Deepening the

Catholic Identity

of Schools:

Education From

and For Faith

What does it mean to put “Catholic”

before School, Teacher, Education?

Most obviously: Transcendent as

well as Imminent foundation; God

and person, faith and reason: CIT

Draw of fresh & deep waters of

Catholic faith to educate from & for

To have this faith foundation

permeate the whole curriculum

Curriculum includes

Not just What is taught/texts

but Who, Why, Where, & How

Who we teach people to be and

become; forming identity; ontic

Why – learning outcomes; both

knowledge and wisdom for life

Where – whole ethos of school community; values, discipline, worship, prayer, service

How students are taught; ifactively engaged in teaching/learning dynamic or “told”

What is taught through every subject toward knowledge, ethic, and wisdom for life

The heart of Catholic education

is the heart of Catholic educators

– your own faith put to work

Catholicism offers rich spiritual

& universal values for education

The more “Catholic” the schools

the more they serve common

good and educate-in-faith;

distinctive V parallel system?

Historical Note:

Last words of Risen: “go make

disciples” and “teach” (Mt 28:16 ff)

Early Church: great debate – to

teach for faith alone or to educate

from faith for common good (in

humanities and sciences); the R’s

Decided on both – educate from and

for faith; all a work of salvation

Since then, Catholic Church has

been largest & most influential

educator in the world

Monastic to cathedral schools,

to first great universities, to

modern & mission education

2,000 years of effective

education to countless millions

– now “out time” and our hearts

For Reflection and

Conversation

What are your favorite values

of Catholic Christian faith

How do they shape the whole

curriculum/ethos of your school?

Shape your own vocation as a

Catholic educator?

Educating from a

Catholic faith

perspective – “for the

life of the world”

(John 6:51)

From faith in God as revealed

in Jesus - as unconditional

Love with total favor for all; to

be a God centered school

From faith in God’s Spirit at

work in students’ lives & world

To have faith in selves, others,

life – because Spirit empowers

From faith in Jesus Christ: New

awareness of centrality of Jesus

to Catholic faith – and thus to

Catholic educators/schools

Core: not Bible, church, laws,

sacraments, dogmas, but “At

the heart we find a Person, the

Person of Jesus of Nazareth,

only Son from the Father”(CCC #426)

Christ of faith, God as one of us; revealing who and how God is for

us

By his death and resurrection effected “liberating salvation,”

conquered sin, social & personal, even death

With us always; by “God’s abundant grace” can live as disciples

Transformed course of history!

Christ of Faith can nurture in

students their confidence in nature

and grace – that they always have

the help of God to do well. So that:

Can realize their own potential &

be agents of God’s reign “on earth”

No evil can prevail, no falsehood be

true, no cross too heavy, no sin be

unforgiveable; no addiction beyond

recovery, because of Christ of Faith

Jesus of History, walked roads of Galilee, preaching reign of

God’s love, mercy, compassion, peace and justice

Called to love God, neighbor, and self – even enemies

Worked miracles to feed

hungry, heal sick, drive out evil

Fulfilled Is 61:1; see Lk 4:16-21

We always educate “in that name” & “for that life” Acts 4:18

Catholic schools to reflect how as well as what he taught

Jesus referred to as teacher and teaching 150 times

Imagine his overall approach and what to learn as Catholic educator?

For Reflection and Conversation

What do you imagine as some

dominant values and features of

Jesus’ approach as teacher?

How might his pedagogy be

reflected in your school?

In your own approach and

vocation?

Modeling on Jesus the Educator

A pedagogy of love and respect

“Greatest Commandment”; love

God, self, neighbor – with all

mind, heart, and strength

“New Commandment” to love as

God loves (Jn 15)

A teacher/student relationship

of genuine love and care

•A Welcoming and Inclusive

Community

• Jesus was distinctive for his

outreach (to poor, women,

children) and inclusion

• All welcome to the table

•School to welcome and make

all feel included & integrated

All welcome to the table

School as Community of Service

Jess said he had come not to be

served but to serve

Put to death for the values for

which he served & taught

School to render life-giving

service and encourage service by

students; outreach to others in

need as integral to curriculum

Promote dignity & agency of all

Jesus was ever intent to empower dignity of people as

agents instead of dependents -“your faith has saved you!” Sermon on Mount to “the

crowds” (Mt 7: 28), “you are salt of the earth, light of the world”

Empowerment of students depends so much on pedagogy!

School of Compassion & Justice

Jesus favored the ones who needed

favor most – weak, poor, excluded;

least, lost, last

With Reign of God rejected all

oppressions of his culture

To people what they need, not just

what they earn (11th hour)

Such generosity for Catholic school?

Remember Montessori – Good Shepherd

Reflection/Conversation

What are implications of

putting Jesus at center of

your school and vocation as

Catholic educator?

Distinctive Catholic values

at work in your school?

Catholic schools to reflect :

An anthropology - that all are made

in divine image & likeness; alive by

life of God; with innate goodness

confirmed by Incarnation

A cosmology – that sees world as

theatre of God’s grace; as

sacramental, making life

meaningful and worthwhile

For Catholic education

To engage and educate the whole

person – who they become; their

gifts and potential for life for all

To shape student’s outlook in

positive ways for self, others and

world; to nurture a sacramental

consciousness; to see God in all

things; give glory by being alive!

