Father Richard Byrne OCarm has been appointed as the chairperson of the Catholic Schools Partnership and Mr Ferdia Kelly has been appointed to the new position of chief executive officer, with immediate effect.
The Catholic Schools Partnership has a council of twenty-two members, representative of all the stakeholders in Catholic education. This council is charged with implementing the aims of the CSP by promoting collaborative engagement with contemporary and emerging issues facing Catholic schools; by commissioning research; and, through the provision of resources.
The inaugural chairperson of CSP, Father Michael Drumm of the Diocese of Elphin, is taking up an appointment in Nigeria.
ENDS
Note for Editors
- The members of the council of the Catholic Schools Partnership are nominated by the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference, the Conference of Religious of Ireland, the Association of Trustees of Catholic Schools, the Catholic Primary School Management Association, and the Association of Management of Catholic Secondary Schools. See catholicschools.ie.
- There are two Carmelite orders in Ireland. Father Richard Byrne OCarm is currently Provincial of the Irish Province of Carmelites. He has a long career in education and prior to this appointment was headmaster of his alma mater Terenure College in Dublin. He has recently completed doctoral research in UCD on the contemporary Catholic post primary sector in Ireland.
- Mr Ferdia Kelly was a member of the Catholic Schools Partnership in his previous role as General Secretary of the Association of Management of Catholic Secondary Schools (AMCSS) and the Joint Managerial Body. Prior to that appointment in 2005, he was Education Director of the Edmund Rice Schools Trust (ERST)/Christian Brothers Northern Province schools – a remit that included primary and post primary schools in both jurisdictions. He is currently a member of the Teaching Council and the Boards of Governors of Mater Dei Institute and Marino Institute of Education in Dublin.
- Photographs are available from the Catholic Communications Office.
For media contact: Catholic Communications Office Maynooth: Martin Long 00353 (0) 86 172 7678
