CPSMA

Catholic Primary Schools Management Association.

‘The future of humanity lies in the hands of those who are strong enough to provide coming generations with reasons for living and hoping’. (The Church in the Modern World).

The Association seeks to support the development of Catholic Education and strives to promote the full and harmonious development of all aspects of the person of the pupil: intellectual, physical, cultural, moral and spiritual. It works at both National and Diocesan level to support Boards of Management, Principals and teachers to ensure the centrality of Gospel values and to assist in providing the best possible educational opportunities for children. CPSMA is committed to inclusive dialogue with all agencies interested in providing excellence in education.

The Diocesan Education Secretary, Mrs Niamh Black, will liase with the CPSMA and is the point of contact for schools in the Archdiocese. She can be contacted at the following email address: [email protected].

CCMS

The Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS) is the advocate for the Catholic Maintained Schools sector in Northern Ireland. CCMS represents Trustees, schools and Governors on issues such as raising and maintaining standards, the school estate and teacher employment. As the largest employer of teachers in Northern Ireland (8500 teachers), CCMS plays a central role in supporting teachers whether through its welfare service or, for example, in working parties such as the Independent Inquiry into Teacher Pay and Conditions of Service.

CCMS supports Trustees in the provision of school buildings and Governors and Principals in the effective management and control of schools. CCMS also has a wider role within the Northern Ireland education sector and contributes with education partners to policy on a wide range of issues such as curriculum review, selection, pre-school education, pastoral care and leadership.

There are 36 Council members who oversee and authorise the strategic and operational policies and practices of CCMS. Council members are appointed for the duration of each Council period for four years. Membership to the Council is by appointment and recommendation. Council members receive payment for travelling and incurred costs only. There are four categories of Council members.

Department of Education Representatives – Membership is advertised through the press for these positions.
Trustee Representatives – Members are recommended by the Northern Bishops.
Parents Representatives – Members are drawn from local community on a voluntary basis.
Teachers Representatives – Members are drawn from teaching community on a voluntary basis.

Established under the auspices of 1989 Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order, the Council’s primary purpose is the provision of an upper tier of management for the Catholic Maintained Sector with the primary objective of raising standards in Catholic Maintained Schools.

The seminal activities of the Council are set out in Articles 142-146 and Schedule 8 of the 1989 Education Reform (NI) Order and are as follows:

To employ all such teachers as are required on the staffs of Catholic Maintained schools;
to advise the Department or a board on such matters relating to Catholic Maintained Schools as the Department or board may refer to the Council or as the Council may see fit.
To promote and co-ordinate, in consultation with the Trustees of Catholic Maintained Schools, the planning of the effective provision of such schools.
To promote the effective management and control of Catholic Maintained Schools by the Boards of Governors of such schools.
To provide or secure, with the approval of the Department, the provision of such advice and information to the Trustees, Boards of Governors, principal and staff of Catholic Maintained Schools as appears to the Council to be appropriate in connection with the Council’s duty.
To exercise such other functions as are conferred on it by the Education Orders.

The Council for Catholic Maintained Schools continues to promote the philosophy and vision articulated in Building Peace Shaping the Future and is committed to ensuring that through a process of managing through influence, there is a healthy respect for diversity throughout the Catholic maintained school system.

There are 547 Catholic managed schools in Northern Ireland. According to the latest figures from Department of Education, N.I. Statistics Branch 2006/2007, the number of pupils registered at school in Northern Ireland is 329,583.The number of pupils attending Catholic managed schools is 148,225. Approximately 45% of children in Northern Ireland are educated in Catholic managed schools.

Click Here to access the website of CCMS

17 Mar – St. Patrick’s Day

ST. PATRICK’S DAY
17 MARCH 2000
ST. PATRICK’S CATHEDRAL, ARMAGH
HOMILY BY CARDINAL SEÁN BRADY

Rejoice that your names are written in heaven. Today we rejoice that our names are written in heaven. We give thanks to God for sending St. Patrick to Ireland to tell us that. St. Patrick came to preach the glory of God to the people of Ireland. He came to tell us that we are meant to share in, and enjoy, the glory of God. He came to tell us to rejoice, to be happy, because our names are written on the invitation list for heaven.

