Headmaster regrets loss of 'Catholic world'

THE head of one of Scotland's leading Catholic schools has said the religious world he and others grew up in "is gone".

John Stoer, headmaster of St Aloysius' College in Glasgow, said it was quite painful that a joined-up "Catholic world" of school, parish and home was no more.

He said Scottish Catholics needed to "re-invigorate" the Church and adults needed to avoid the "Ladybird" version of religion.

Mr Stoer spoke out in advance of his school hosting its 15th Gonzaga lecture series, which begins with historian Tom Devine tomorrow.

Mr Stoer said the lectures are for parents and grandparents to challenge their views of the Catholic world and ensure teaching continues beyond the school walls.

He said: "There's no doubt that the Catholic world I was brought up in has gone and actually that's quite painful for me and people of my generation.

"The assumption of a Catholic world, of taken-for-granted norms and values, would be perceived today as very traditional.

"Ideas of home, Catholic parish, Catholic school, all linked together, of children coming into contact on a day-to-day basis with priests and nuns… not only was it accepted to be Catholic but it was taken for granted and certain things followed from that.

"That world is gone. For me, I regret the passing of that world and I want us as Catholics to look at how we can re-invigorate the church and encourage young people to remain faithful to the church."

The lecture series attracts packed crowds and two of last year's presentations had to be moved to the adjacent St Aloysius Church because of their popularity.

But they have not always been without controversy. In 2008, the Right Rev Joseph Devine, the Bishop of Motherwell, launched an attack on the "gay lobby".

Mr Stoer said the lectures do not seek to offend but to provoke debate of important issues and occasionally challenge received wisdom of Catholics.

He said: "The lectures may be not for children but for parents and grandparents because they have a role to play in helping children remain faithful to the church.

"When we organise lectures we don't think about the pupil population. Children learn better from actions than words. Children don't live in a vacuum – parents and grandparents are more likely to remain committed Catholics than their children.

"The lectures, I hope, give help to adjust to the world parents and grandparents now live in.

"We have to challenge pupils so they don't have the Ladybird version of religion and then wake up one morning and think, 'That's nonsense'. Parents and grandparents need to not have the Ladybird version of religion as well."