INTO conference: The Catholic bishops have softened their demand that primary schools should close on church holidays, writes Seán Flynn, Education Editor in Galway.
Last year, some bishops had instructed schools to close on holy days. But the bishops' conference now says it is "desirable" that all Catholic schools observe, as far as possible, holy days.
The decision means that school boards of management will now decide whether or not to close on the three holy days during the primary school year. The decision has been welcomed by the INTO's general secretary, John Carr.
"It recognises the different circumstances in which different schools operate," he said.
Over 90 per cent of the 3,000-plus primary schools in the State come under the patronage of the bishops.
The decision follows criticism from the INTO that various bishops were giving contradictory and confusing instructions about school closings on holy days. This, the union complained, was undermining the new common school year and irritating parents.
In October, the bishops moved to remind schools of their obligation to close on holy days. But some schools, especially in Dublin, defied the bishop by opening on All Saints' Day, November 1st, and again on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 8th.
In a letter to the INTO, the Bishop of Kilmore, Dr Leo O'Reilly, writes: "Having consulted with the management bodies of Catholic primary and post-primary schools and the Religious Trustees, and in view of the variety of conditions which may affect schools in different areas and circumstances, the Bishops' Conference has decided that the ultimate decision about whether a school will remain closed on church holy days will be made at board of management level in consultation with the trustees/patron of the school."
In his letter, Dr O'Reilly, chairman of the Irish Episcopal Conference, says holy days of obligation, "which are days of special worship and celebration, are a valuable expression of the ethos of a Catholic School." The conference, he writes, would encourage the school community to attend Mass within the school day where feasible, if it decided to remain open on a holy day.
Last year, the INTO complained that the new common school year for all primary schools "might work if schools were given standardised information on which to plan their calendars. So far . . . schools have been given confusing and contradictory information by both the Department of Education and the Catholic patrons. This is defeating the very purpose that a standardised school year was supposed to avoid".