The hunger for glory is to be found in the heart of each one of us. This morning I saw a team of young men arrive at the Grammar School here at 8.30 am. They were getting ready for a final which begins in a little over a hour’s time in Casement Park, Belfast. Today Crossmaglen Rangers return to Croke Park in search of further glory. During the week thousands travelled to Cheltenham and Old Trafford. Part of this enjoyment for them is to bask in the reflected glory of winners.

That is the sort of glory that fades and is short lived. Yesterday’s stars must give way to today’s heroes. But the glory of God is everlasting, there is a share in it not just for everyone in the audience but for everyone whose name is written in heaven. The glory of God lasts forever. The glory of God is the only glory that can satisfy the deepest hunger of our hearts, the hunger for happiness, the hunger for love that never ends.

I am grateful to all who put up flags, the flags for St. Patrick’s Day here in Armagh and to all those who have marched here in uniform to this Mass – Scouts, Guides, the Order of Malta. We will miss the parade here in Armagh in the afternoon but I hope we will all celebrate, celebrate very happily the fact that we are proud to call ourselves Christians.

Today we remember the fact that Patrick came back to Ireland to bring Good News. He brought that Good News to our ancestors who were, until then heathens, that is, pagans, people who did not believe in the One True God. They did not even know about the One True God but maybe believed in several gods, we don’t know.

During his captivity in Ireland, Patrick had seen that our pagan ancestors were really to be pitied. No-one had ever told them about the One True God. Patrick saw that they were poorer for this. Probably before coming to Ireland Patrick himself did not appreciate the value of his faith in the One True God. In fact he tells us that in his writings, “I was almost sixteen and I did not know the True God”. Patrick looked on his captivity in Ireland as a punishment for the fact that he had turned away from God. “We deserved this fate” he says. “We have turned away from God. We neither kept His Commandments” he said, “nor obeyed our priests”.

Then things changed for Patrick and they changed drastically. He was abducted from his home, not just for a few days but for years. As far as his parents were concerned he simply disappeared. Patrick saw that the Lord scattered him and his companions among many heathen peoples. Later things changed again and this time they changed for the better. First of all the Lord made him see his unbelief, the fact that he really didn’t believe in God or that if he believed in God he was beginning to get careless.

Like the prodigal son in the Gospel, Patrick came to his senses. He recognised his sins. He turned wholeheartedly back to God. He began to know, possibly for the first time, a different kind of God. A God who was concerned for his weakness, who had pity for his youth – remember he was only sixteen – a God who watched over him all the time, even before Patrick turned back to Him and got to know Him. A God who protected Patrick before he knew the difference between good and evil. A God who comforted Patrick as a father comforts his son.

I suppose we could all stop and ask ourselves a question at this stage. Is that the kind of God I know? Is that the kind of God I know and love and try to serve as best I can? That is certainly the God of Jesus Christ. That is the kind of God we find in the New Testament. But how did Patrick come to know God like this? He probably didn’t have any New Testament with him. He certainly didn’t have time to pack his books before being snatched away from his homeland.
Let us listen to his own words:

“When I had come to Ireland I was tending herds every day. I used to pray many times during the day. More and more the love of God and reverence for God came to me. My faith increased, so that in the course of a day I would say as many as a hundred prayers and almost as many in the night. This I did, even when I was staying in the woods and on the mountain. Before dawn I used to waken up to pray in snow or frost or rain. I never felt the worst for it; nor was I in anyway lazy because, as I now realise, the Spirit was burning within me”

But of course Patrick got his freedom, got home to his family and they were telling him that he must never leave them again. But we know that in time Patrick came to believe that God was calling him to come back to Ireland. He believed that in a dream, God was calling him to return to Ireland. And, even though Patrick believed God was calling him to do so, and even though he knew he had something great to bring to the Irish, I am sure the Evil One, the Devil, was suggesting to him many reasons why he should not return.
I am sure Satan was trying to undermine his confidence and tell him that he wasn’t well enough educated to face the Druids. After all, his education had been seriously interrupted. Satan would have been pointing out the obstacles. He would have been reminding Patrick of the way the Irish had treated him. That you couldn’t trust them. Satan would have been trying to revive memories of the hurts. Anyhow we know, despite all the odds, Patrick did come.

