"My God"- Mater Dei launches ecumenical and inter-faith CD
22 November

Hajar Al-Kaddo

The Mater Dei Institute of Education, a college of DCU, yesterday launched a new ecumenical CD-rom at a function attended by representatives of the main religious faiths in Ireland: Dr Nooh Al Kaddo (Islamic Cultural Centre), Chief Rabbi Yaakov Pearlman (Jewish community), and Christian leaders who included Trevor Garret (Church of Ireland), Rev Frank Sellar (Presbyterian) and Fr. Dermot A. Lane (President, Mater Dei Institute).

The CD-rom, "Communities of Faith in Ireland" was produced by the LOGOS team of the Mater Dei Institute to accompany the Religious Education syllabus which is being examined at Junior Certificate level for the first time in June 2003.

Dr Andrew McGrady, Academic Director of the LOGOS project which is responsible for the production and dissemination of the CD-rom to schools throughout Ireland said, "I am particularly pleased that this CD-rom was produced in a collaborative way - in the true spirit of ecumenism and inter-faith dialogue. We worked closely with the four main religious faiths which are all given equal representation on the CD-rom. The approach taken is one which is hospitable to the diversity of faith in Ireland today and which sees the experience of faith as a key learning resource for the full human development of pupils".