The Department of Catholic Education and Formation is responsible for promoting Catholic education as well as encouraging lay, priestly and religious vocations.
The Catholic Education Service (CES) supports the educational work of the Church in England and Wales by working at policy level and at the statutory interface with Government, its agencies and Non-Government Organisations. The National Office for Vocation (NOV) works nationally and locally to affirm the calling to marriage, single life, the diaconate as well as priesthood and consecrated life. The Chair of the department is Bishop Marcus Stock of Leeds.
Education
The Church has always viewed education as vital to the formation and development of the whole person, it put the setting up of Catholic schools for the Catholic community ahead of building Churches, often using its schools in those early days as the place for worship for the parish.
Vocation
There are many vocations including priesthood, the diaconate, marriage, the religious life and all other forms of consecrated life.
Education Sunday is marked this year on 8 September - just after the new academic year starts. The theme for 2024 is “He makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak” taken from St Mark’s Gospel (7:31-37).
The term ‘ongoing formation’ is a reminder that the one experience of discipleship of those called to priesthood is never interrupted.
Contact details for the Department for Education and Formation and the Committee for Ministerial Formation
