Gen. 1:26-27). Unfortunately, far too many in government, business, the media, and even the educational establishment perceive education to be merely an instrument for the acquisition of information that will improve the chances of worldly success and a more comfortable standard of living. The Church refers to the common function of Catholic education, which it shares with all genuine education, and the proper function of Catholic education. Reprinted with permission of Sophia Press and the author, Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB of Vancouver, B.C. Such a position would foster the misunderstanding that faith and life can be divorced, that religion is a merely private affair without doctrinal content or moral obligations. The bishop's particular responsibilities include ensuring that teachers are sound in their doctrine and outstanding in their integrity of life. An integral education aims to develop gradually every capability of every student: his or her intellectual, physical, psychological, moral, and religious capacities. Booth has worked on a number of projects developing insurance and finance education in Central and Eastern Europe. The Mission of our Private Catholic School Mission Statement: Our Lady of Victory Catholic School, a school of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, provides a safe, nurturing environment that serves children in … The five elements that necessarily belong to a school's Catholic identity are the principles proposed by the Holy See that justify the Church's heavy investment in schooling. Because of this complementarity of the natural and the supernatural, Catholic educators should have a sound understanding of the human person that addresses the requirements of both the natural and the supernatural perfection of the children entrusted to their care. Nothing is further from the position of the Holy See. Excerpted from Catholic Education in the West: Roots, Reality and Revival (2013) by Christiaan Alting von Geusau and Philip Booth, the latest volume in Acton's Christian Social Thought Series. . No matter how strong the faith of a person might be, without a certain degree of practice in the virtues, it will be hard not to be led exclusively by the emotions and impressions that constantly enter our minds. . It is Catholic because it prepares for a fully human life at the service of others and for the life of the world to come. Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?" The most effective mission statements are those which not only express a shared sense of mission but which inspire and even challenge all those in the school community to engage more fully, actively and consciously in God's mission in Catholic education. As John Paul II wrote in his 1979 Message to the National Catholic Educational Association, "Catholic education is above all a question of communicating Christ, of helping to form Christ in the lives of others." Also, rapport with the students ought to be a prudent combination of familiarity and distance; and this must be adapted to the need of each individual student. The specific purpose of a Catholic education is the formation of boys and girls who will be good citizens of this world, loving God and neighbor and enriching society with the leaven of the gospel, and who will also be citizens of the world to come, thus fulfilling their destiny to become saints. It is the Catholic faith that provides young people with the essential principles for critique and evaluation. The gospel spirit should be evident in a Christian way of thought and life which permeates all facets of the educational climate. 6). What is really being proposed by secularist movements is that the pupil should replace whatever god he believes in with the secular god. They aspire to teach love for wisdom, habituating each student "to desire learning so much that he or she will delight in becoming a self-learner. However, this freedom is not necessarily available to all parents. Curriculums, programs and methodologies will be evaluated on a regular basis and updated to produce students who are prepared … . Therefore they should express physically and visibly the external signs of Catholic culture through images, symbols, icons, and other objects of traditional devotion. The endeavor to interweave reason and faith, which has become the heart of individual subjects, makes for unity, articulation, and coordination, bringing forth within what is learned in a school a Christian vision of the world, of life, of culture, and of history. excerpted from Catholic Education in the West: Roots, Reality and Revival (September 25, 2013). Faith and culture are intimately related, and students should be led, in ways suitable to the level of their intellectual development, to grasp the importance of this relationship. All this says nothing more than the words from the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, so frequently quoted by Pope John Paul II: "It is only in the mystery of the Word made flesh that the mystery of man truly becomes clear. Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic Schools exist primarily to evangelize and to educate students for the Church’s mission in the world. Catholic school educators in the Diocese of Fort Worth empower students and … A primary way of helping Catholic students become more committed to their faith is by providing solid religious instruction. What steps are you taking to improve your effectiveness? That the Catholic school is an educational community "is one of the most enriching developments for the contemporary school." You want your child to have the best education possible—without sacrificing the Catholic … ", Knowledge and understanding are far more than the accumulation of information. 