It is at this point that the primary importance of what we would call "virtue-oriented" formation becomes visible. A Catholic education means giving a student the opportunity to learn about the Holy Scriptures. We are deeply committed to supporting the proclamation of the Gospel through our primary and secondary Catholic Schools, Catholic higher education, campus ministry, certification for ecclesial ministry, and support of children and parents through advocacy and public policy in our Nation's Capital. 26). And it was while he was recovering from his wounds that Ignatius had his conversion. That is double the average tenure of a University President these days! God for Ignatius was the Great Educator —always drawing us forward, deepening our understanding, forming and developing our gifts and talents. Currently, Catholic schools are faced with the realization that the school’s sustainability, accessibility, and parental choice are being compromised. This is a tremendous credit to our Catholic schools. 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. Catholic education aims not only to communicate facts but also to transmit a coherent, comprehensive vision of life, in the conviction that the truths contained in that vision liberate students in the most profound meaning of human freedom. Furthermore, he came to understand that by educating these young men — and eventually women — they would then go on to be lawyers, doctors, administrators, priests, teachers, rulers, counselors, artists, business leaders, and so on. I want to say a little about that because I think it has something to tell us about the role and importance of Catholic schools today.Ignatius, as many of you might know, was born in 1491 to a noble family in what is now Spain. And so for 11 years — at what would be considered a very old age of 33 — St. Ignatius went back to school, first studying basic grammar in Barcelona, and then off to the University of Paris — where he gathered friends around him, and the Society of Jesus was born.There are two significant aspects of Ignatius’ story and that of the early Jesuits that I feel are still critical for us to understand and embrace this morning as we gather to support and celebrate the tradition of Catholic education.The first, is that St. Ignatius experienced God as a teacher — this is very explicit for St. Ignatius. and Philip Booth. Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education, 1977. Catholic schools are welcoming to all who seek to share their life and wish to entrust their children’s future to Catholic schools because of their explicit goals and acknowledged educational quality. We know that academic achievement is higher. The principle of human dignity also has implications for education. Firstly, because education cannot be separated from the formation of the human person and the development of his vocation â whether secular or religious â restricting basic freedom in education is a restriction on freedom of conscience, the rights of parents and the freedom of religion more generally. Unduly restricting freedom in education and imposing the state's conception of education on all families would be to subordinate the person to society. In this respect, the right to religious freedom is paramount in the Church's social teaching. People should not be forced to act contrary to their religious convictions (Dignitatis humanae, no. (1) It is Sacramental To say that Catholic education is sacramental is to suggest that there is nothing that is only secular. Jesus said, “Let the children come to me and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” (Lk 18:16) All the early Jesuits needed to be educated and given religious direction so that they would be able to be of service. Catholic education was built upon the Church’s mission to encourage students to live the gospel, evangelize, and encourage them to live an authentic life that will lead them to heaven. Loading ... Pope Francis: You cannot speak of Catholic education without speaking about humanity - … He came to understand through the course of his conversion and maturation that God was teaching him how to be his authentic self, that God was reaching down to him from above, “de arriba” at very specific moments in his life and personally forming and shaping him. Catholic schools are places of encounters with Christ through learning. So I suppose the overarching question for me is: “What do young people need in terms of their early schooling and formation in order to be truly creative, compassionate, joyful, civilized, and productive members of society? They offer the pursuit of knowledge in an environment of faith, love and values. Given that freedom in education is an extension of freedom of conscience and freedom of religion more generally, it is important to note that the Catholic Church is not calling for privileges for Catholic parents and children. In many traditionally Catholic countries (though also in the UK) systems of Catholic education have become intertwined with the provision of free state education more generally. This means that parents can choose a Catholic education that is funded by government on the same basis as secular education. However, this freedom is not necessarily available to all parents. Furthermore, Catholic parents can be limited in their choice of schools to those the state wishes to authorise (with places and the building of new schools often being severely limited). The Catholic Church, in the authentic promotion of her teaching, does not wish to defend such arrangements as privileges. The Church believes that freedom in education should be available to all parents. It is a fundamental human right and should not merely be a special arrangement for Catholics in countries where Catholics are sufficiently numerous. Notice the principal purpose of Catholic education is to form disciples — people who know Christ, follow Christ and make him known. 