Deepening the Catholic Identity of Schools: Education From and For Faith

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Claribel Arnold
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1 Deepening the Catholic Identity of Schools: Education From and For Faith

2 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

3 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

4 Where whole ethos of school community; values, discipline, worship, prayer, service How students are taught; if actively engaged in teaching/learning dynamic or told What is taught through every subject toward knowledge, ethic, and wisdom for life

5 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?

6 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

7 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

9 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?

10 Educating from a Catholic faith perspective for the life of the world (John 6:51)

11 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

12 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)

13 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!

14 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

15 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

16 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?

17 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

18 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

19 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

20 All welcome to the table

21 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

22 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!

23 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 (11 th hour) Such generosity for Catholic school?

24 Remember Montessori Good Shepherd

25 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?

26 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

27 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!

28 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)

29 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

30 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!

31 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

33 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?

34 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)

35 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)

37 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???

38 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

39 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

40 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

41 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

42 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?

43 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:

44 * 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

46 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

47 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

48 Focusing: Engage people with Life/Faith theme LIFE M.1: Invite to expression around theme to M.2: Critical reflection (reason, memory, imagination) and conversation 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

49 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

50 For Reflection and Conversation What 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?

51 Thomas Groome, Boston College For further reading see Groome, Will There Be Faith (Harper 2011 And see Credo Curriculum for high school Religious Ed.

52 God s grace ever at high tide

Leader. Marks of an Excellent Catholic CATHOLIC EDUCATION:

Leader. Marks of an Excellent Catholic CATHOLIC EDUCATION: CATHOLIC EDUCATION: Marks of an Excellent Catholic Leader Leadership in Catholic education is not a career; it is a vocation... intended to serve the Catholic education community. Mulligan The Marks of