Now, more than in the past, teachers and administrators must often encourage parental participation in the school's mission and life. In the United States, various accrediting agencies monitor the institutional effectiveness of schools' educational activities. The endeavor to interweave reason and faith, which has become the heart of individual subjects, makes for unity, articulation, and coordination, bringing forth within what is learned in a school a Christian vision of the world, of life, of culture, and of history. Unfortunately, far too many in government, business, the media, and even the educational establishment perceive education to be merely an instrument for the acquisition of information that will improve the chances of worldly success and a more comfortable standard of living. © 1996-2019 Catholic Education Resource Center | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Sitemap, CERC is an entirely reader-supported web site and non-profit charity. During the upcoming school year, we invite you and your child(ren) to One; Holy; Catholic; Apostolic; Precepts of the Church. Baptism, the rite of becoming a Christian, is necessary for salvation — whether […] Non-Catholic students are required to actively participate in religion classes, religious celebrations, and liturgies while attending St. Mark. Impart the story of St. Mark Catholic School is committed to educating the whole child academically, spiritually, and physically. Schools prepare students to relate the Catholic faith to their particular culture and to live that faith in practice. What steps is it taking to foster its catholicity? He offered the following five benchmarks of a Catholic education as the essence of Vatican teaching on education. The prophetic words of Pope Paul VI ring as true today as they did more than thirty years ago: "Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses." 2. Elsewhere the bishops also affirmed, "While some situations might entail compelling reasons for members of another faith tradition to teach in a Catholic school, as much as possible, all teachers in a Catholic school should be practicing Catholics.". vision . It is Catholic because it provides an education in the intellectual and moral virtues. Ensuring their genuinely Catholic identity is the Church's greatest educational challenge. Discovery and awareness of truth leads man to the discovery of Truth itself. Catholic families serve that goal by being schools of love where we learn how to love God and each other with our whole hearts, minds, souls and strength (see Lk 10:27; Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. But the mission must never be lost sight of: the educator can never forget that students need a companion and guide during their period of growth; they need help from others in order to overcome doubts and disorientation. The pastor is fully engaged in promoting the school—its mission, its brand, its successes and the value of the education. Here are five marks that all the best Catholic schools share and what you should look for when you find one for your kids. animated by communion and community. An integral education aims to develop gradually every capability of every student: his or her intellectual, physical, psychological, moral, and religious capacities. The sacraments of the Eucharist and Reconciliation in particular should mark the rhythm of a Catholic school's life. For example, if teachers and administrators demonstrate the individualistic and competitive ethic that now marks so much public education, they will fail to inspire students with the values of solidarity and community, even if they praise those values verbally. Unfortunately no. 13:1). on Christian anthropology. 1. Catholic schools are obligated to evangelize simply because that is the core and mission of the Catholic Church, according to Thomas Burnford, president and CEO of the NCEA. "The apostles told the good news of Jesus Christ, and Catholic schools are an essential and integral ministry of the Catholic Church," he told Catholic News Service. About the Essentials of the Catholic Faith T is a short program that introduces the participant to the teachings of Christ for the purpose of knowing and following Jesus more deeply. Authorstevevirgadamo. If done properly, our children will become good citizens of the world by loving God and neighbor and proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ during his or her journey toward sainthood. . The Catholic philosophy of education has always paid special attention to the quality of interpersonal relations in the school community, especially those between teachers and students. Although Vatican documents on education do not cover lesson planning, the order of teaching various subjects, or the relative merit of different pedagogical methods, the Holy See does provide guidelines meant to inspire the content of the curriculum. Catholic educators must be good examples in their Christian life. To be sure, "education in the faith is a part of the finality of a Catholic school." Meet local business professionals in the Fort Wayne - South Bend area. Quite simply, accreditors ask: How do you know that you are achieving what you say you are? Most importantly, the Christian life is a call to intimate communion (see Jn 17:21). He is "the foundation of the whole educational enterprise in a Catholic school," and the principles of his gospel are its guiding educational norms: In a Catholic school, everyone should be aware of the living presence of Jesus the "Master" who, today as always, is with us in our journey through life as the one genuine "Teacher," the perfect Man in whom all human values find their fullest perfection. Catholic schools do far more than convey information to passive students. Catholic education is "intentionally directed to the growth of the whole person." • The Catholic school climate, mission, and purpose positively impact student achievement and attendance. Educators, administrators, parents, and bishops guide the school to make choices that promote "overcoming individualistic self-promotion, solidarity instead of competition, assisting the weak instead of marginalization, responsible participation instead of indifference.". The five marks of an authentically Catholic school are being inspired by a supernatural vision, founded on Christian anthropology, animated by communion and community, imbued with a Catholic worldview and sustained by Gospel witness. The Church is a holy institution made up of sinners. Here are the five marks that give a school a good Catholic identity: Post meta. This includes an adequate physical plant and adequate equipment. 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. imbued with a Catholic worldview throughout its curriculum. Unwavering commitment to truth is at home in an authentically Catholic school. The pastor must be an advocate of the school and be proactive in speaking to everything that the school has to offer. Non-Catholic students are required to actively participate in religion classes, religious celebrations, and liturgies while attending St. Mark. While this is the most natural essential mark to understand, it is the hardest to fulfill. Even though consecrated men and women are now few in the schools, the witness of their collaboration with the laity enriches the ecclesial value of educational communities. A primary way of helping Catholic students become more committed to their faith is by providing solid religious instruction. Familiarity will make a personal relationship easier, but a certain distance is also needed. Here are the five marks that give a school a good Catholic identity: Post meta. Please join me in prayers of gratitude for our bishop, pastors, parents, administrators, teachers and staff, who ensure that these five marks are brought to life in our Catholic schools by their daily witness. 