Hyrwyddo rhagoriaeth
mewn crefydd ac addysg
NEWYDDION
Mai 2012
European School Leaders Visit Wales
The St Mary's and St Giles' Centre host a European schools leader's
visit to explore the provision for religious education in Wales with
the aim of sharing and encouraging critical reflection on practice. Read more ...
Learning outside the Classroom and RE: measuring the impact
A
series of workshops at Bangor Cathedral has provided the setting for a
St Mary's Centre research project which aims to evaluate the
relationship between learning outside the classroom experiences and
pupils' learning. Read more ...
The Power of Prayer Online
In a recently published article on online prayers, researchers from the St Mary's Centre have found that people accessing the power of prayer online rather than visiting a church are much more likely to pray for themselves rather than someone they know. Read more ....
ARCHIF
Archbishop
Launches National RE Celebration in Wales
Dr Barry Morgan said RE educates the whole person, broadening their
horizons and helping them understand the world they live in. He also
acknowledged the support the subject receives from the Welsh Assembly
Government.
Schools, colleges, local authorities and faith communities across Wales
and England are all celebrating the value of Religious Education throughout
March. The initiative, ‘Celebrating RE’ is being organised by the RE Council
for England and Wales. The Wales Association of SACREs together with the National
Advisory Panel for Religious Education are taking the lead in Wales. Hundreds
of national and regional events have been planned, which are designed to
promote and showcase the value of quality Religious Education.
The official launch of ‘Celebrating RE’ in Wales by the Archbishop was
held on MARCH 2 at Stanwell School, Penarth. At the event representatives of
other faiths in Wales - Jewish, Hindu, Muslim Sikh, Buddhist and Baha’i – also
spoke about the value of RE.
Children sang a song written for the event by Welsh composer, Pwyll ap
Siôn. This shared song of celebration will link together young people from
across Wales and England as they celebrate Religious Education together.
Dr Morgan said, “In 2011, we can say with confidence that this is a good
time to be a person of faith in Wales. Issues of faith are discussed
openly and there is a welcome for faith groups to speak with Welsh Government
to the highest level, with a shared commitment to work in partnership to give
our children and young people the very best start in life, and equip them with
knowledge, values and meaning that will equip them for the journey of their
lives.
“We are fortunate in Wales that the value of Religious Education has
been recognised and supported by the Welsh Assembly Government. RE has
played its part in the review of the school curriculum and is benefitting from
the Exemplar Framework for Religious Education published in 2008...
“I have such hope that this event, reaching across Wales, will
inform and give richness to the curriculum that our teachers deliver and that
it will help our schools to become places of exploration, humanity and shared
endeavour, rather than places of narrow personal attainment.”
Dr Morgan also said RE helped promote tolerance and understanding in
today’s world. He said, “The current generation of young people in our schools
will immerse themselves in a world where boundaries of nationality and culture
are breaking down. Surely we have a duty to prepare them for that
experience and to have a confident understanding of why their friend, work
colleague, team mate or partner places such an emphasis on their faith.”
He added, “‘Celebrating RE’ is an opportunity for the faith community of
Wales to acknowledge with gratitude the tremendous work that going on in
schools across Wales, to lead our children and young people to the threshold of
a new understanding of faith and culture. It should also give us an
opportunity to pledge our support in every prayerful and practical way to this
cause.”
Dr Tania ap Siôn, representing the Wales Planning Group, said:
“Religious Education in Wales today provides a special place where young
people are able to engage with fundamental questions, explore different beliefs
and practices, and offer their own personal responses. Through Religious
Education, young people are being equipped with the skills needed to learn
about themselves and others in a safe and respectful environment. This is of
immense educational value and offers a significant contribution to community
cohesion in our communities. The ‘Celebrating RE’ month gives us an opportunity
to celebrate the important contribution of Religious Education and to showcase
good practice.”
