Introduction
While the Catholic education system is almost as old as the church herself; and that education has been a major field of involvement in the activities of the church, the system has managed to remain relevant for tens, and indeed hundreds of years of existence. While the society has been changing through this period, it has been a challenging task for the system to adapt to these changes in the society.
At the dawn of the third millennium, the relevance of the system in regards to the society has been once again challenged. New development in the social outlook has resulted in challenges that are more difficult to conquer than what the Catholic education system, and indeed the church has faced before. Some of the potentially harmful attitudes; and those that stand in direct opposition of the church’s policy have received widespread promotion by the ever-growing mass media; and consequent adoption by the society; some of these include materialism, nihilism, subjectivism and moral relativism. In addition to these, today, there are so many diverse views about many subjects that the society has lost the identity of the past and is plagued with extreme pluralism.
The structure of the society is also changing; various aspects are experiencing unprecedented transformation. For example, the socioeconomic structure has seen a widening of the gap between the rich and the poor. Additionally, the aspect of immigration has seen an increase in the multicultural and multiethnic composition of the society. While this has had a tremendous positive effect of improving cross-cultural relationships in the country, it has also led to a further marginalization of Christianity as a reference point of morals and as a source of guidance for the society.
The field of education has also experienced far reaching changes; the advent of technology has enabled the student an easier access to information; and from diverse sources some of which may not be properly formatted to ensure holistic growth of the student. Additionally, the demand for the student to learn more academic material within a limited period of time may have the effect of reducing the time and resources allocated for activities that may not be categorized as academic; but that is equally important for the development of the student into a complete Christian man or woman (Hickey et al, 2001).
It is therefore important for the education system, and indeed the church, to respond appropriately. The temptation for passive adaptation is always there; however, the appropriate response should be proactive; that is a thrust into the society with the aim of reestablishing the position of the church as the holder of the moral compass for the society; and to roll back some of the negative attributes of societal evolution (Congregation for Catholic Education, 1997).
The Catholic School
The church has a mandate of evangelization (SVC, 1965; Paul VI, 1975). As such, every opportunity has to be taken to fulfill this mandate and with maximum efficiency and effect. The school, which is the venue of development of the person from an infant to a functional unit of the society, offers a perfect opportunity for a person or body that wants to influence the outlook of the society. From the evangelization mandate and duty, the church has a special interest in the direction that societal development takes. By creating the Catholic school, the church has managed in creating a privileged venue where evangelization can take place without any restriction.
The schools have a dual role of not-only giving these students a proper education that would enable them to be effective citizens of their countries; it also moulds them into better Christians and develops their conscience both to their fellow man and their spiritual obligations (Congregation for Catholic Education, 1977). In an increasingly pluralistic world, where the views about an issue are extremely diverse and changing constantly, the Catholic school offers stable moral guidance as all the views propagated are guided both by biblical teachings and age-old but constantly reviewed church doctrine. By targeting young people as a primary group for evangelization, the church hopes to develop a society that has a Christian mentality.
Among the issues that have been afflicting the society in regards to Christianity is the split between faith and life. While many Christians appreciate the existence of God and His supernatural activities on earth, the general life is that of practical atheism. This is the view of life as being controlled by physical happenings without any supernatural intervention. Therefore a lot of time is spent planning and implementing financial, social and family issue with complete indifference to the role of God in their lives; and their role in the history of salvation of mankind. That is, they fail to see themselves as being part of an unfolding plan of God for humanity. The Catholic school seeks to remedy this; this is through showing their students that Christian life, values and the supernatural interventions transcends every aspect of their lives; and that this is the way to answer the questions that are always lurking in the mind of man about his purpose and value.
The Catholic school has to be given the credit of having pioneered formal education in many parts of the world; additionally, it covered the deficit which the civil education providers had left due to resource limitation. In societies however, which have been able to reduce these deficits, there has been increasing resistance against Catholic school, their policy toward both academic and moral teachings; and religious teachings. Some of the resistance has been fueled by the failure to differentiate between promulgation and Christian witness. The church has adopted more than one method of evangelization; one of these mechanisms is Christian witness. This however is not restricted to the individual, the church can also witness through institutions such as schools. By serving the society with dedication and humility, the church is setting an example which is not necessary aimed at creating converts.
The Catholic school has also been accused of giving education a religious slant; while some of the educators who may have misunderstood their role in the system have been rightly accused, it is also important also to note that religious education is important for the holistic development of the individual; this is because it views morals through the lens of the conscience, where the inner person is responsible for the actions (and their effects) of the outer one; this is fundamentally different from the approach of the academic education to morals.