In that sense he is a model of pardon and forgiveness and reconciliation. He is a model that we badly need at the moment. Patrick came because he trusted not in his own abilities, far from it. He described himself as a sinner, the most rustic and least of all the faithful, the most contemptible in the eyes of a great many people. That was what Patrick believed about himself. But he had confidence nevertheless. He had confidence in the power of God. He knew what God had done for him and he says he can’t be held back from singing the praises of God. He said: “Before I was humbled I was like a stone lion in the deep mud, then He, who was mighty, came and in His mercy He not only pulled me out but lifted me up and placed me at the very top of the wall”. He said “I must speak publicly to repay the Lord for such wonderful gift”.
We need Patrick at the moment. We need him to build confidence in ourselves and in others. Confidence building is a crucial question here, right now in Northern Ireland. We look to institutions to build confidence and they can play an important part. But confidence implies an attitude of trusting in, or relying on, someone or something. Confidence building boils down ultimately to building up trust between people.

Further progress can only come about through the restoration and deepening of trust within the political system of course but also within all sections of our community. The task of building confidence in a divided society is always difficult. No-one should expect it to be otherwise. We believe that our confidence is built on the power of God ultimately.

Earlier this week the Irish Bishops’ Conference called on all our people to pray to God that the progress already made may be further developed over the coming weeks because certainly no-one can be complacent about the danger of a continuing political vacuum.

St. Patrick was a man with a message. His message was one of forgiveness. As I said, he had good reason to feel bitter and resentful about being kidnapped from his home at 16 years of age and being lost and separated from his parents and friends and family for six years. His education was ruined. His life and his plans totally upset. Yes Patrick had very good reason to feel bitter and full of hatred for the Irish. In fact he didn’t feel any such bitterness because he knew that he himself had been forgiven by God. He was determined that he in turn was going to forgive those who had injured him. And, to those who had persecuted the Irish on account of their faith, he addressed an urgent call to repentance. He offered them the assurance of God’s mercy if they would come to their senses, abandon their evil ways, and ask for God’s forgiveness.

One of the great themes of Jubilee Year is that of reconciliation. I think if Patrick were here today he would be saying to people to examine their lives and, if they see that they have been careless and sinned, to remember that God is a God of forgiveness, a God of mercy, a God of compassion. He would be wanting us to listen to the call to come back and have our sins forgiven. He would be wanting us to know that the only way of having sins forgiven is to approach Christ, in the sacrament of Confession.
I wish you all a happy St. Patrick’s Day. I think a happy St. Patrick’s day would be one where we experience something of the deep peace and joy which Patrick experienced in the presence and knowledge of God. That is the happiness I wish you on this day.
AMEN

Chokmah

The Armagh Diocesan Initiative for
Narrative & Prayer & Healing

The late Fr Tom Hamil was responsible for the the setting up of the

ARMAGH DIOCESAN BIBLICAL INITIATIVE (ADBI)

From 1993 to 2003 Tom posted out “biblical hints” in the form of questions, riddles and stories based on the weekly Readings for Sunday liturgies to a wide circle of people. He followed the yearly cycles A,B,C and created fresh notes each time over that 10-year span. Small groups formed in different parts of the world and used these nurturing and challenging notes to prepare for Sunday Eucharist.

The Chokmah Initiative was inspired & nourished by several dynamic factors:

A. The generative work of The Mount Oliver Institute (1969 – 1992), briefly expressed thus :

Who Enslaves ThePeople? Who Liberates ThePeople?
The Urgent TwinQuestions! &What effective Response?
In TheSpirit-of-Jesus-TheNazarene, this Institute dares
To Explore-TheImplications-of-TheBiblicalMythos,
For our ContemporaryExperience
As Groups&Individuals, As Women&Men!
&To take-issue with TheGods-who-Infest-OurWorld!

A website has been set up by the committee that helped Fr. Tom in organising workshops and is intended to put some of his work online.

Click here to access this website.

Adult faith formation

The General Catechetical Directory of the Catholic Church proposes that evangelisation is at the heart of living the Christian life. The parish community exists in order to evangelise and each parishioner participates in that work. In this context the function of faith formation becomes clear. It is to enable the parish community to fulfill its primary task of evangelisation. Adult faith formation is key to this, the Directory tells us.