A sociology – that we are “made for each other.” Promote community within school and for the common good of all for life!

An epistemology – to attend, think, judge and make decisions as agents of their own knowledge and toward spiritual wisdom for life

A legacy – that teaches traditions of liberal arts, sciences and faith “for the life of the world” (Jn 6:51)

For Catholic education:

A moral formation, personal and social,

to become good people and good citizens;

to engage with a community of faith

A way of knowing that encourages

attending to data, understanding it,

judging, and making decisions –critically

conscious of socio-cultural contexts

A liberal arts curriculum that prepares

people to make a living and have a life

A politics - that promotes justice for

all on every level, with favor for the

least, lost, and last – the poor

A spirituality – that engages and

nurtures the “God-shaped hollow in

the human heart that nothing else

can fill” (Pascal)

A catholicity (katha holos) that

reflects welcome, with concern &

care - without borders!

For Catholic education?

* To form responsibility to all in

need or oppressed

* To engage & nurture students’

souls, their inner spirit as persons;

NB – ask good questions!

* To encourage their hospitality,

respect and care for all peoples; to

welcome all to the table

Reflection & Conversation

What other values do you

imagine as defining a Catholic

school or educator

Practical implications of such

Catholic values for the whole

curriculum of your school?

Education-in-Faith . . but

Will there be Faith?

God is faithful; our side of

covenant must be intentional

Jesus asked, “when I come again,

will there be faith?

More challenging times now for

“faith on earth”

Ours is a secular age (Taylor)

Three form of secularization:

1) Separation of Church and

State – a wise arrangement

2) Drop off of religious practice

3) Conditions of belief have

changed so as to marginalize

faith or offer alternatives (an

exclusive humanism)

In Church: scandals that betray

Gospel and Catholic faith

Divisions, revisions and tensions

e.g. around Vat II

Why so many leave or drift away

from Church?

New moment of grace with

Francis???

But, self sufficient humanism not

as humanizing as life lived in

faith; for high, low & everyday

We live more humanly by honoring

our nature as spiritual beings

No better way to live than way

modeled/made possible by Jesus

Need a persuasive versus coercive

apologetic! Both belief & unbelief

challenged; must rise to it

Intended learning outcome of RE;

spiritual wisdom for life

Can teach a religion at three levels:

To learn about - objectively

To learn from – for life

To become – take on as identity

For all students: that they not just

learn about but at least learn from

Catholic faith, and, as appropriate,

be disposed to embrace as identity

Lonergan and Authentic Cognition

Attend, Understand, Judge, Decide

1) Attend to & Understand data of life in

context

2) Attend to & Understand data of

Christian (or) faith for context

3) Make Judgments that integrate two

understandings – from life & faith

4) Make decisions toward spiritual

wisdom for life

To honor the dynamics of cognition – true knowing – will require attention and understanding; then judgments and decisions

Can reach beyond (not leave behind) “religious literacy” toward spiritual wisdom for life

A Catholic RE curriculum should intend more than what can be done in a public school; to have students learn from faith(s) for their lives

Reflection and Conversation

What do you intend as the

“learning outcomes” of the

religious ed. curriculum in

your school?

What do you want students to

know from RE? How do you

want them to know it?

Much depends on the pedagogy we use – whether we engage students

real lives and context?

Teach nothing ontic without engaging their interest (Dewey), which arises from life-in-context

Learning from Jesus - constant intent was to integrate life and faith

Overall pedagogy was to lead people from life to Faith to life (in

faith). Did so by:

* Engaging the everyday of people’s lives; fishing, farming, home making; birds of air, lilies of field

* To reflect on their reality, often to “see” in a whole new way

* Taught his Gospel “with authority” (Mk 1:22)

* Encouraged people to “see for themselves” with conviction

* Invited to decision for life – to follow his way as disciples

Note Teacher at work (Lk 24: 13-35)

Joins company & walks with

Elicits their story & vision

Shares the Story & Vision of the

faith community

Waits for them to “see for

themselves” and

To re-engage a life of faith in

Christian community

Life to Faith to Life approach

Focusing activity around a

generative theme of life/Faith

Five pedagogical movements

Flexible, can combine, repeat

Commitments more

important than movements

Focusing: Engage people with Life/Faith theme

LIFE M.1: Invite to expression around theme

M.2: Critical reflection (reason, memory,

imagination) and conversation

to

FAITH M.3: Give access to Story and Vision of

Christian faith as pertinent to the

theme, symbol, group, context

to

LIFE M.4: Encourage appropriation and

integration – making their own, see for

selves

M.5: Invite to decision – at least learn from

For teaching religious ed.:

Try to engage their lives-in-context with real themes and issues

Engage their critical reflection in conversation

Access the spiritual wisdom of Christian Story and Vision

Encourage them to “see for themselves” and make their own the truths and spiritual

wisdom for their lives

To decide to “learn from” its spiritual wisdom and maybe take on as their

identity

For Reflection and

ConversationWhat is potential of a life to

Faith to life approach for

religious ed. in your school?

Some decisions you might make

in light of this presentation and

conversations?

Thomas Groome, Boston

College groomet@bc.edu

For further reading see

Groome, Will There Be Faith

(Harper 2011

And see Credo Curriculum for

high school Religious Ed.

God’s grace – ever at high tide