A Journey of Faith and Participation
50 Years of Board of Management in National Schools
Cobh
14 October 2025
My friends,
It’s not good when we take important things in life for granted.
In essence that’s why we gather in faith tonight to publicly acknowledge in faith the importance of our schools in all our parish communities.
I need not go into the long history of how we managed our National Schools in the past. It’s important to point out that for a long part of our (even recent history) we were talking only about national schools. There were so few secondary schools.
Of the many thousands of small national schools across the country the parish priest was the sole single manager. It had its strength because it was simple and direct. But it also had its flaws because many, though intelligent, were not cut out to be managers.
Over time the desire for educational reform was recognised and different models were explored. After much dialogue a new framework emerged in 1975 – an agreed framework whereby the different stakeholders came to be represented in the new structure involved representatives of the Patron, parents, teachers and the wider community – two in each case, making a management body of eight people.
Looking back on 50 years of this management system, it has been wonderfully successful – while not without its hiccups. The fact that this partnership in education has been so effective is its rooted in the local community – there was always a willingness and desire to iron out any obstacles and reframe its way of working by the development of policies to ensure that best practice is always the aspiration.
These carefully devised structures are at the service of all the families who entrust their children to the school in their place, in loco parentis. Changing times and culture brings new demand for adaption but our vision of the overall task of the educator is to inspire and direct each child according to their gifts – respecting their dignity as children of God. So, it is natural for us to share our faith and trust in God as revealed to us in the life of Jesus, Son and Saviour of the world.
The shared work of the Board of Management in our schools is to ensure that amidst the pressures of contemporary life, we nurture the life of the Spirit in the children not as an imposition or burden but a gift for living a rich and fulfilling life. Regrettably, some parents and teachers pay mere lip-service to this dimension of the education pathway.
There are those in our parish communities who question the effectiveness of our schools in nurturing faith in the hearts of the young. In changing circumstances it’s difficult to feel we’re on a sure path. Today we need to take encouragement from the parable of the wheat and the weeds. To those who were anxious to pull the weeds – the Lord’s advice was to leave well enough alone because in whipping out the weeds so much of the good could be lost.
Our Schools are filled with good teachers, willing pupils and caring parents. Tonight, we celebrate a partnership in life and faith at the service of the little ones. There is no more sacred task in life.
We honour and acknowledge all who put these structures in place, those who implemented them without personal reward and those among us who continue this service today.
May the Lord bless and keep you and reward your goodness.
