What does it mean to pass on faith in God within a family? 
What are the respective roles and responsibilities of homes, schools and parishes? 
How can parents and grandparents best be supported in their vocation?  

Partners in a Shared Task is an effort to involve homes, schools and parishes in exploring these questions, with the aim of identifying and articulating common ground and increasing mutual understanding and appreciation between those who resource homes, schools and parishes. 

Following a successful national conversation about home, school and parish roles in December 2009, the Passing on the Faith Working Group are now accompanying teams in the dioceses of Liverpool, Middlesbrough and Plymouth as they pilot different ways of inviting those in homes, schools and parishes to consider:

• What is my/our role as a home/school/parish* in passing on faith in God to children/grandchildren?

• What support do I need for this?

• What is the role of my/our home/school/parish* partners in passing on faith in God?

• What can I/we do to support them?

*delete as appropriate

At a planning meeting held in Liverpool on July 5th 2010, the diocesan teams agreed that Partners in a Shared Task would require the development of a range of supporting material to enable those participating in such a conversation to do so comfortably. Each diocese has a different context, timetable and culture so it was also agreed that each team develop their own material, whilst having access to material developed in the other two dioceses. The role of the Working Group is to facilitate this exchange of ideas and information, to develop a framework for recording and receiving the fruits of each conversation, and to observe the concluding conversations within dioceses where possible.            

Click on the links below for more information about the planning meeting, the proposed process and developments in the three participating dioceses 

“As parents, teachers, priests, parish catechists or youth workers ... Our roles in the settings of home, parish, school and other centres are complementary yet distinct. We are partners in a shared task. We help the young to grow and develop but we do so in different ways. We need to be clear about our different roles if we are to perform them with confidence. At times we have false expectations of what we can do and we make unrealistic demands of others.” 

Gallagher, J., 1986. Guidelines. Living and Sharing Our Faith: A National Project of Catechesis and Religious Education. London: Collins. p25.

Partners in a Shared Task in Liverpool | Partners in a Shared task in Middlesbrough | Partners in a Shared Task in Plymouth | Partners in a Shared Task Planning Meeting