Scottish Catholic Observer

Jesus needs to be at the centre of Scotland’s Catholic schools, Archbishop Philip Tartaglia of Glasgow told teachers and school staff at a special Mass marking the centenary of the 1918 Education Act.

The teachers’ Mass, held annually at St Andrew’s Cathedral in Glasgow, took place on Thursday August 30, and saw the archbishop deliver a powerful message to Catholic educators all over Scotland.

Archbishop Tartaglia said the Education Act was a ‘watershed year and watershed event’ for Catholic education in Scotland.

“I don’t intend to give you a history lesson this evening,” he said.

“But it is important to acknowledge that 1918 was not the beginning of Catholic education in post-Catholic emancipation Scotland.

“We know that there were Catholic schools in Scotland from at least the 1850s, perhaps before.

“The presence of representatives of some religious men and women were key to Catholic schooling both before and after the 1918 Education Act.

“In fact, education for Catholic children was considered such a priority for the Church, that historians tell us that very often the parish built schools before they built the church.”

Before the Education Act was brought into place, the Church funded all Catholic schools in Scotland. With the 1918 act, described as a ‘vital-launch pad’ by the archbishop, Catholic schools became part of the state system and the financial pressure was alleviated from the Church.

Archbishop Tartaglia said the introduction of comprehensive education in 1965 further ‘intensified’ the success of Catholic schools.

He continued: “Taken together, these developments meant that the children of the Catholic community as a whole could access both primary and secondary education equally with other strata of society, that Catholic teachers would be on the same salary scales as all other teachers such that Catholic teachers became fully part of the teaching profession in Scotland.”

He explained how Catholic schools are both good for Scotland, as well as how they work well alongside their non-denominational counterparts, which make up the majority of schools in the country.

As it stands, there are more than 360 state Catholic schools in Scotland, out of around 2,500 schools in total.

He added: “The greatest thing you can give the children and young people in your classroom and in your school is to let them see and understand that, as their teacher, you are responding to God’s call in your life and that it is a good thing for them to follow Jesus. To show them that this is what brings you enduring and lasting joy is a most precious gift.”

The archbishop ended his speech on a positive note, stating that Scotland should be proud of the ‘remarkable achievement,’ that is the centenary of Catholic schools. Referring to the icon of Jesus our Teacher, he said Jesus ‘needs to be at the centre of our lives and the lives of our schools for the next 100 years.’

“He needs to be at the centre of our lives and the life of every Catholic teacher into the future.

“Remember his words: ‘I chose you. Keep my commandments. What I command you is to love one another.’