133). For young Catholics, such instruction embraces both teaching the truths of the faith and fostering its practice. Ensuring their genuinely Catholic identity is the Church's greatest educational challenge. His edited and co-authored books include Christian Perspectives on the Financial Crash, Catholic Social Teaching and the Market Economy, The Road to Economic Freedom (a compilation of the work of a number of Nobel Prize Winners in Economics) and Investment Mathematics. Direct and personal contact between teachers and students is a hallmark of the Catholic school. Catholic theology teaches that grace builds on nature. is specifically the form of witness. With trust comes dialogue. Education is not a commodity, even if Catholic schools equip their graduates with enviable skills. I would like to conclude this essay with a suggestion that might help to strengthen the Catholic identity of America's elementary and secondary schools. The prophetic words of Pope Paul VI ring as true today as they did more than thirty years ago: "Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses." Catholic educators however should be able to identify this ruse and know that the only proper way to educate is by providing a formation that centers on Christ alone. Catholic schools in the diocese of Wagga Wagga are faith communities that participate in God’s mission of creating a just and peaceful world; building the Kingdom of God. The Church believes that freedom in education should be available to all parents. Catholic schools, then, safeguard the priority of the person, both student and teacher. Because of the gospel's guiding role in a Catholic school, one might be tempted to think that the school's distinctiveness lies only in the quality of its religious instruction, catechesis, and pastoral activities. The very fact of the Incarnation tells us that the created world is the means God chose to communicate his life to us. In measured terms, the Congregation's document Lay Catholics in Schools: Witnesses to Faith describes the student-teaching relationship: A personal relationship is always a dialogue rather than a monologue, and the teacher must be convinced that the enrichment in the relationship is mutual. Seton Catholic Schools, a pre-kindergarten through grade twelve coeducational ministry of St. Andrew, St. Mary, and Holy Family parishes, provide students of all faiths and beliefs an environment of academic … However, the "signs of the times" in which we need to think about the application of Catholic social teaching to public policy in education include as perhaps their most prominent feature a major decline in religious practice and a general indifference towards religion, especially in the upper echelons of Western political systems. John 8:28]. This means that parents can choose a Catholic education that is funded by government on the same basis as secular education. Catholic education is "intentionally directed to the growth of the whole person." Still, we must always take special care to avoid the error that a Catholic school's distinctiveness rests solely on the shoulders of its religious-education program. Unduly restricting freedom in education and imposing the state's conception of education on all families would be to subordinate the person to society. Firstly, because education cannot be separated from the formation of the human person and the development of his vocation — whether secular or religious — restricting basic freedom in education is a restriction on freedom of conscience, the rights of parents and the freedom of religion more generally. Its duty to cultivate human values in their own legitimate right in accordance with its particular mission to serve all men has its origin in the figure of Christ. "Parents who have the primary and inalienable right and duty to educate their children must enjoy true liberty in their choice of schools.". They too could engage in quality assurance – that is, assurance of their Catholic identity. To be integral or complete, Catholic schooling must be constantly inspired and guided by the gospel. Personal relationships marked by mutual trust, close cooperation, and continuing dialogue are required for a genuine spirit of communion. Booth is Deputy Editor of Economic Affairs. To fulfill their responsibility of speaking about the Father, educators in Catholic schools, with very few exceptions, should be practicing Catholics who are committed to the Church and living her sacramental life. Christ is the foundation of the whole educational enterprise in a Catholic school. . Familiarity will make a personal relationship easier, but a certain distance is also needed. Unwavering commitment to truth is at home in an authentically Catholic school. This conviction about the nature of truth is too important for Catholics to be confused about. It is he who, through his Incarnation, is united with each student. Such collaboration is not only an ideal but also a time-honored ecclesial practice in the United States. In the light of her mission of salvation, the Church considers that the Catholic school provides a privileged environment for the complete formation of her members, and that it also provides a highly important … In a speech addressed to American Catholic educators in New Orleans, Pope John Paul II presented them with. This is how the Church evangelizes. What steps is it taking to foster its catholicity? The Mission of Catholic Schools & the Role of Teachers A Catholic school has the mission to be a communion of persons that seeks to give a sacred gift. The inspiration of Jesus must be translated from the ideal into the real. This approach to justice is … Such a "Catholic" accreditation process would involve an internal review of the five benchmark indicators – as well as others that could be developed. T. S. Eliot puts it just right: "Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? chap. The Holy See shares the solicitude of the American bishops about employing teachers with a clear understanding of and commitment to Catholic education. 