An evaluation of the compatibility of mindfulness and ethos in the Irish Catholic primary school

Abstract

Mindfulness has exploded in popularity across several elements of society, including healthcare, education and commerce. This growth in the practice is supported by an increasing body of research on the benefits of mindfulness for physical and mental wellbeing. However, no significant research on this concept has been conducted in relation to Catholic education, and the implications mindfulness practice may have on the characteristic spirit of Catholic schools. Within this context, this study aims to evaluate the compatibility of mindfulness and ethos in Irish Catholic primary schools. It first maps out the conditions of religious belief and experience in the contemporary European context, drawing on the work of Charles Taylor, Lieven Boeve, Michael Paul Gallagher, Tomáš Halík and Grace Davie. It then investigates the Buddhist origins of mindfulness and how it evolved into a contemporary and popular Western phenomenon through the processes of Buddhist modernism. This includes delineating the different meanings attached to mindfulness and exploring the three distinctive strands of mindfulness operative today, and how this has interacted with Irish education. Following this, several criteria for a Catholic educational vision are developed through an analysis of key post-Conciliar documents on Catholic education and the framework for the distinctiveness of Catholic education offered by Thomas Groome. These evaluative criteria are applied to find that the Irish Catholic primary school has in mindfulness a resource that is potentially invaluable in supporting and vivifying the patterns of belief, conduct and practice that embody this vision of life, which is Catholic ethos. This compatibility with Catholic ethos is demonstrated in the contribution of mindfulness to holistic education, as preparation for prayer and as a contemplative activity, as praeparatio evangelica and in fostering an other-oriented outlook which is committed to the common good. The study contributes to contemporary research into mindfulness in Catholic education both nationally and internationally, enhancing clarity on how and when mindfulness is compatible with Catholic ethos. The recommendations are of interest to patrons, educational practitioners and professional developers in Irish Catholic education.