6). This freedom belongs to parents because of our God-given nature and the gift of free will that is given to us: Government, in consequence, must acknowledge the right of parents to make a genuinely free choice of schools and of other means of education, and the use of this freedom of choice is not to be made a reason for imposing unjust burdens on parents, whether directly or indirectly. 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. While stressing the importance of being inclusive of all learners, the introductory section of This Is Our Faith explains the distinctive purpose of religious education in the Catholic school. If youâve appreciated, Christian Perspectives on the Financial Crash, Catholic Social Teaching and the Market Economy, CHRISTIAAN ALTING VON GEUSAU & PHILIP BOOTH. Catholic education recognizes the importance of the effects of the environment on a child. 5). Catholic education has always been at the heart of the Catholic mission. Catholic educational institutions should have three goals in order to be able to fulfil their primary mission to allow students to "encounter the living God who in Jesus Christ reveals his transforming love and truth" (Pope Benedict XVI). posted 17 March, 2016by fairfieldthinkspace, This is the official Tumblr account of Fairfield University, The Importance of Catholic Education Today. What we would want for all of our citizens is, frankly, the same experience of life that St. Ignatius had, and indeed, the same experience of life that I have been privileged to have — that there is a higher purpose to which we are called that is unique, that draws us into an ever richer appreciation of life, and deepens our capacity to love and to serve our fellow men and women. I think I can say too that I had the feeling that I was being called to something more — I was being asked to give up something comfortable for something that would be a greater challenge, a bigger stretch, one that asked for sacrifices from me in the interests of a greater good. The Importance of Catholic Education Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic School. 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. It does not exist to acquire for itself arbitrary rights over human persons and families. As we have seen, there is a role for the state in education. But this role, following on from the principle of subsidiarity, facilitates rather than displaces the initiative of the family. My perspective on the importance and role of Catholic schools is naturally a reflection of what it means to be a University President today — working with young people at a critical moment of transition and formation in their lives when they are on the cusp of adulthood. In an environment where every student is regarded has having a unique destiny in the eyes of God, there is a climate of respect, there is a climate of love, and most importantly, there is hope — the hope that so many of our young people seem to be without.So, in closing, allow me to encourage all of you to do what you can to support your Catholic schools, and be clear and outspoken in your advocacy for Catholic education. 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. Philip Booth is Editorial and Programme Director at the Institute of Economic Affairs in London. He also serves as Professor of Insurance and Risk Management at Cass Business School, City University and has been a Fellow of Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford. He was a Catholic school governor for 20 years. Booth has worked on a number of projects developing insurance and finance education in Central and Eastern Europe. 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. Booth is Deputy Editor of Economic Affairs. No, a good Catholic education educates the entire person, the mind with the heart, the soul with faith, and the person with the community. I spent sixteen years on the faculty there including six years as chair of the department — and it was quite a diverse and complex department at Georgetown since history was a large component of Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service. I will be discussing 2 general points that will show the importance, relevance and effectiveness of the catholic education. 26). "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. Catholic schools are as inclusive as any other type of school. Catholic Religious Education, particularly since the Second Vatican Council, is committed to teaching and learning about and from other religions, not as an option but as something intrinsic to the definition of Christian identity. As one of the early Jesuits told the King of Spain at the time: “The proper education of our youth will mean the transformation of the whole world.”This, I would argue, remains the great revelation of Ignatian pedagogy — that God engages each one of us as an educator par excellence, drawing us into a deeper and more profound experience of authentic life. Catholic education is important to me because I am able to practice my faith and get an individualized education that will help prepare me for college and for real life. Catholic schools are an integral part of the Church and are Christ-centred communities based on gospel values. At least, the journey has been in large part a coherent mystery to me. And we know that students from less privileged backgrounds are more likely to attend college and to succeed if they attend a Catholic school. The Catholic School, # 80. 