The word evangelisation is rooted in the Greek word for “good news.” Essentially, evangelisation is about us witnessing to our relationship with Jesus Christ by the way we live. A commitment to evangelisation involves a commitment to affirming the dignity of every person, to working for justice and to enhancing the reign of God.

Adult faith formation becomes essential to this endeavour. It enables the person who has been evangelised to become an evangeliser. Faith formation of adults in parishes enables the parish to be formed and transformed into an evangelizing community.

The archdiocese is committed to providing opportunities for adult faith formation and to supporting faith formation initiatives. The many parish and diocesan initiatives presently available include:

parish pastoral council training, baptism team formation and family ministry training offered by the Office of Pastoral Renewal and Family Ministry;
liturgical training offered by the Liturgy Commission;
schooling in prayer and spirituality offered by the Prayer and Spirituality group;
opportunities to reflect on contemporary adult experience so as to know and embody Christ offered by Chokmah;
marriage preparation course run by Accord.

One of the key adult faith formation programmes running in the diocese is Soil for the Seed: exploring our faith as adults. This is a two-year programme, offered by the Office of Pastoral Renewal and Family Ministry, for adults who are open to exploring their faith. No particular qualifications are necessary for participating and there are no exams. The course has nine modules including:

Exploring the Bible;
Jesus, God’s beloved;
Church: a sacramental people;
Christian spirituality in the 21st century;
Moral decision-making;
Called to serve;
Liturgy;
Leadership skills;
Inter-faith relations.

Family life is a school for evangelisation and parents and grandparents play an essential role in helping children to grow up to be adults who live lives that reflect the lifestyle of Jesus. Lessons of sharing, saying sorry, forgiving and loving without counting the cost are learned, first and foremost, at home. The challenge for the parish community is to have an effective family ministry that truly supports families as schools of evangelisation. Parents need to be enabled – with resources, training, suggestions, support and encouragement, – to share faith within the interactions of family life. Parishes are the leaders in this, supported by schools in empowering parents as faith educators. Pre-baptism preparation initiatives and other pre-sacramental programmes, including Confirming our Faith and Do this in Memory, play an important role here. The diocese also provides family friendly resources for use in the home around the liturgical seasons of Advent and Lent. It also makes available an online course for parents on handing on the faith in the home.

Handing on faith in the home is one of a number of online course from Boston College that the Office of Pastoral Renewal and Family Ministry is making available to people in the diocese.

The events diary on our diocesan website will keep you informed of courses and workshops and conferences that provide adult faith formation, supporting the work of evangelisation for the sake of the reign of God.

13 Feb – Words of Welcome – Disappeared Service

SERVICE FOR THE DISAPPEARED AND THEIR FAMILIES
ST PATRICK’S CATHEDRAL, ARMAGH
SUNDAY, 13 FEBRUARY, 2000, 3.00PM
ORGANISED BY WAVE
WORDS OF WELCOME BY
MOST REV. SEÁN BRADY, DCL,
ARCHBISHOP OF ARMAGH

I welcome you all here today to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh. I welcome very especially the members here present of the families of the Disappeared:
Jean McConville
Seamus Ruddy
Seamus Wright
Kevin McKee
Gerard Evans
Charlie Armstrong
Danny McIlhone
Columba McVeigh
Brendan Megraw
Captain Robert Niarac
John McIlroy.
Seamus Wright

I welcome their friends and all who have come to support them. I welcome Cardinal Daly and all the public, diplomatic and religious representatives from North and South. I welcome His Excellency, Mr Michael Sullivan, Ambassador of the United States of America to Ireland and Ms Ki Fort, US Consul in Belfast. I welcome Mr Adam Ingram, MP, Northern Ireland Office, Mr Séamus Mallon, MP, Mr David Trimble, MP, Mr John Taylor, MP, Ms Helen Jackson, MP, and the many other political representatives here present. I welcome the Joint Commissioners for Location of Victims’ Remains, Sir Kenneth Bloomfield and Mr John Wilson. I welcome the representatives of the Taoiseach’s Office, Mr Billy Stevenson of the Victims Liaison Unit, NIO, and Professor Jean Orr. I welcome Cllr Thomas Canavan, Mayor of Armagh, Cllr Dolores Kelly, Mayor of Craigavon and Cllr McKendry, Chairman of Magherafelt District Council. I welcome Rev. David Clements and all the representatives of the Protestant Churches.