2 - Shared Responsibilitiesch. Quite simply, accreditors ask: How do you know that you are achieving what you say you are? The Church states that promotion of human dignity does not just require freedom in education; it also implies that all have a right to education, as one of those things "necessary for leading a life truly human" (Gaudium et spes, no. Holy Trinity Catholic High School is a private, co-educational college-preparatory school dedicated to the fullfilment of the educational ministry of the Catholic Church. Thus, the state exists to safeguard all human beings in the exercise of their rights and freedoms and to ensure that they can live in dignity. © 1996-2019 Catholic Education Resource Center | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Sitemap, CERC is an entirely reader-supported web site and non-profit charity. In the measure in which subjects are taught by someone who knowingly and without restraint seeks the truth, they are to that extent Christian. Clearly, such a right would not be fulfilled if a secular education were provided free by the government and the less-well-off lacked the means to obtain a Christian education. Catholic educators and leaders: embrace the person and vision of Jesus. This goes beyond the personal relationships of those involved. Elementary schools "should try to create a community school climate that reproduces, as far as possible, the warm and intimate atmosphere of family life. Unlike skeptics and relativists, Catholic educators share a specific belief about truth: that, to a limited but real extent, it can be attained and communicated to others. Expanding opportunities to choose schools, however, have often been accompanied by more extensive regulation of schools. . These benchmarks help to answer the critical question: Is this a Catholic school according to the mind of the Church? Mission. Mass should be celebrated regularly, with the students and teachers participating appropriately. The Congregation's Religious Dimension of Education in a Catholic School sums up this new emphasis: The declaration Gravissimum Educationis notes an important advance in the way a Catholic school is thought of: the transition from the school as an institution to the school as a community. 160). Educators, administrators, parents, and bishops guide the school to make choices that promote "overcoming individualistic self-promotion, solidarity instead of competition, assisting the weak instead of marginalization, responsible participation instead of indifference.". The Department of Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Trenton provides leadership, direction, support, and service to pastors, principals, and school communities as they form students in the Catholic … The Holy See's documents insist that, in order to be worthy of its name, a Catholic school must be founded on Jesus Christ, the Redeemer. Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski Prefect, Congregation for Catholic Education. First, the bishop must integrate schools into his diocese's pastoral program; and, second, he must oversee the teaching within them. To be sure, "education in the faith is a part of the finality of a Catholic school." Christ is the Teacher in Catholic schools. MISSION OF CATHOLIC SCHOOLS FOR EVANGELIZATION TODAY. What is human and visible can bear the divine. They should learn to be critical and evaluative. "For this reason neither his life nor the development of his thought, nor his good, nor those who are part of his personal and social activities can be subject to unjust restrictions in the exercise of their rights and freedom" (CSD, no. It does not exist to acquire for itself arbitrary rights over human persons and families. • Catholic schools carry out the educational mission of the Roman Catholic Church and are an integral part of our parishes. These objectives are: to provide an environment in which students are enabled to build and deepen their relationship with God; to foster an academic culture aimed at the pursuit of truth; and to actively promote growth in virtue. As we have seen, the Catholic school would betray its purpose if it failed to found itself on the person of Christ and his teaching: "It derives all the energy necessary for its educational work from him.". Herein lies the specifically Catholic character of the school. Through its Catholic Indian Mission Fund, it raised $48,700 in donations and bequests for the Catholic Bureau and reservation-based Catholic missions and schools. In the United States, various accrediting agencies monitor the institutional effectiveness of schools' educational activities. Nor is it for "clients" and "consumers" in a