The Catholic school has also suffered from the drive to create homogeneity in the education system; characterized by taking over by civil education authorities. This has resulted in marginalization of communities who would have preferred their children develop in a system that promotes holistic development since restrictions are placed on the ability of these school to access public funds to finance equal education for the community. An attempt to maintain this system has in some occasions resulted in the creation of private Catholic schools; these require the clients foot all their bills. This has resulted in restriction of children who can attend these schools to only those who their parents can afford; resulting in an image of social and economic discrimination.
The Catholic school also carries an inflated risk of failure; while the non-church based schools have to grapple only with the academic excellence of the student and thus put minimal effort in producing a well rounded person in terms of developing the conscience, the Catholic school has the added responsibility of producing a Christian minded person. The system has allocated significant resources to meet these ends; however, as in any education system, there are students who slip through the inevitable cracks, and lack proper development of one or the other aspects of the complete Christian. This results in double the negative judgment that an equivalent non-church-based school would receive.
In-order to remain relevant in the fast changing society that has precipitated far reaching changes in the education systems, the Second Vatican Council has encouraged an open-minded approach to education in the Catholic establishments.
Signs of the Time
The purpose of developing and maintaining schools under the authority of the Catholic Church is undoubtedly linked to the greater mission of the church in the world today. Proper analysis of this mission has to be based on a study of the ‘Signs of the times’. These have been defined as; “the genuine signs of the presence of God” (Hickey et al, 2001).
The Mandate, Mandate Letter, Terms of Reference and Membership of the Catholic Education Commission of Western Australia 2001-2007 (Hickey et al, 2001) outlines various signs of the time in regards to the role of the church in education and the desirable outcome in terms of societal influence that this education should have. The first sign is the dedication of many lay-persons, either as professionals or performing duties that do not require professional qualifications in the Catholic school education system; this is in addition to the priest and consecrated religious in the same system. Another sign is the way that God reveals Himself to students in Catholic schools; many of the students graduating from Catholic schools have a deep appreciation of the fact that they form part of a greater plan that God has for humanity; and that they are part of a continuing history of a relationship between God and man spanning from the day of creation. Many also have the appreciation that only God can answer the questions that are always lurking within the conscience of the human being. This sign is usually expressed as a deep desire for the student to participate in activities such as school prayer and liturgy; and the immense satisfaction they draw from such.
Another such sign of the time is the deep concern that has been elicited by the decline of religious practice in Australia. This goes to further the cause of the Catholic school as the venues which the church can impact on the society deeply with the aim of reversing this change.
Evangelization
Students are influenced more by what they see and/or experience than what they are taught in class (Congregation of Catholic Education, 1977). This effectively sets a stage on what should be done to effectively evangelize to the student fraternity in the schools. Christian witness is the first act of evangelization (Pope Paul VI, 1975; Second Vatican Council 1965). Christian witness is when a Christian tries to portray Christ to others by giving them Christ-like love. All of the people who are involved in molding the students in their charge to the holistic persons as they are mandated to do; this is especially required of the teachers and the parents. One of the aspects that the school can witness to the student is by promoting family cohesion; the school should support the parenting role; and they should try to create an environment which the student will feel is an extension of his/her family.
The students also get Christian witness from being carried with dignity and receiving care. By having staff who are fully committed to pastoral care, the students are shown Gods love; and in the process learn to show this love to others; and to carry them with dignity, same as they were carried.
Portraying the spirit of poverty is an excellent way of evangelizing to youngsters enrolled in Catholic schools. This is in direct opposition and partly aimed at rolling back the materialism that has been peddled as the ideal attitude in the world today. All aspects of the school should portray simplicity; from the buildings, the learning materials and even the uniform worn by the students and/or some cadres of the staff. The idea and image of affluence should be avoided; both to cultivate the spirit of poverty in the student and to accommodate the students from a diverse range of socioeconomic background (Congregation for Catholic Education, 1988).
The Catholic school should and is considered as a major component of the activities of evangelization to the world by the Catholic Church. While the school may not seem to be targeted at the wider audience (since at any one time it reaches a limited number of people), the focus on the youth has a profound effect not only on the individual in regards to his/her future Christian life, but it also has a domino effect on the immediate community as the student will definitely influence it positively.
The Catholic School Curriculum
The activities happening in an education institution has to be guided by a curriculum. As such, prior planning on what to include in such a curriculum ensures that all the needs of the student are catered for satisfactorily. The Catholic school differs from other systems in that during this formulation, there is the inclusion of activities aimed at ensuring the students develops into a Christian. This is achieved through three mechanism that form ministry of the word; primary proclamation, catechesis and religious education.
