David Quinn
MIC is there to inform on issues like this, David Quinn
Mary Immaculate College in Limerick is one of the few Catholic teacher training colleges in the country. Given that more than 90%of primary schools in Ireland are still Catholic, and about 70% of secondary schools are also in this category, these colleges are obviously of vital importance.
We live in a country where the Catholic ethos of institutions, including schools are under serious pressure. Outright hostility to Catholicism – which is very real – is only part of the problem, and not even the greatest part. An even bigger challenge is the rise of indifference, and ignorance.
A lot of parents who send their children to Catholic schools, sometimes because there is nothing else available, do not practice. Some don’t practice because they have a principled objection to Catholicism, but many other don’t because they are following the new convention, which is not to go to Mass, except on special occasions, and to give Catholicism no real thought.
This attitude can extend to teachers. How many teachers in Catholic schools go to Mass regularly, and how many believe, or understand, what the Church believes on a range of issues, especially those pertaining to human sexuality and relationships?
It is very hard to maintain the ethos of a Catholic schools when many of the parents don’t really believe in it or understand it, and the same thing applies to some teachers.
Friendly
Catholic schools thrive when they exist in a friendly, hospitable environment, the same way we thrive in fresh air. When the atmosphere surrounding Catholic schools is no longer so friendly, and can even be toxic, Catholic schools will find it extremely hard to be truly Catholic.
Catholic teacher training colleges exist in this fast-changing environment. It can sometimes be hard for them to find lecturers who are fully on the same wavelength as the Catholic Church, and they are teaching students who are often, in practice, secular, or adhere to what amounts to ‘Catholicism lite’.
Bishops and other people in positions of authority and responsibility in the Church look to these colleges for intellectual support. This is why Mary Immaculate College was approached by hospital chaplains who want to gain a better understanding of Catholic bioethics.
Those chaplains find themselves working in environments that often offer a very different understanding of bioethics than the Catholic version.
An obvious example is in the area of abortion. It is not simply a matter of being clear that direct abortion is wrong, but, for example, what kind of spiritual care should a Catholic chaplain offer to a woman about to undergo an abortion, or who has just had one?
Obviously, no impression can be given that what she is about to do is correct, but if she asks for guidance, what can be said to her that is both sensitive, and true to Catholic teaching? And afterwards, what support can she be given without seeming to condone what happened?
A few years ago, a priest who worked in the Netherlands told me that one day he was phoned by a man who asked him to come and pray for his father who was going to die tomorrow at 3pm. How could he possibly know this? It suddenly dawned on the priest; the man’s father was going to be given a lethal injection, albeit at his own request. Euthanasia and assisted suicide are legal in the Netherlands.
It is exactly the sort of course a college that takes its Catholic identity very seriously would go out of its way to run”
Again, what should a priest (or chaplain) do in this situation? Again, whatever he (or she in the case of some chaplains) might do should not be seen to condone the action.
The list could go on and on. What do you say to a couple who want to use IVF, which the Church opposes? Using IVF might seem pro-life, because a child could result. But one big problem is that spare embryos are created that might be indefinitely frozen, or worse, destroyed. How many chaplains currently know how to explain this properly?
In other words, the need for a bioethics course which busy chaplains can attend is clear, especially now that they are often working in hospitals that carry out abortions.
Demand
They may not have the time to do longer, more demanding diploma or degree courses, but a one-year certificate course could suit them well.
Some doctors and nurses might also want to avail of such a course.
That is why Mary Immaculate College was asked to run a one-year bioethics certificate. Unfortunately, it refused. As reported by this newspaper, which broke the story, it did so on the grounds of a lack of resources. Frankly, this isn’t good enough.
What is much more important than pleading a lack of financial resources for a course that would not be very expensive given its short length, and the fact that it not aimed at a large potential number of students, is building up the intellectual resources of people doing very important work.
It is exactly the sort of course a college that takes its Catholic identity very seriously would go out of its way to run.
Mary Immaculate College, which does excellent work, and has some superb lecturers, needs to reverse its decision and agree to run this course. It was requested for a reason.
And maybe such a course would actually make it easier for the college to raise money, both here and abroad.