SIR,-We have been following the correspondence which ensued after Mr. Lee's letter (October 10) with great interest. As members of a body of over 200 T.C. students, coming mostly from convent schools all over the country, we find that we are in agreement with the views put forward by Mr. Lee.
We are tremendously grateful for all that we have received from our schools, but at the same time we feel very strongly that. in the majority of cases. religion has not been presented in such a way as to illuminate the whole of our lives, or to claim our energies and allegiances.
Many of us feel that our Faith has been taught as a collection of "do's" and " don'ts ", chiefly the latter which make it both unattractive and if not untrue at least partially so.
The positive and vital idea of the love of God as a central theme, from which all our privileges and obligations flow, and the nation of our own free response to this overwhelmingly wonderful fact had certainly not been grasped by many of us before coming here. The happy atmosphere and family spirit which pervade our College have done much to help us to understand our religion, and we have learned to realise that religion is not in any way a denial of human nature, but the perfect fulfilment of it.
All our religious activities, though encouraged, are entirely voluntary, and this has brought about a very considerable measure of personal responsibility towards religion. In consequence of this freedom there is a good attendance at daily Mass and a strong Apostolic spirit expressed in many. very active forms of Catholic Action.
Before long we ourselves will be taking our places as teachers in schools all over Britain. We will soon have to face the same difficulties as our own teachers experienced, in trying to present the wonderful truths of the Faith.
Nevertheless we go with great hope in the future, humbly asking God to bless our work and to give us a great and infectious enthusiasm for Him that will enable us to spread something of the love of Christ for men.
College, 23 Kensington Square,
SIR.-Fr. Leetham. perplexed by allegations of the failure of our schools to educate young people for the lay apostolate, cannot understand what sort of schools are being criticised.
If we take his word that, allowing for human weakness, all is well in the public and grammar schools, what is left? Only the secondary modern schools, containing about 75 per cent of our children!
My own experience in secondary modern schools leaves me less per plexed. Here, I would say, what concerns us is not the failure to encourage 100 per cent to become active lay apostles. but the failure to capture even 25 per cent.
I wonder how many of our secondary modern heads can claim that a quarter of their last year's leavers are now active in the organised lay apostolate? . John B. Cullen 31 Gateside Road, S.W.17, A Catholic can be apostolic, and very effectively so. without joining the organised lay apostolate. It seems a pity 10 suggest. in effect, that Catholics cannot be truly good (and therefore in their own way apostolic) Catholics without belonging to an organisation for specific apostolic ends. Editor, SIR,-Fr. teetham is speaking
from the secure standpoint of Catholic public schools. In schools of lower status, however, I would question whether the situation is at all comparable.
In my experience, the battle cry is "homework" and Catholic social and apostolic training is not heard of. I think that this fact is very closely connected with the "leakage.
61 Evington Road, Leicester.
Books for lrrua
SIR.We have just built a
library in the Annunciation Catholic College, Irrua, Nigeria. The library is the only one of its kind in lshan Division, an area with a population of 200,000.
Though the library is owned by the Catholic College, yet the aim is to make it a centre to attract readers of all kinds-school teachers, workers, students, and other persons irrespective of creed. The library is to be a Catholic magnet. I. therefore, appeal to you and all the readers of THE CATDoric HERALD for books under the following headings. 1. Catholic Reli
gion: Doctrinal. Devotional, Church History, Lives of the Saints, etc. 2. History: Of any country or person. 3. Science: Physics, Chemistry. Biology, Mathematics, etc. 4. English Literature: Poetry, Fiction, Classical or contemporary. 5. Geography.
Books written in English are wanted. Old books will he gratefully received.
(Fr.) A. Ojefua. M.A. (N.U.I.) Principal.
Annunciation Catholic College, Irrua-Benin Province,
Nigeria, Br. West Africa.
Mary Field
Group or Students. Maria Assumpta Training