School Pastoral Care or School Diaconia? On the Need for a New Contouring of Christian Action in Schools in the Face of Growing Non-Denominationalism

Abstract

School pastoral care is increasingly under pressure of plausibility due to the growing number of religious disaffiliations. Its offerings, especially liturgical and mystagogical, are alien to many of the baptised. The circle of recipients is steadily shrinking, while the Church’s lack of resources is forcing austerity measures. In the light of these challenges, it is necessary to re-frame this valuable Christian service to individuals in public schools to ensure that it can be sustained in the future. This is the aim and purpose of this paper, which presents a plea for school diaconia.