En 1977, comencé mi carrera como docente en una escuela católica, y de una manera u otra, he estado activo en esta vocación, durante toda mi vida adulta. En cuanto a mi herencia, tengo predecesores inspiradores quienes se empeñaron por establecer un sistema educativo católico en mi país, Australia. Parece que para la Iglesia Católica a lo largo del siglo XIX, una de las labores principales de la evangelización enfocó el establecimiento de escuelas católicas. La estrategia fue la transmisión de la fe situándola en el contexto de una visión educativa global. Esta prioridad se ve reflejada en el número... Read more
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Articles Under: Catholic Schools
In 1977, I began my work as a teacher in a Catholic school, and I have been involved with this vocation, in one way or another, for the whole of my adult life. For my heritage, I had inspiring predecessors who had worked hard to establish a Catholic educational system in my country of Australia. It seems that a major effort of evangelization for the Catholic Church throughout the nineteenth century was focused on the establishment of Catholic schools. The strategy was to pass on the faith by situating it in the context of an overall educational vision. This priority... Read more
In Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis speaks of two necessary “arts” for evangelization: the “art of accompaniment” and the “art of listening.” The Holy Father stresses that these intrinsically linked arts should mainly focus on the persons being evangelized, by truly seeking to know them and binding ourselves to walk with them wherever they are at in life: The Church will have to initiate everyone – priests, religious and laity – into this “art of accompaniment” … The pace of this accompaniment must be steady and reassuring, reflecting our closeness and our compassionate gaze which also heals, liberates and encourages growth... Read more
Catholic school teachers, parish catechists, and coordinators of youth ministry (to name a few) are all concerned with catechizing teenagers. Unfortunately, these ministries often are not coordinated with each other. Ten years ago, leadership from the National Catholic Educational Association, the National Conference of Catechetical Leadership, and the National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministry, with representation from the USCCB, came together to form the Partnership for Adolescent Catechesis (PAC). One of the goals of this group was to create a shared vision and language for all of those who are involved catechizing adolescents, regardless of the setting. The fruit of... Read more
In a Catholic school everyone works together and grows together, united by a common mission to form young people in faith and knowledge for success in this life and the next. Catholic educators are more than just instructors; they are servant leaders and catechists who echo the faith. But the students are not the only ones growing; teachers grow together with their students, and, in turn, Catholic schools grow. As an example in this article, I will refer to the experience of my son, Sam, who goes to a Catholic school. As parents, my wife and I form a partnership... Read more
As a Catholic school teacher, I know how important it is that we know Jesus not only in our minds but in our hearts too; so we need to spend time with him every day. This article offers a little introduction on how I turn my sixth grade classroom into a school of prayer. Creating a Sacred Space Immediately visible when walking into the classroom is a picture of Jesus smiling and a holy water font. The classroom is filled with images—a statue of Mary, Jesus on the cross, and prayer posters. Rosaries are always available to the students. Quotes... Read more
No one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely Jesus Christ. ( 1 Cor. 3:11) Introduction: The Kerygma The election of Pope Francis has brought with it a renewed focus on the attractiveness of the Christian message. There are already two magisterial documents from this pope’s hand offering insights into his vision for catechesis. Perhaps the best known of his observations can be found in Evangelii Gaudium , where he has drawn attention to the fundamental bedrock of what we ought to be passing on—the Kerygma : Jesus Christ loves you; he gave his life... Read more
The Complementarity of Religious and Lay Educators in the Catholic School The education of the young, particularly in matters of faith and morals, is not merely a career but rather a calling. St. John Baptist de la Salle, founder of the Christian Brothers, in his Meditations on Christian Education , declared that those who teach the young are “cooperators with Christ in the salvation of souls.” Theirs is a task that must not be taken lightly. It requires much zeal and vigilance, indeed being “ambassadors for Christ” and “guardian angels” for their students, for on the Judgment Day the Lord... Read more
To view the artwork on a smartboard click here. Use the questions and comments on these two pages as a study guide of The Agony in the Garden by Mantegna. 1. Find the three groups of people (and angels) and describe what they are doing. What are the Angels doing? What are the Apostles doing? What are the Roman soldiers doing? 2. Jesus is in agony. If you were there, would you be happy to be in one of these groups or would you want to be doing something different? 3. Jesus is praying. Do you know what Jesus is... Read more
Why do we need to develop the virtues? Arguably, the cornerstone of the moral life is the theological and the cardinal virtues. Each of us can recognize that our human nature is wounded due to the effects of Original Sin because we experience every day that it is very difficult to maintain a moral balance in our lives. We know that we must combat, above all, the selfishness and pride which hinders the perfect love for God and our neighbour to which we are called. Living virtuous lives helps us to live in true peace and joy, because we ‘not... Read more