As mentioned before, the Catholic school is a privileged venue for evangelization for the church. As such, the school should take every available opportunity to awaken the student in regards to religious practice. Apart from incorporation of ministry of the word into the curriculum, the school should include activities that remind the student of Gods presence such as sacred places and sites; and symbols. The student should get the picture of the grand plan of God for humanity; and should see themselves as potential beneficiaries of the promise in the Gospel.
Catechesis
While primary proclamation and appreciation of the Christian promise is of great importance, it is not enough in permanently anchoring the youngster in the Christian faith. Additionally, while they might approach Christian teaching and respond to new evangelism positively, this is usually not a guarantee that this enthusiasm is sustainable.
New evangelism in Catholic schools is therefore followed and supported by basic catechism. This is aimed at broadening and deepening the understanding of the Christian faith through a detailed study of the life of Christ and His teachings (Pope John Paul II, 979); great attention is placed on teaching the students about the four pillars of the Christian faith – that is the Creed, the Sacraments, the Life of Christ and the Lord’s Prayer. In an ideal Catholic community, the youth are supposed to receive catechesis in their parishes and within the family. However, the reduction in religious practice in Australia and indeed the world has also adversely affected this aspect of the practice. This has added the urgency for the Catholic schools to step-up catechesis for all the Catholic youth within their charge. Unfortunately, the school, despite its unique ability to bring order to the life of a youngster (by having them operate within a written schedule) is not a substitute for what the family and/or the parish may offer. Away from the formal set-up of a school and surrounded by family, friends and neighbors, the youngster is more likely to view catechesis as a personal journey rather than an item on the school curriculum.
The Catholic school system therefore has to reevaluate their role in the delivery of catechesis to their students. If importance is to readjust the goals of catechesis in school; the assumption that the students have been receiving catechesis at home and/or parish should be shed completely; and the focus should be a blend of both new evangelism and strengthening of the faith of the students who are fortunate enough to receive home/parish catechesis.
Religion and Learning
As mentioned before, the Catholic Church has been a pioneer in the introduction of formal education in many parts of the world; schools were/are usually started in conjunction with building churches and offering healthcare to these communities as methods of evangelism. It is therefore very important that Catholic schools meet the minimum requirements for formal education; and that at the end of the stay in the school, the student will be equally (or better) qualified in terms of academic excellence as any other that learned in a non-Catholic school. This would give social authority for teaching and nurturing these students in the way of God.
Some may argue that material in any discipline speaks about God; and that all education is religious education since He is the maker of all and the source of all knowledge. However, while it is necessary to have the student investigate all matters from a religious angle, it is also important to recognize that some of the fields have a definite structure and doctrine which if altered would render any ideas developed from them inaccurate; and that any alterations should be made after multi-disciplinary consultation (Mclaughlin, 1998; CECWA).
Conclusion
Parents who have taken their children to Catholic schools have a wide range of desires and expectations; these range from holistic development, traditions, gospel values, leadership and other issues. To be able to satisfy these and more needs, the schools have to be well prepared for this task.
Additionally, the system should be able to adapt quickly and effectively to the changes in the society; and at the same time without compromising on the values of Christianity and the church. To effectively achieve these goals, the church has to analyze the signs of the time and respond to them appropriately.
References
Catholic Education Commission of Western Australia (CECWA): Living the vision.
Congregation for Catholic Education (1997):The Catholic School on the Threshold of the Third Millennium. Web.
Congregation for Catholic Education (1988): The Religious Dimension of Education in a Catholic School.
Congregation for Catholic Education (1977): The Catholic School.
Hickey J. Barry, Robert Healy, Peter Quinn, Justin Bianchini and Christopher Saunders (Bishops of Westren Australia) (2001): Mandate, Mandate Letter, Terms of Reference and Membership of the Catholic Education Commission of Western Australia 2001-2007.
Mclaughlin, D. (1998). ‘Catholic schools in the third millennium: Views from Rome’. Word in Life: Journal of Religious Education, 46(3), 29-36. Web.
Paul VI, to Prof. Giuseppe Lazzati, Rector of the University of the Sacred Heart (Milano), in “The Teaching of Pope Paul VI “, vol. 9, p. 1082.
Pope John Paul II (1979): Catechesis in Our Time.
Pope Paul VI (1975): On Evangelization in the Modern World.
Second Vatican Council (1965): Decree on the Church’s Missionary Activity.