b) Diocesan Religious Education Advisers

In the Diocese of Motherwell the Bishop has established a Religious Education Office and has appointed two Religious Education Advisers, one at Primary level and one for Secondary Schools.

The Religious Education Advisers work on behalf of the Bishop by providing support to all involved in Religious Education so that in programmes of Religious Education:

• adequate and appropriate reference is made to Sacred Scripture, Church Tradition and teachings, Sacred Liturgy and lived witness to Christian faith

• appropriate methodologies are used in Religious Education with a view to ensuring the relevance of the Christian message to the lives of participants

The main ways in which Diocesan Religious Education Advisers undertake to provide such support are outlined in the Religious Education Office Mission Statement as follows:

The Religious Education Office aims to:

• be of service to all those involved in Catholic Education in the Diocese of Motherwell

• advise, support and represent the Bishop in matters relating to Religious Education

• support the work of Religious Education by the provision of appropriate forms of staff development, including In-Service Training

• offer advice and leadership in relation to the acquisition and development of appropriate resources for Religious Education
• liaise with Chaplains in relation to their work of service to the school community

• liaise with other bodies involved in Catholic Education in Scotland

Each year the Secondary Religious Education Adviser publishes and sends to schools a catalogue of diocesan Religious Education In-service Courses. These courses are of both the "call-out" and "in school" type. In addition, the Adviser will be happy to visit schools to meet groups of individuals at any time. The Religious Education Adviser can be contacted on 01698 252447.