We have come to pray. We have come to turn our hearts and minds to God, the God of all consolation, the God who comforts us in all our sorrows. We have come to listen to God’s word so that we may get from it strength and hope for the future. We come to pray for guidance in the search for the location of the remains of victims. We pray for the victims that they may be safe with the Lord in his eternal glory. We pray for all who are engaged in the search for a lasting and genuine peace.

We thank God that three bodies have already been recovered, those of Brian McKinney, John McClory and Eamon Molloy, and we welcome their families here today. We thank God for all those who work for the care and support of people bereaved and traumatised through the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

Diocesan Adviser for Religious Education Post Primary Schools

Post Primary Diocesan Adviser for Archdiocese of Armagh.

An outline of the support and work provided by Fr Declan O’Loughlin.

It is the responsibility of the school to provide adequate religious education for its students. The diocese assists the school in this work by appointing a Catechetical Adviser/Co-ordinator. The Catechetical Adviser/Co-ordinator Fr Declan O’Loughlin facilitates the teaching of religion in the school in a number of ways:

by visiting the school to meet with and encourage the religion teachers and help them evaluate their work. Fr Declan has consistently visited the RE HOD /Co-ordinator averaging about 5 visits annually. He disseminates resources for teaching RE to teachers, as well as materials to further develop the teachers own faith and spiritual development.
by advising the Principal / SMT/ Board of Management/Governors and religion teachers on the catechetical syllabus, suitable textbooks and helping devise, supply and share suitable resource materials and giving assistance in formulating policies.
by reminding Principals / Board of Management/Governors of the central position of Religious Education in the school syllabus and timetable, helping them through in-service staff days / meetings to develop the Christian/Catholic community within their school.
by providing pastoral support to teachers and chaplains listening to their difficulties and helping develop co-operation between teachers and chaplains in any geographical area. For downloadable Class resources and policies please check out this religious Education blog. http://resource-ni.com This blog is an important resource for teachers as it has updated downloadable resources for teaching and prayer/worship resources for school assemblies and liturgies. Relevant documents from Archbishop Eamon and quotations from Pope Francis are placed her as an easy one stop place for teachers seeking updates and new resources.
by organising some in-service theological and catechetical training for teachers and chaplains. We have an annual Religious Education Community Day held in St John the Baptist College Portadown which over the years has become the most important meeting for RE teachers and HODs in the school calendar. Expert theological and spiritual speakers are engaged to address and resource attending teachers. Teachers share their own best resources and through discussion a vibrant sense of a living community has developed over the past 30 years or so.
by providing opportunities for teachers of religion to participate in retreats and days of prayer and personal/faith development. We have an excellent support group for school chaplains which meets 5 times annually with a full spiritual reflection day offered usually in March at Dromantine Conference Centre. Fr Declan resources these sessions facilitated by Mr Denis Bradly who also provides pastoral supervision individually or in small groups for those seeking this assistance.
by sharing news of developments pertinent to teachers by means of written reports, newsletters, The Armagh Catechist and some gatherings. The Catechist is a small journal Fr Declan has assembled and edited for 30 years or so and is sent 4 times annually to each RE department. Feedback on this resource has been excellent and issues are widely read and appreciated. Two exhibitions prepared by Fr Declan and the Armagh Prayer and Spirituality Commission have been offered and hosted by a number of our post primary schools. These have proved very successful in raising interest and the profile of religious education and practice within hosting schools. The two exhibitions currently available are “ Praying your beads, an introduction to using prayer beads within spiritual practice” and also “ Christian Pilgrimage – an overview of the practice of going on pilgrimage as part of Christian living” This year the latter has been hosted by 4 schools for a week each.
by keeping the Archbishop informed of the work and difficulties encountered by religion teachers, briefing him on national catechetical policies and developments and representing him in areas of educational development at school, diocesan and national levels.
by encouraging and facilitating where possible the establishment of links between school, home and parish. eg Schools hosting exhibitions have invited parents and parish mass congregations to attend exhibitions. Sharing school liturgical resources with parish groups. Fr Declan makes available a weekly Taize -Lectio page for prayer based on the Sunday gospel which is sent to all teachers of Religious Education and about 300 others in parishs, families and some other countries.
by providing opportunities for priests and seminarians to be more at home and more effective in schools, whether as teacher, chaplain or priest visitor. The chaplaincy support group helps ease some priest chaplains into their role. Sound advise and a trusting caring group provides chaplains with a space they can depend upon and refer to when necessary.
by organising with our organising team the Annual Diocesan Celebration for Catholic Schools Week. Now an annual gathering of teachers, students, Governors, Principals to celebrate together our common vision of our Catholic school faith communities. These have gone from strength to strength each year with more attending and actively participating in the prayer and para-liturgy annually. This event always happens a week before CSW itself giving schools ideas and resources to try in their own home school community.

