Catholic Schools Week is a time for to celebrate all that Catholic education has to offer. Catholic schools are as inclusive as any other type of school. A Catholic education means giving a student the opportunity to learn about the Holy Scriptures. The result was a very painful period of convalescence. is: are the “kids really all right?”I am a member of the Society of Jesus, a religious order founded by St. Ignatius — a Jesuit — and in the great tradition of Jesuit personal narratives, my own journey into education has been one of unexpected twists that looks like a series of accidents, but is also one of mystery and coherence. This excerpt originally appeared as an Acton Commentary.  It is reprinted here with permission of the Acton Institute. 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. Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education, 1977. 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. "  However, arguably, more guidance has been given by the Church on this subject than on other controversial political matters.  This is largely, of course, because of the relationship between evangelization, education and the formation of the whole human person and because of the vital role of the family — and especially the parents chosen by God — in both formation and education. No, a good Catholic education educates the entire person, the mind with the heart, the soul with faith, and the person with the community. While the latter part will focus on its application to the 21st first century, to the world and its education … Catholic Education is education with a purpose. 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). Currently, Catholic schools are faced with the realization that the school’s sustainability, accessibility, and parental choice are being compromised. 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. Pope Benedict fittingly calls it the duty of the educator to be led by 'intellectual charity' which is inspired by the recognition that leading the young to truth is an act of love.  The relativistic mindset that reigns at most schools and universities, including many of those calling themselves Catholic, proclaiming that all truths are equal and the secular truth more equal than others, tells us that religion and education need to be separated because they have nothing to do with each other.  What is really being proposed by secularist movements is that the pupil should replace whatever god he believes in with the secular god.  Catholic educators however should be able to identify this ruse and know that the only proper way to educate is by providing a formation that centers on Christ alone.  It is the only way to enable the student to beat out a coherent path of life by being guided by the one and only God who created heaven and earth. 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. The Genesis creation stories make the point that everything Students are encouraged to recognize the presence of Christ in themselves and others. The religious formation of children begun at home is continued in Catholic school. “Developing a meaningful philosophy of life” which used to be the reason most students said they attended college, has dropped to its lowest reported level. 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. If you’ve appreciated, Christian Perspectives on the Financial Crash, Catholic Social Teaching and the Market Economy, CHRISTIAAN ALTING VON GEUSAU & PHILIP BOOTH. Education in the true sense — for Ignatius and I would say for all of us — is first and foremost a religious experience.The second critical point follows from the first: As Ignatius gathered members of the Society around him, he discovered that what they all needed was an education, and so the first Jesuits became teachers out of necessity. Clearly too, the mission of Catholic schools creates a climate that has a positive impact on student achievement and wellbeing. 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. 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. Our society as a whole benefits when our young people are formed within this framework of understanding. Christ-centred. 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. In order to bring these rights to fruition, the Church must have the space to pursue her mission by establishing schools to serve the faithful.  The Church has the right "freely to establish and to conduct schools of every type and level," the Second Vatican Council stated, and "the exercise of a right of this kind contributes in the highest degree to the protection of freedom of conscience, the rights of parents, as well as to the betterment of culture itself (GE, no. 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. 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. In this way, Catholic schools instill students with morals, virtues, self-discipline, and knowledge, preparing them to succeed in further education, seek holiness, and live meaningful lives. 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. (1) It is Sacramental To say that Catholic education is sacramental is to suggest that there is nothing that is only secular. At school, praying and worshiping with my friends has always been natural to me, as we feel more like a family than just classmates. But I also think that we have to acknowledge that the cultural conditions at the moment mean that many of our young people come to University needing a great deal of assistance from us.Here are few thoughts to consider:• According to a recent major study by UCLA involving 227 colleges and universities, more than half of college students say they have experienced “overwhelming anxiety” in the past year. "Parents who have the primary and inalienable right and duty to educate their children must enjoy true liberty in their choice of schools.". 160).  Because of the dignity of each human person from the moment of conception "the social order and its development must invariably work to the benefit of the human person, since the order of things is to be subordinate to the order of persons and not the other way round" (Gaudium et spes, no. We know that math scores are higher. Sr Mary Bernard Father OSF speaks about the importance of Catholic education on 14 September 2019 at the Knock Conferences. I think it is the role of Jesuit University to be a place where the Church is in dialogue with the broader culture; where people of all religious faiths can practice and deepen their faith openly, while engaging with the world as it is, in all its complexity. 