What makes education Catholic? It’s a worthy question that many of us—bishops, priests, and laypeople, especially Catholic school parents and students—should think about and answer. The question is not merely about delving into the reasons for sending children to Catholic school but rather understanding the foundation and the vision of faith-based education.
Thomas H. Groome, a senior professor of theology and religious education at Boston College, responds to this question in his new book, What Makes Education Catholic, Spiritual Foundations by Orbis Books.
The book is another masterpiece by Thomas Groome, who is well-known and respected for decades in the theological and religious education circle. In her review of this work, Melodie Wyttenbach, Ph.D. of Boston College, says it weaves together the author’s mastery of storytelling and deep theological wisdom. “Groome’s impressive scholarship leads readers to understand not only what Catholic education is, but its value for our complex world,” she states.
Melodie Wyttenbach is right. As I read the first few chapters of the book, I could not help but become impressed and inspired by Groome’s insights, especially in this day and age when many parishes and dioceses struggle to keep their Catholic schools open.
In particular, his question regarding the heart of faith-based education intrigues me. He writes:
Ask any Christian what is the heart of their faith and Protestants are more likely to say “the Bible” and Catholics “the church.” The Bible, the church, and then the creeds and commandments, the sacraments and symbols, the values and virtues, and so on are all constructive of Christian faith. Yet, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church well summarizes: “At the heart…we find a Person, the Person of Jesus of Nazareth, the only Son of the Father (426). By the same logic, the “heart” of Christian faith should be the “heart” of Catholic education.
My friends, there is the basis of the vision and mission of Catholic education: the Person of Christ and all the values he taught and lived. We present the Person of Christ and his teachings to Catholic students and those of other faith, hoping that we influence their minds and hearts and engage their souls.
Alluding to some existential and philosophical thoughts, Groome contends that Catholic education’s mission is to lean them “into a gracious Transcendent Horizon of meaning, purpose and values” and offer them “heightened hope for life lived well and for the common good of all.” But, of course, these thoughts are grounded in the teachings, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, as Groome explains:
By simple logic, Catholic schools are to reflect the deep values, truths, and wisdom of this faith tradition as they pertain to the practice of education. Because so shaped by faith, we can say that the foundations of Catholic education are spiritual more than philosophical, arising more from faith than reason (though the latter is a critical partner).
In light of our celebration of Catholic School Week these past days, join me in praying for our Catholic schools’ health and success, including Incarnation Catholic School. May they become means of cultivating the hearts and minds of our young people patterned after the heart and mind of Christ. In that way, they too would become “fishers” of men and women.
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The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
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Fr. Rodel “Odey” Balagtas is the pastor of Incarnation Church in Glendale, California.