Conference in York

Last Wednesday to Friday I went to York to attend a meeting of the National Board of Religious Inspectors and Advisors (NBRIA), a Bishops’ Conference Department of Education meeting. There were delegates from many dioceses present for the meeting. It was an excellent conference, in which presentations were made by Dr. Philip Robinson of the Catholic Education Service, Fr. Peter McGrail of Liverpool Hope University, Martin Foster of the Liturgy Office and others about the forthcoming new RE Curriculum Directory and the Prayer and Liturgy Directory for use in schools. On the Thursday afternoon, I led a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Margaret Clitherow in The Shambles and then to St. Wilfrid’s Church, near the Minster, for Mass. Thursday, providentially, was the commemoration of St. John Baptist de la Salle, the great French educator and founder of the Christin Brothers, who contributed much to the development of Catholic education. The conference once again showed the faith of so many up and down the country and the real desire to offer the best Catholic formation to our young. Please pray for all our teachers and for the work of our Catholic schools.