Diocesan Advisor for Religious Education Primary Schools

The Diocesan Advisors for Religious Education (Primary) have responsibility for the 160 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 Archbishop Eamon Martin, 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 meetings for parents of those about to receive the sacraments. In-service days for staff, either on request or on a 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.

A new Catholic Preschool and Primary Religious Education Curriculum for Ireland (2015) was approved by the Irish Episcopal Conference and granted the Decree of Recognitio by the Holy See in 2015. The aim of the Curriculum is ‘to help children mature in relation to their spiritual, moral and religious lives, through their encounter with, exploration and celebration of the Catholic faith’. The publication of new Curriculum places Religious Education on the same firm foundation as all other subject areas in our Catholic primary schools.

Inspired by this new Curriculum, a new Religious Education series for Catholic primary schools – Grow in Love – is being rolled out by Veritas over the next four years. The implementation begins with the introduction of Primary 1 and 2 / Junior and Senior Infant materials in September 2015.

In many cases the school is the main source of faith 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.

During visitation we constantly note any opinions of staff on where programmes are 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.

An annual report is compiled at the end of the year, analysing statistical trends in the primary school system, from which the planning of the following year’s visitation is based. We also report back to the Archbishop on the progress of catechetics in the archdiocese and express the views, opinions and needs of teachers to him and seek to relay back any messages of support, encouragement and gratitude the Archbishop may have to offer.

The publication of the Catholic Preschool and Primary Religious Education Curriculum for Ireland and the rolling out of a new programme, Grow in Love, in the coming years offers a unique opportunity to re-engage, re-imagine and re-commit with primary schools in the way in which we teach Religious Education as a core subject in our Catholic schools, with parents as the first and best of teachers in the ways of the faith and with the parish as the community that nourishes and supports our faith journey.

Sr Elizabeth Wall, OSC.
St Clare’s Convent
Mayobridge
Co. Down
BT34 2EX
028 3085 1206

List of Post-Primary schools in the diocese

Bush Post-Primary School Riverstown, Dundalk, Co. Louth; Co-ed, 475 students; Tel (042) 937 6246

CBS Secondary School, Newfoundwell Rd, Drogheda, Co. Louth; Boys, 650 students; Tel (041) 983 7232

Coláiste Rís Post Primary, Yorke St, Dundalk, Co. Louth; Co-ed, 490 students;
Tel (042) 933 4336

Dean Brian Maguirc HS, Termon Road, Carrickmore, Co. Tyrone; Co-ed, 452 students Tel (028) 8076 1272

De La Salle College, Castleblayney Rd, Dundalk, Co. Louth; Co-ed, 600 pupils; Tel (042) 933 1179

Drumcree College, 4 Moy Rd, Portadown, Co. Armagh; Chaplain: Rev Brian White; Co-ed, 560 students; Tel (028) 3833 4725/3833 4728

Holy Trinity College, Chapel St, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone; Co-ed, 800 students; Tel (028) 8676 2420

Ó Fiaich College, Dublin Road, Dundalk, Co. Louth; Co-ed, 830 students; Tel (042) 933 1398

Our Lady’s College, Greenhills Drogheda, Co. Louth; Girls, 862 students; Tel (041) 983 2809

Pius X College, Moneymore Rd, Magherafelt, Co. Derry; Co-ed, 850 students; Tel (028) 7963 2186/2753

Scoil Uí Mhuirí Post, Primary Dunleer, Co. Louth; Co-ed, 360 students;
Tel (041) 685 1344

St Brigid’s Boys Secondary School, Windmill Hill;
Boys, 303 students;Tel (028) 3752 3849.

