Franciscan at Home

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 de congregaciones religiosas fundadas durante esa época, las cuales tenían a la enseñanza como objetivo apostólico principal. En parte esto también fue una respuesta al reto de la secularización que iba en aumento, la cual apuntaba a la exclusión, o por lo menos la marginalización, de la enseñanza de la religión en el proyecto que comenzaba a esbozarse de una educación universal obligatoria en las escuelas que operaba el estado. La Iglesia resistía vigorosamente este ataque contra la educación religiosa. El siguiente ejemplo australiano es representativo de los esfuerzos similares que se han llevado a cabo por todo el mundo, incluso en los Estados Unidos de América.

En su Consejo Provincial de 1862, los obispos australianos insistían sobre la naturaleza integrada de la educación católica y se negaron a aceptar la idea de que la educación religiosa fuera puesta en cuarentena, aislada del resto del plan global de estudios, sin la capacidad de influir en otras áreas temáticas:
"Los católicos no creemos que la educación de un niño sea como un objeto mecánico que pueda armarse pieza por pieza. Ahora un bocado de instrucción religiosa, y luego de instrucción seglar - como paquetes independientes. Sostenemos que la materia que se enseña, el profesor y su fe, las normas y las prácticas de la jornada escolar, todo esto se conjuga para producir el resultado que nosotros como Católicos consideramos como educación."

Es más, el Arzobispo Mons. Roger Vaughan de Sídney, el hombre reconocido por la organización del sistema de escuelas católicas australianas, insistía en que la escuela católica no sería exitosa si fuera simplemente un lugar de instrucción; tenía que ser un lugar de santidad. ¡Ahí está la clave! Siempre he comprendido que esto es el corazón de lo que un profesor de una escuela católica debe de estar haciendo: apuntando hacia una relación siempre más profunda con Cristo por medio de la Iglesia, y transmitiendo los frutos de esta búsqueda a sus estudiantes.

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 is reflected in the number of religious orders founded at this time, which had teaching as their main apostolic goal. In part, this was also a response to the rising challenge of secularization, which aimed to exclude, or at least to marginalize, the teaching of religion in the newly developing project of universal compulsory education in schools run by the state. This attack on religious education was vigorously resisted by the Church. The following Australian example is representative of similar efforts throughout the world, including the United States.

At their 1862 Provincial Council, the Australian bishops insisted on the integrated nature of Catholic education and refused to accept the notion that religious education could be quarantined from the overall educational curriculum, with no capacity to influence other subject areas:

"Catholics do not believe that the education of a child is like a thing of mechanism that can be put together bit by bit. Now a morsel of instruction on religion, and then of instruction in secular learning – separate parcels. We hold that the subject taught, the teacher and his faith, the rule and practices of the school day, all combine to produce the result which we Catholics consider to be education."

Moreover, Archbishop Roger Vaughan of Sydney, the man credited with organizing the Australian Catholic school system, insisted that a Catholic school would not be successful if it was simply a place of instruction; it needed to be a place of holiness. Therein was the key! It has always been my understanding that this lies at the very heart of what a teacher in a Catholic school is meant to be doing: striving for an ever deeper relationship with Christ through the Church, and passing on the fruits of this to the students.

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:

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 that partnership is the recently published document, The Joy of Adolescent Catechesis.

I was honored to be one of the primary writers along with Miriam Hidalgo, President of the Federation for Hispanic Catechesis. We had a writing team that represented people from across the country, various ethnicities, and different catechetical fields. Knowing that Latino young people are now the largest group of Catholic teenagers in the US, we were committed to making a document that was multi-cultural at its foundation, not just something that would be “translated” at the end.

The Joy of Adolescent Catechesis was written to inspire, educate, and challenge those who pass the faith on to young people. For those without a background in catechesis, it is hoped that this document could be an overview of the mission and goals of that ministry. For those more familiar with adolescent catechesis, the document endeavors to invigorate that ministry with a Christ-centered vision that empowers catechists to help young people to become missionary disciples.

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 with the pastor, the principal, the teachers, and all the staff. We all work together to help Sam and his fellow students get an education to encounter Jesus Christ. This is why Catholic schools exist: to provide students with an encounter with the living God through every aspect of the life of the school. In the process of creating this environment of encounter, all involved have the opportunity to grow.

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 from Mother Teresa (“do all things with great love”) and the Bible are displayed as well as the Ten Commandments. We have a prayer wall, which is a big, blank laminated sheet of poster paper on which students write their prayer intentions. Students often ask, “Ms. Eyth, can I add something to the prayer wall?” or “Will you pray for this special intention?”

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 to save you; and now he is living at your side every day to enlighten, strengthen and free you.[1]

The structure is disarmingly simple, and yet it allows us to touch on every important aspect of the Christian life. We are reminded that the foundation of all we do as Christians is the love of Christ. Before every program, prior to any inspirational conference, above all petty politics or personal clashes of any kind, we do what we do because Jesus Christ loves you. This finds its most powerful expression in what Christ did: he gave his life to save you. This is not some distant event that is no longer relevant, for Jesus is living at your side every day—made present mysteriously through the sacraments and made personal through our ongoing dialogue in prayer. Finally, there must be some element of struggle and personal transformation involved in this; for Christ stands by us for a good purpose: to enlighten, strengthen and free you. This is an incredibly powerful summary of what we are trying to pass on to those in our care, by living it out ourselves. It is so important that “all Christian formation consists of entering more deeply into the kerygma.”[2]

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 God will ask these educators to render an account of the souls entrusted to their care.

Pius XI, in his encyclical on Christian Education, declares: “Perfect schools are the result not so much of good methods as of good teachers, teachers who are thoroughly prepared and well-grounded in the matter they have to teach; who possess the intellectual and moral qualifications required by their important office; who cherish a pure and holy love for the youths confided to them, because they love Jesus Christ and his Church.”[i] All Catholic educators must be professional, competent, and set an example of prayer and virtuous living. They must seek to “practice what they preach” and thus give integrity to the Gospel message.

Yet while the aforementioned characteristics can and ought to be embodied by both religious and laity who teach in Catholic schools, there further exist traits that can only be personified in one or the other. Thus by virtue of their different vocations, laity and religious both bring something unique to the world at large and to the educational apostolate specifically.

Use the questions and comments on these two pages as a study guide of The Agony in the Garden by Mantegna.

Suggested uses: First Communion, First Confession, Lent, Exploring the Mass, Confirmation, RCIC

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?

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 only perform good acts but give the best of ourselves’ (CCC 1803). Therefore, we should all want to pursue this goal. However, developing the virtues is not something that we simply accomplish through our own will power. ‘Christ’s gift of salvation offers us the grace necessary to persevere in the pursuit of the virtues’ (CCC 1811). At the core of all virtue is love and actions are needed to express this love.

The theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity are infused along with sanctifying grace into the soul of the person at Baptism. These virtues are supernatural, meaning that they are above our nature. These virtues form the foundation of the Christian life because they bestow on us the capacity to live in a relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This relationship consists in acting as God’s children by believing in Him and everything that He has revealed to us; hoping in His promises because we can trust Jesus, who says, ‘He Who made the promise is trustworthy’ (Heb.9:23); and loving our neighbor because of our love for Christ.