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. “The Catholic school’s proper function is to create for the school community a special atmosphere animated by the Gospel spirit of freedom and charity, to help youth grow according to the new creatures they were made through baptism as they develop their own personalities, and finally to order the whole of human culture to the news of salvation so that the knowledge the students … The benefits of Catholic schools are clear. Fairfield seemed like a very natural fit for me, having grown up on Long Island — which, incidentally, I can see from my office window at Fairfield, a strip of green and sand just across Long Island Sound.That’s my story. Welcome to the Catholic Education website. and Philip Booth. And even today there are over 200 Jesuit universities and colleges all over the world, and countless Jesuit high schools.What Ignatius had come to understand — through his own deeply personal experience — was that education was the way that God opened us up to our innate potential. This is the reason why Catholic schools make a great deal of effort to make the school environment as “Gun-free zones” or “Drug-free zones” as possible. It is not reduced to a specific time or to a particular activity: it is present in the entire educational mission of the school or university, in such a way that the student acquires a true synthesis of faith, culture and life,” he said. But throughout this own life and work he always asked himself what “more” could be done to “help souls,” as he would put it; what “more” could he do in service of the greater glory of God. And in turn, it is through education — the formation and instruction and guidance we receive in our schooling — that we discover our potential, and are thereby enabled to engage with the world as agents of positive social change, serving our fellow men and women through our gifts.Now as a University President in a Catholic and Jesuit institution I am particularly aware of my duties and obligations to carry on this mission, and so I am also therefore aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the young men and women who enroll every year, and for whom I have responsibility.They are all wonderful — truly they are. Now, about half of college freshmen say they spend about 5 hours a week with friends. 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. But, while the Church institutionally must have the right to establish schools, the freedom to educate children ultimately belongs to parents:  "Parents who have the primary and inalienable right and duty to educate their children must enjoy true liberty in their choice of schools" (GE, 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. They have been entrusted with the fullness of faith and have been charged with the mission of evangelization. I went to public schools on Long Island, and got a great education, and then I went to Princeton — and it was in that traditionally Protestant institution that I found myself asking whether I had a vocation. At least, the journey has been in large part a coherent mystery to me. I thank you for your support for Catholic schools.Thank you for listening! 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. God for Ignatius was the Great Educator —always drawing us forward, deepening our understanding, forming and developing our gifts and talents. What he discovered was that the romantic and chivalric books and stories he once found so enticing no longer filled him with pleasure. Our young people don’t even have to share our faith in the structure and aspirations of a Catholic school to benefit from its impact! Learning about the religion and cultures of those who do not share the Catholic faith is Sponsored by the National Catholic Educational Association, schools observe the week with Masses, open houses, and other activities for students, families, parishioners and community members. And it was while he was recovering from his wounds that Ignatius had his conversion. 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. 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. That is double the average tenure of a University President these days! I think probably all of us in the room this morning have felt that interior call toward the more, the magis, at various moments in our lives — an inclination to take a leap into the unknown, driven by some interior sense that our lives will be the richer for it.So that was my leap to administration at Fordham, and then after six years as Dean of Fordham College, the Board of Trustees at Fairfield – I’d been on the Board for two years – asked me to take over from Fr. 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 — whether secular or religious — 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. In other words, education became the mission of the Society of Jesus because Ignatius understood from his own experience that educated people would be naturally inclined to serve and to improve the lives of their neighbors. This does imply that, if there is insufficient support from a family's own means or from charity or the Church to provide all children with a basic education, then government funds could be used for this purpose.  However, we are warned that this should not be seen merely as a right to a secular education (Gravissimum Educationis [GE], no. Loading ... Pope Francis: You cannot speak of Catholic education without speaking about humanity - … Notice the principal purpose of Catholic education is to form disciples — people who know Christ, follow Christ and make him known. 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. 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. Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education, 1977. Teaching about other religions is important for several reasons: 1. 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. It is at this point that the primary importance of what we would call "virtue-oriented" formation becomes visible. Catholic schools are an integral part of the Church and are Christ-centred communities based on gospel values. I’m sure all of you are aware of what a remarkable job our Catholic schools are doing —despite facing difficult financial and cultural challenges. These objectives are:  to provide an environment in which students are enabled to build and deepen their relationship with God;  to foster an academic culture aimed at the pursuit of truth;  and to actively promote growth in virtue. One in ten said they felt depressed, the lowest overall emotional health score since the survey began.• Back in the 1980s, about half of high school seniors reported spending about 40 hours a week hanging out with friends. My subsequent formation as a Jesuit ran parallel to my path in higher education. Rev. It was the foundation for what would become the largest network of educational institutions in the world — spanning the globe, and including Asia, Europe, and South America. 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? Excerpted from Catholic Education in the West:  Roots, Reality and Revival (2013) by Christiaan Alting von Geusau and Philip Booth, the latest volume in Acton's Christian Social Thought Series. Jeffrey P. von Arx, S.J., President of Fairfield University, An address on the occasion of the Archbishop of Hartford’s St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast, March 17, 2016. 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. But at the same time I became aware of a desire to be fully taken up in a great project, a project bigger than my own desires and ambitions — and I felt that perhaps the Society of Jesus would be a good fit for me. 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). They are successful precisely because by their mission and foundation they are dedicated to human flourishing, and they hold as a promise in every dimension of their activities the conviction that each human life has a unique destiny in the eyes of God. It emphasises the centrality of Jesus Christ in the Catholic school and invites schools to provide for children and young people “structured opportunities of encounter with Jesus”. 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