competitive marketplace that values academic achievement. Should not Catholic schools, precisely insofar as they claim to be specified by their catholicity, do something along the same lines? They promote solidarity, mutual enhancement, and joint responsibility in the educational plan, and, above all, they give an explicit Christian testimony. The Congregation for Catholic Education has written that "the Catholic school tries to create within its walls a climate in which the pupil's faith will gradually mature and enable him to assume the responsibility placed on him by Baptism.". What is really being proposed by secularist movements is that the pupil should replace whatever god he believes in with the secular god. We Believe In Catholic Schools The Mission of the Office of the Superintendent of Schools, guided by the Holy Spirit, is to care for the education and faith formation of our Catholic School Communities … A fourth distinctive characteristic of … The Church sees education as a process that, in light of man's transcendent destiny, forms the whole child and seeks to fix his or her eyes on heaven. In Lay Catholics in Schools: Witnesses to Faith, the Vatican proposes a response: In today's pluralistic world, the Catholic educator must consciously inspire his or her activity with the Christian concept of the person, in communion with the Magisterium of the Church. Catholic schools will strive to be centers of educational excellence. In the words of Pope Benedict XVI: The central figure in the work of educating, and especially in education in the faith, which is the summit of the person's formation and is his or her most appropriate horizon, is specifically the form of witness. The primary mission is the formation of … Providing support and advocacy in federal public policy on behalf of Catholic educational institutions from pre-school through high school levels Embodying the concerns and priorities of the bishops of … Catholic schools take up the daunting task of freeing boys and girls from the insidious consequences of what Pope Benedict XVI has called the "dictatorship of relativism" – a dictatorship that cripples all genuine education. Catholic schools have the task of being the living and provocative memory of Christ. He is "the foundation of the whole educational enterprise in a Catholic school," and the principles of his gospel are its guiding educational norms: In a Catholic school, everyone should be aware of the living presence of Jesus the "Master" who, today as always, is with us in our journey through life as the one genuine "Teacher," the perfect Man in whom all human values find their fullest perfection. Besides, the right of parents are violated, if their children are forced to attend lessons or instructions which are not in agreement with their religious beliefs, or if a single system of education, from which all religious formation is excluded, is imposed upon all (Dignitatis humanae, no. It is Catholic because it undertakes to educate the whole child, addressing the requirements of his or her natural and supernatural perfection. Hypocrisy turns off today's students. The Holy See, through papal interventions and the documents of the Congregation for Catholic Education, recognizes the priceless treasure of Catholic schools as an indispensable instrument of evangelization. If you’ve appreciated, Lay Catholics in Schools: Witnesses to Faith, Religious Dimension of Education in a Catholic School, The Catholic School on the Threshold of the Third Millennium, The Current Situation of America's Catholic Schools, The Shepherd and the Rock: Origins, Development, and Mission of the Papacy. The educational philosophy that guides Catholic schools also seeks to ensure that they are places where "faith, culture, and life are brought into harmony." Catholic schools should let the educational endeavor be guided by a constant promotion of the virtues, especially the cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance. Those responsible for these schools will, therefore, do everything they can to promote a common spirit of trust and spontaneity." Below is our mission and vision for the Catholic school system of the Diocese of Fort Worth. Schools form students within their own culture, teaching them an appreciation of its positive elements and fostering a more profound integration of the gospel in their particular situation. A learning atmosphere that encourages the befriending of students is far removed from the caricature of the remote disciplinarian cherished by the media. The same can be said about a failure to give clear witness to the Church's teaching on the sanctity of marriage and the inviolability of human life. As well as fostering a Catholic worldview across the curriculum, even in so-called secular subjects, "if students in Catholic schools are to gain a genuine experience of the Church, the example of teachers and others responsible for their formation is crucial: the witness of adults in the school community is a vital part of the school's identity.". In the Council texts, the community dimension is primarily a theological concept rather than a sociological category. When Christ is the center of all we do, then we are enabled to redirect our focus of life towards an understanding of the world in which we live that is geared towards the promotion of human dignity and the common good. Nevertheless, this conviction, in its very simplicity, can sometimes be overlooked. 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