TMRE7252 · Theology and Ministry

What Makes Education Catholic?

Clough School of Theology and Ministry

When a school presents itself to the world as offering Catholic education, it signals, at a minimum, that it is committed to educating from and for faith. It is to educate from deep spiritual convictions that are core to Catholicism and for a Transcendent as well as an immanent perspective on life, preparing students to live well into an Ultimate Horizon God as revealed in Jesus Christ. What does this ask of the curriculum of a Catholic school, of its faculty and administrators? We once took for granted our response to such questions, for example when 95% of faculty and staff were vowed religious and all students were decidedly Catholic. That era has passed, bringing new challenges and opportunities. Note, for example, the growing number of students from other or no faith tradition attending, likewise an often diverse faculty and staff, and many Catholic students who are more cultural than affiliated in their faith. This changed reality, coupled with the secular and postmodern culture of our time, offers new opportunity for a fresh address of what makes education Catholic.