Over 12O Catholic RE teachers attend national conference

Mar 4th, 2024

Susan Elderfield

More than 120 teachers of Catholic RE attended the Association of Teachers of Catholic Religious Education (ATCRE) National Conference on Saturday 2nd March at Maria Fidelis Catholic School in London, NW1 1LY.

This was the fifth National Conference held by ATCRE. The theme for this year's conference was 'Rethinking Catholic Social Teaching'. Keynote addresses were given by Susan Elderfield and Raymond Friel.

In her keynote address, Susan Elderfield spoke about the incarnational nature of Catholic Social Teaching which is grounded in relationships.

Susan is a lecturer in Chaplaincy and Youth Ministry at St Mary's University, Twickenham. She is also the Southwark Diocesan Advisor for School and College Chaplaincy.

In his keynote address to end the conference, Raymond Friel spoke about the importance of Catholic Social Teaching being 'translated into reality' and not just remaining as a social doctrine.

Raymond is a seasoned Catholic leader who has held a variety of leadership roles in the education and charity sectors for more than 20 years. He is currently the CEO of Caritas Social Action Network and has recently written 'CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING - An introduction for schools, parishes and charities'.

A number of seminars were delivered on themes covering CST and the new Religious Education Directory (RED), prayer leading to action, spiritual development of students, CST in the classroom, and LGBT+ Inclusion for Catholic schools through the lens of human dignity.

The conference brought together a range of people involved in all areas of Catholic Religious Education and provided an opportunity to network and engage with exhibitors.

The conference was sponsored by Magister Resources for Catholic Education, who provide outstanding, engaging and modern curriculum content for the world of Catholic Education, which is linked to the Religious Education Directory 2023 ( www.magisterresources.com ).

Helen Bridges and Dave Legrand, Co-Chairs of ATCRE, commented: "We are delighted that so many busy teachers spent a day over the weekend to engage and reflect on the importance of Catholic Social Teaching. It was such a positive and vibrant atmosphere. Teachers were grateful for the insights provided by Raymond Friel and Susan Elderfield on Catholic Social Teaching and how Catholic RE teachers can embed CST in their schools and classrooms. Our national conferences are always the largest gathering of Catholic RE teachers in the country, and a great opportunity to network with colleagues. Along with the excellent seminar programme and exhibitors, this was a real feast for all those involved in Catholic Education".