Schools that exist within the Archdiocese of Armagh. The principal function of the team is to visit each school annually on behalf of the Cardinal as principal trustee to offer support, guidance, encouragement and advice on the dissemination of Religious Education at primary level. Beginning in September each year, the period of visitation normally extends until the end of May or early June, with the main focus of visits being to Sacramental classes, ensuring that the Religious Programme is offering a comprehensive understanding of the significance and meaning of the Sacraments received. In other classes the focus is on the provision of a balanced development of faith understanding to give grounding for future catechesis.
At the request of the school we offer Pre-Sacramental meeting for parents of those about to receive the sacraments, although in recent years, with the introduction of two highly successful and recommended parish based programmes to address this process, we have reduced time allotted to this task. In service days for staff either on request or on larger Diocesan level normally take place at the beginning of the academic year, to discuss the introduction of Religious Programmes, other Catechetical based programmes and staff faith development.
In many cases the School is the main source of religious development and so support of teachers in this task is highly important, and the Diocesan Advisors seek to encourage teachers in this work but also to offer alternative and further means to ensure the success of their work. The introduction of new Catechetical material and the ongoing assessment of existing materials also fall under the responsibility of the team. During visitation we constantly note any opinions of staff on where the programme is lacking and look for gaps in current Catechetical literature that ought to be addressed in the revision of the programmes in use. Additional resources are distributed to schools throughout the year to offer alternative and complimentary activities and lessons on key religious moments.
We also hold responsibility for the distribution of financial and other assistance to third level students of Theology. Applications for assistance are normally received in the first term of the year, and in most cases a grant is forwarded to applicants to assist in their studies.
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