Both the English version (Place of Trust) and the Welsh version (Hafan
Ffydd) have been released by Sain, and feature well-known Welsh singers
Dafydd Dafis and Eleri Fôn with a choir from Ysgol Tryfan, Bangor. The song,
available from iTunes, will be performed by school choirs at both the England
and the Wales launches as well as by schools across Wales and England through
the ‘Celebrating RE’ month.
The full transcript of the Archbishop’s speech is available here and also the statements of the faith community representatives
The programme for the Wales Launch of Celebrating RE is also available.
Celtic Christianity Today and Psychological Type
The last forty years have seen an increasing interest in Celtic Christianity. Some of this may be the result of Christians seeking a more appropriate spiritual approach to living in today’s society. Interest in our roots and heritage, resulting perhaps from living in a society which seems less secure than in the past due to various influences, may also have contributed to the interest in what is often portrayed as a more settled and ‘Golden Age’ of Christian life.
Added to this is the continued decline in church attendance and the need to look for new ways of being church which offer a spirituality which connects with people’s situations and concerns today. J. Philip Newell’s ‘Christ of the Celts’ (2008) and Ian Bradley’s ‘Celtic Christian Communities’ (2000) are two examples of adapting the Celtic Christian tradition for today’s Christians. Several writers point to aspects of Celtic Christianity as offering ways of dealing with the problems which face our world and society today. This group of writings which also includes lives of the Celtic saints, prayers and liturgies, most of which are new but claim to be based on Celtic Christian thinking and theology, forms the largest output. However there are two other strands to be found in the current literature. The first is the academic historical accounts of Celtic Christianity in these islands before 1066, including monastic life, the writings and poetry of Celtic Christian monks and theologians, and hagiography. Some of these writers are critical of what is often called Celtic Christianity today. The second group seems to try to bridge the gap between the more popular and the academic. It includes books which are often historical in tone but influenced by the romanticism associated with this era and with earlier revivals of interest in all things Celtic. Both the more popular literature and this second group generally perceive the early centuries of Christianity in these islands as reflecting the way of life to which it is desirable to return. Much literature views these centuries as a ‘Golden Age of Celtic Christianity.’
With this apparent interest in Celtic Christianity, the question arises as to whom it is appealing and why. Trying to answer these questions may help in understanding why Celtic Christianity seems to offer a fresh approach to spirituality through the use of Celtic liturgies, prayers and the lives of the Celtic saints. It may tell us something of why it fulfils the apparent need for roots and heritage and what it is that individuals value in this outpouring of Celtic Christian literature?
The initial approach chosen was to examine the characteristics associated with different psychological types based on the Myers Briggs Type Indicator and also aspects of Celtic Christianity and suggest which of those aspects might appeal to the different psychological types and why. Features of Celtic Christianity included were monasticism, penitential literature, Celtic Christian teaching about God and Jesus, creation, worship and liturgy including prayer, evangelism, Celtic arts, holy places and pilgrimage and Celtic saints. From this it was possible to suggest a link between psychological type and preferences in the field of Celtic Christianity as it is portrayed in the current revival.
Having proposed a hypothesis, the next step is to test some of those theories. A questionnaire was designed which asks respondents to answer questions about aspects of Celtic Christianity which they might value using the Attitude toward Celtic Christianity Scale and also to complete the Francis Psychological Type Scales. Two hundred and forty eight Anglican clergy and lay church officers have already completed the questionnaire but there is now a need for as many as possible of those who have a direct interest in Celtic Christianity to complete it also.
From the resulting data it is hoped to draw out the possible links between the appeal of Celtic Christianity and psychological type. It is also possible that the data might suggest ways in which the power of psychological type theory accounts for the variation in the attitude of both committed Christians and other individuals to Celtic Christianity. The research will hopefully be able to explain some of the reasons for the popularity of Celtic Christianity and hence why so many people seem drawn to it as a form of spirituality and perceive it as offering solutions to living in harmony with creation and the world. The data may also help to explain why others find this form of spirituality less attractive and of little value to their life of faith.
If you are interested in Celtic Christianity and would like to help with this research please go to http://www.celticchristianitytoday.co.uk/
Revd Gill Hall