deepening the catholic identity of schools: education from · transformed course of history! ... a...
TRANSCRIPT
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 [email protected]
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