Thought I'd share these comments by the Holy Father on Catholic education after I heard of a Catholic parish/school that has chosen to hire a marketing director over a director of religious education.

Given by the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI this past Saturday to a group of American Bishops (full text here):

"Before all else, I would acknowledge the great progress that has been made in recent years in improving catechesis, reviewing texts and bringing them into conformity with the Catechism of the Catholic Church."

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"It is no exaggeration to say that providing young people with a sound education in the faith represents the most urgent internal challenge facing the Catholic community in your country. The deposit of faith is a priceless treasure which each generation must pass on to the next by winning hearts to Jesus Christ and shaping minds in the knowledge, understanding and love of his Church."

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"First, as we know, the essential task of authentic education at every level is not simply that of passing on knowledge, essential as this is, but also of shaping hearts. There is a constant need to balance intellectual rigor in communicating effectively, attractively and integrally, the richness of the Church’s faith with forming the young in the love of God, the praxis of the Christian moral and sacramental life and, not least, the cultivation of personal and liturgical prayer."

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"In every aspect of their education, students need to be encouraged to articulate a vision of the harmony of faith and reason capable of guiding a life-long pursuit of knowledge and virtue."

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"The Christian commitment to learning, which gave birth to the medieval universities, was based upon this conviction that the one God, as the source of all truth and goodness, is likewise the source of the intellect’s passionate desire to know and the will’s yearning for fulfilment in love."

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"Firmly grounded in this vision of the intrinsic interplay of faith, reason and the pursuit of human excellence, every Christian intellectual and all the Church’s educational institutions must be convinced, and desirous of convincing others, that no aspect of reality remains alien to, or untouched by, the mystery of the redemption and the Risen Lord’s dominion over all creation."

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Back to my comments: 

In general, who is more likely to implement these words of the Holy Father, a marketing director or a director of religious education? I know that the state of religious education in the United States over the past 40 years has been pretty weak to say the least. Based on the above comments, I think the Holy Father realizes this too. And sure, a lot of us have even lost so much trust in DRE's and Catholic schools that we opt for home-schooling to implement an authentic Catholic education. But, overall, I would still argue that, for a parish, hiring someone with the direct mission of teaching the truths of the faith to children, especially the right person, is better than hiring someone to implement a business strategy designed to increase market share. Even better would be holy Pastors, Priests, and Religious to teach the Faith. 

Here's an idea, preach the Gospel. Here's another idea, stay faithful to the Magisterium of the Church. And here's one more, teach your children to live and love the Faith. I bet if you do these right, you won't need a marketing director to come in and re-vamp your weekly bulletin to draw people in. Just a guess though.