a) Chaplaincy

It is the responsibility of the Bishop to appoint School Chaplains to provide spiritual and pastoral support to the school community. The Chaplain will ordinarily be a local Parish Priest or Assistant Priest, and the appointment of a part-time nature, given the other demands of parish life. Currently the norm is for Chaplains to commit themselves to be present in school for a minimum of two days per week, precise details being a matter for discussion with the Head Teacher.

It is important to realise that the Chaplain’s appointment does not indicate any responsibility for Religious Education as a classroom subject . However, since Religious Education in the Catholic school is faith-based, the Chaplain and Religious Education teachers share a common concern for the students’ faith development. It is common, therefore, for liaison to take place on a regular basis regarding ways in which the Chaplain can support the work of the Religious Education Department. Examples of such co-operation include:

• preparing and celebrating class liturgies such as Mass, Penitential Services

• organising a programme of retreats

• giving a short presentation on a topic or sharing experience with a class/group of pupils e.g. on the topic of the Sacrament of the Sick

• contributing to staff development e.g. in relation to Church teaching and practice

With regard to the wider aspects of Chaplaincy (e.g. liturgical/sacramental celebration, pastoral support) it is recommended that the Chaplain work collaboratively with other members of a Chaplaincy Team in Scotland Schools.  The formation of such a team gives opportunities for others in the school community to exercise ministry e.g. as a Eucharistic Minister or having responsibility for charity work. Many schools currently have such teams working in a particular area e.g. Liturgical Team.

It will be as a result of discussion at individual school level that decisions about membership of Chaplaincy Teams will be reached. It is recommended; however, that membership of the Chaplaincy Team should be representative of the whole school community. It will be especially important that the Senior Management Team is represented. Moreover, while it would be appropriate for the Religious Education Department to be represented on the team, it would be detrimental to the whole-school ethos if only members of the Religious Education Department were responsible for assisting with Chaplaincy duties.

The following documents provide information relating to Chaplaincy in the Diocese of Motherwell:

• “An Approach to School Chaplaincy”, Diocese of Motherwell, 1988

• “The Priest as School Chaplain”, Diocese of Motherwell, 1998

• “Handbook for High School Chaplains”, Diocese of Motherwell, 2000.