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. Young men and women graduating from Catholic schools and universities should have the keen understanding of being called as Christians to work for the common good and to do so through a life that is deeply rooted in Christ, combined with a vigorous desire to pursue the truth of things, to live through and with reality rather than merely being guided by constantly changing feelings and preferences. Later, during the 2015 Papal visit, Pope Francis showed the world exactly how he feels about Catholic education when he visited Our Lady Queen of Angels Elementary School in East Harlem, New York. I pursued my Ph.D. at Yale, where my area of study was Great Britain and Ireland in the 19th century. I thank you for your support for Catholic schools.Thank you for listening! Sr Mary Bernard Father OSF speaks about the importance of Catholic education on 14 September 2019 at the Knock Conferences. What is really being proposed by secularist movements is that the pupil should replace whatever god he believes in with the secular god. Instead, he found a deeper more satisfying and more authentic feeling of joy when he contemplated the lives of the Saints and the stories of the Gospels.So Ignatius decided he wanted to serve God, but also discovered that if he really wanted to be of any value, that he needed to be educated. Christ as a model – The goal of a Catholic education is to help children mature into Christ-like people. Christ-centred. Catholic Education is education with a purpose. "Parents who have the primary and inalienable right and duty to educate their children must enjoy true liberty in their choice of schools.". Catholic School Week is an annual celebration of Catholic education in the United States. Welcome to the Catholic Education website. If the teachers, administrators and families who are the foundation of our Catholic schools create a climate of hope, then all of their students will benefit regardless of whether they embrace religion knowingly and explicitly, or not.Our Catholic schools and Universities therefore, are more important to the vitality and strength of our nation than they have ever been. I was happy as a scholar and teacher at Georgetown, and yet there was a clear need for more Jesuits in administrative positions throughout the network of 28 Jesuit colleges and Universities in the United States, and Fordham at that time was emerging from a difficult period. I was certainly passionate about my area of study, history, and I thought I was suited to a life of study and scholarship and so I also wanted to pursue that. © 1996-2019 Catholic Education Resource Center | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Sitemap, CERC is an entirely reader-supported web site and non-profit charity. The kids, at least a lot of them, are not all right.We are not doing enough to bring the strands of our young people’s lives — their hearts and their heads — together in an integrated manner so they feel better about themselves and optimistic about the future.At Fairfield, we are very aware of this and have a number of programs in place where we address these issues. "The Purpose of Catholic Education and the Role of the State." Dr. Joseph Vorbach III, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Arlington, looks at the importance of Catholic education. The benefits of Catholic schools are clear. It is at this point that the primary importance of what we would call "virtue-oriented" formation becomes visible. 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. 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. The Church regards the dignity of the human person as the foundation of all the other principles and content of the Church's social doctrine (Compendium of the Social Doctrine [CSD], no. We know, for instance, that the achievement gap is smaller in Catholic schools than in public schools. They are all curious, full-of-life, and in various ways eager to learn. 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. Catholic schools, therefore, aspire to graduate students who will know that every person is made in God’s image and likeness and has value and that their education can help them contribute to the good of the larger community, not just themselves. Therefore, Religious Education in the Diocese of Cairns seeks to promote knowledge, deep understanding and skills about the Catholic and broader Christian tradition within the broader evangelising mission of the Church (Strategic Renewal Framework for Catholic Schooling, Archdiocese of Brisbane, 2012 – 2016). Obviously, more of their time is spent alone on the Internet, or socializing on Facebook and Twitter and so on.• In 2014, more than a quarter of college freshmen said that they did not identify with any specific religion — an all-time low.• According to a Higher Education Research Institute’s survey of 2009 college freshmen, almost 80 percent said being well-off financially was the reason they were attending college, the highest number of students responding in this manner since the poll began in 1966. Catholic schools and parents share “in the central mission of the Church, which is to proclaim Jesus and His Gospel in the world today and, in so doing, hand on our faith to our children” (Bishop Frederick Henry, Diocese of Calgary - Education Liaison, Alberta Conference of Catholic Bishops). from the University of Heidelberg in Germany with a specialization in European Law. He also studied philosophy at Franciscan University of Steubenville, USA. He is Chief Development Officer at the International Theological Institute, a private Catholic university near Vienna. In addition, he was the founding president of the Phoenix Institute Europe Foundation, an educational institution that aims to form young men and women in the classical and Judeo-Christian tradition.  Alting von Geusau lectures and publishes extensively in the areas of law, philosophy and education with a special interest in Christian identity and human dignity. He is married with five children and lives in Baden bei Wien. 133). Clearly too, the mission of Catholic schools creates a climate that has a positive impact on student achievement and wellbeing. The annual National Catholic Schools Week is underway. Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education, 1977. We develop communities in our residence halls that encourage reflection and help to form real human bonds of affection and respect; we engage in difficult conversations in the classroom and in the dormitories about religious faith — and the places where faith and reason intersect. I didn’t go to Catholic schools. Catholic Education The story of how important your support is to families who yearn for Catholic Education, but cannot afford it, is a story rooted in the Gospel. 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