St Catherine’s College Convent Road, Armagh;
Girls, 1,008 Tel (028) 3752 2023

St Ciaran’s HS, Tullybryan Rd, Ballygawley; Co-ed, 824 pupils; Tel (028) 8556 7335

St Ciaran’s HS, Tullybryan Rd, Ballygawley, Co. Tyrone;
Co-ed, 824 pupils; Tel (028) 8556 8640

St Joseph’s Grammar School, 58 Castlecaulfield Rd, Donaghmore, Dungannon, Co. Tyrone; Co-ed, 494 students; Tel (028) 8776 1227

St Joseph’s High School, 29 School Lane, Coalisland, Co. Tyrone;
Co-ed, 556 pupils; Tel (028) 8774 0510

St Joseph’s HS, 77 Dundalk Road, Crossmaglen, Co. Armagh; Co-ed, 497 students; Tel (028) 3086 1240

St Killian’s Community School, Ardee, Co. Louth; Co-ed, 564 students;
Tel (041) 685 3554, Tel (041) 685 3557, Tel (041) 685 3558, Fax (041) 685 3559

St Louis Post-Primary School, Castletown Rd, Dundalk, Co. Louth; Girls, 750 students; Tel (042) 933 4474

St Mary’s College, St Mary’s Rd, Dundalk, Co. Louth; Co-ed, 721 students; Tel (042) 933 9977

St Mary’s Grammar School, Castledawson Rd, Magherafelt, Co. Derry; Co-ed, 1,115 students; Tel (028) 7963 2320. Fax (028) 7963 4250

St Patrick’s Academy, 37 Killymeal Rd, Dungannon, Co. Tyroney; Co-ed, 1700 students; Tel (028) 8772 7400 Fax (028) 8772 2745

St Patrick’s College, Killymeal Rd, Dungannon, Co. Tyrone; Co-ed, 557 students; Tel (028) 8772 3052

St Patrick’s Grammar School, Cathedral Road, Armagh; Tel (028) 3752 2018

St Patrick’s HS, Middletown Rd, Keady, Co. Armagh; Co-ed, 1020 students; Tel (028) 3753 1393, Fax (028) 3753 8683

St Paul’s HS, 108 Camlough Rd, Bessbrook; Co-ed, 1,350 students Tel
(028) 3083 0309 Fax (028) 3083 9834

St Vincent’s Post Primary, Seatown Place, Dundalk, Co. Louth;
Girls, 703 students; Tel (042) 933 2790

7 Feb – Northern Ireland Peace Process

THE NORTHERN IREALND PEACE PROCESS
STATEMENT BY MOST REV. SEÁN BRADY
ARCHBISHOP OF ARMAGH
7 FEBRUARY, 2000

At this critical moment in the search for peace, I appeal to all concerned, elected representatives and others, to play their full part now in the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. This is needed to ensure that the progress already made is sustained for the well-being of the whole community. The high hopes for peace and stability must not be dashed. The great opportunities presented by the work already done must not be lost.

We have seen over the past two months the huge benefit that can come from a power-sharing administration in the hands of local people who have shown that they are capable of tackling our urgent common problems in a new spirit of service of all our people. All this could now be lost. We must not let it be lost.

I appeal to the political parties to continue to work patiently together in the search for a solution to the problems that have arisen. It is important that each of the parties tries to understand the very genuine difficulties faced by those of a different tradition and do all they can to reduce those difficulties.

The prize of peace is still within reach. The desire for that peace on the part of the vast majority of the people is obvious. The fruits of peace would be great – justice and equality for all, security, economic well being, full employment, a better future for all our children. I believe that the resources and the structures and the good-will exist in order to deliver that peace.

The seeds of mutual trust planted in recent months must be given time to bear fruit. The relationships now being built must be allowed to develop. These relationships have the capacity to help us understand and appreciate the pain and the difficulties of other people. Without that ability to understand the hurts and heartbreaks of the other tradition, attempts at reconciliation will remain fruitless.
It is important that all lines of communication be kept open and used.

It would be an immense tragedy if the progress already made were to be impaired. If that were to happen, the only victors would be those who do not want peace. Yesterday’s bomb was a grim warning of where that could lead. We all have a responsibility to do our utmost to ensure that this does not happen.

I ask people to pray that the courage and wisdom required may now be found in order to produce the commitment needed to save the entire process.

1...170171172...184 Page 171 of 184

Other Agencies