4 • A faith-based orientation builds coherence and integration of schools and school community. Nevertheless, this conviction, in its very simplicity, can sometimes be overlooked. Five Essential Marks of Catholic Schools by ARCHBISHOP J. MICHAEL MILLER, CSB A Comparison of 2 Sixth Grade Texts: Ignatius Press – Faith and Life Series: “Following Christ” & William H. Sadlier – Coming to Faith Series: “Coming to Gods Word” Know teaching, learning, and best practices. New teachers come into a school fired up to teach and innovate. 3. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains, “These four characteristics, inseparably linked with each other, indicate essential features of the Church and her mission. On June 29, 1975, Pope Paul VI ordained him a priest, and on November 23, 2003 Pope John Paul II appointed him titular Archbishop of Vertara, Secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education and Vice President of the Pontifical Work of Priestly Vocations. To fulfill their responsibility of speaking about the Father, educators in Catholic schools, with very few exceptions, should be practicing Catholics who are committed to the Church and living her sacramental life. This vigilance includes even schools established or directed by members of religious institutes. Five Essential Marks of a Catholic School. Many feel that they can make a difference. Consequently the Holy See's documents pay a great deal of attention to the vocation of teachers and their participation in the Church's evangelizing mission. A Catholic school should be: inspired . The Congregation for Catholic Education has written that "the Catholic school tries to create within its walls a climate in which the pupil's faith will gradually mature and enable him to assume the responsibility placed on him by Baptism.". Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. This concern ensures that the student is seen as a person whose intellectual growth is harmonized with spiritual, religious, emotional, and social growth. To provide students with an integral education two principles must be followed. First, the bishop must integrate schools into his diocese's pastoral program; and, second, he must oversee the teaching within them. The Holy See’s Teaching on Catholic Schools Archbishop J. Michael Miller, C.S.B., 2005 . Indeed, "it depends chiefly on them whether the Catholic school achieves its purpose." A learning atmosphere that encourages the befriending of students is far removed from the caricature of the remote disciplinarian cherished by the media. It is he who, through his Incarnation, is united with each student. Central to the Catholic school is its mission of holiness, of saint-making. We can accomplish this by living up to the example set by Jesus Christ as a teacher and servant. While their demands are high, perhaps sometimes even unreasonably so, if teachers fail to model fidelity to the truth and virtuous behavior, then even the best of curricula cannot successfully embody a Catholic school's distinctive ethos. Catholic educators, Archbishop Miller said, must be committed to the teachings of the Church and living a sacramental life whether or not they are Catholics. Catholic schools are obligated to evangelize simply because that is the core and mission of the Catholic Church, according to Thomas Burnford, president and CEO of the NCEA. This means that educators should develop a willingness to collaborate among themselves. Such a partnership is directed not just toward dealing with academic problems but also toward planning and evaluating the effectiveness of the school's mission. Fr. . The educational philosophy that guides Catholic schools also seeks to ensure that they are places where "faith, culture, and life are brought into harmony." Schools must seek the integration of culture with faith and faith in living. As John Paul II straightforwardly affirmed, "Bishops need to support and enhance the work of Catholic schools.". As "experts in communion" because of their experience in community life, religious foster those "human and spiritual bonds that promote the mutual exchange of gifts" with all others involved in the school. This knowledge-based quality is especially important for Catholic schools … Because of the gospel's guiding role in a Catholic school, one might be tempted to think that the school's distinctiveness lies only in the quality of its religious instruction, catechesis, and pastoral activities. When such a policy is ignored, it is inevitable that children will absorb, even if they are not explicitly taught, a soft indifferentism that will sustain neither their practice of the faith nor their ability to imbue society with Christian values. Inspired by a Supernatural Vision Catholic education is all about providing young men and women with a solid foundation to help them become good citizens of the communities and the world. Archbishop Miller is a specialist on the papacy and modern papal teaching, he has published seven books and more than 100 articles, scholarly, popular and journalistic. In the words of a recent Vatican document: Consecrated persons are thus leaven that is able to create relations of increasingly deep communion that are themselves educational. The pastor is fully engaged in promoting the school—its mission, its brand, its successes and the value of the education. The five marks of an authentically Catholic school are: being inspired by a supernatural vision, founded on Christian anthropology, imbued with a Catholic worldview, sustained by Gospel witness and animated by communion and community. The inspiration of Jesus must be translated from the ideal into the real. Christ is not an afterthought or an add-on to Catholic educational philosophy; he is the center and fulcrum of the entire enterprise, the light enlightening every boy and girl who comes into a Catholic school (cf. It has to do with entering the kingdom of God. Indeed, "only the bishop can set the tone, ensure the priority, and effectively present the importance of the cause to the Catholic people." His responsibility for Catholic schools derives from the munus docendi, the office of teaching, he received at ordination. Five Essential Marks of Catholic Schools. Catholic schools with educators sustained by Gospel witness are places of faith. All this says nothing more than the words from the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, so frequently quoted by Pope John Paul II: "It is only in the mystery of the Word made flesh that the mystery of man truly becomes clear. The theme for Catholic Schools Week is Learn, Serve, Lead, and Succeed, as represented by the logo. St. Mark Catholic School is committed to educating the whole child academically, spiritually, and physically. 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