Church urged to show young people thinking side of faith

More work is needed in Ireland’s schools and colleges to raise awareness of what exactly theology is, a leading Biblical scholar has said.

Speaking to The Irish Catholic following the publication of the first round of CAO offers suggesting that interest in university-level theology has dropped, Fr Brendan McConvery CSsR stressed that dropping points reveal nothing about the standard of theology taught in the universities, but said the colleges need to do more “just to let it be known what theology is”.

Catholic Theological studies at Trinity College Dublin have plummeted to 330 points, below the college’s World Religions and Theology course currently offered at 360 points; the two courses are the college courses with the lowest points requirements this year.

Small cohort

Theology at the Pontifical University at Maynooth, which was offered at 425 points last year, this year can be studied with 360 points.

However, Prof. Michael Mullaney, acting Maynooth president pointed out that, “the BTh (Bachelor of Theology) is a very small cohort of students – about two to four every year – who wish to study pure theology”. As such, a small group will always have variable points requirements. He added that following heavy promotion, the number of students offered places on the Bachelor of Arts and Theology has risen, with the college accepting eight mature students as well as offering 57 places through the CAO system.

Fr McConvery believes that colleges should consider offering seminars for Leaving Cert students, allowing to see what theology entails.

“Most students coming out of Irish secondary schools have not got the slightest notion of what theology is about,” he said, explaining that “a lot of people do not know the scope of modern theology, and are coming in expecting it to be more ‘Religion’ or more Bible stories. The idea that they’re invited into critical thought is not something that’s very familiar to them.”