BISHOP of Limerick Brendan Leahy has welcomed newcomers to primary and secondary school education this week as the doors of schools across the diocese reopened after the summer break.
Bishop Leahy said it’s a precious but emotional time, marking a very important new beginning in the child’s young life.
“The commencement of the new school year is a new beginning and one full of emotion, particularly for parents of children starting primary school and the children themselves.
“There’s a mix of excitement, nervousness, even perhaps slight concern that their child will be ok without them. But we are fortunate to have a strong primary school education system and caring teachers. They are extremely sensitive to this special day and ready to treat these young children as if they were their own.”
This year a new religious education programme, ‘Grow in Love’, is introduced to the syllabus for junior and senior infant children. It replaces the Alive-O series as the new curriculum for Religious Education over the next four years and, according to Bishop Leahy, with the hope that it will give a new impetus for faith formation of Catholic children.
