'Catholic schools are the Church's largest mission field.. greatest potential for transformation'

Source: ATCRE

On Saturday 1st March, the Association of the Teachers of Catholic RE (ATCRE) hosted their 5th National conference at St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School, Birmingham. The aim of ATCRE is to serve all those teaching RE in Catholic schools by providing high quality professional development and numerous opportunities for networking and collaboration.

The event began with a liturgy celebrating the feast of St David of Wales, followed by the first keynote speaker, Brendan Thompson, Program Director of Word on Fire UK. He opened his talk by asking, "How central is the Bible in the life of your school?" Thompson then explored the challenges of reading the Bible and the interpretative lenses provided by the Church's tradition-through the saints, prophets, popes, and doctors of the Church. He noted that the vision of Vatican II for an authentic Catholic biblical renaissance remains unfulfilled but is beginning to take shape. Catholic schools, he emphasised, will play a key role in this renewal, particularly with the increased focus on scripture in the new Religious Education Directory (RED).

Thompson also reminded the teachers in attendance that Catholic schools are the Church's "Largest mission field, and greatest potential for transformation."

Seminars followed by speakers Lat Blaylock (RE Today), Andy Lewis (St Bonaventure's), Stuart Ford (The Bible Society), Dr Katie Woolstenhulme (Durham University), Theresa Kehoe (Aid to the Church in Need), Matthew Dell (St Mary's), Greg Finn (Mark 10 Mission), Susan Docherty (Newman University), and Peter Privett and Dr Sue Price (Godly Play UK).

The final keynote speaker, Professor Bob Bowie, emphasised that placing Scripture at the heart of Catholic education is about "meaning, not just interpretation." He described the Bible as a gift to the world, meant to be shared with everyone-including those who learn and work in Catholic schools. Bowie highlighted that Scripture provides a lifelong source of strength in the face of life's challenges and serves as a constant reminder of the fundamental importance of justice.

Hollie Marriott, assistant head of RE at All Hallows Catholic School, Farnham and ATCRE Vice Chair, who was lead organiser for the conference said, "Scripture at the Heart was our theme… but Saturday saw the heart of the Catholic RE community come together, celebrate and share all that is beautiful,valuable and rich in our vocation."

One attendee shared, "It reignited my passion for RE and reminded me what drew me to the subject in the first place. Lots to think about, thank you!" Another attendee highlighted the event's practical impact, stating, "The balance between inspiration and practical applications has given me great confidence in implementing what I have taken away into my teaching."

The event was supported by a wide range of organisations, charities and businesses who support Catholic RE and education, for which ATCRE is incredibly grateful. The headline sponsors were Ten Ten Resources and The Bible Society. ATCRE is also grateful to Mr Chris Martin, Principal of St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School, and all his staff, who warmly welcomed us into their school.

LINKS

Find out more about ATCRE: www.atcre.co.uk
Membership is FREE to all those working in or supporting Catholic RE: www.atcre.co.uk/membership

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