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To Teach
as Jesus Did

November 1972

National Conference of

Catholic Bishops





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TO TEACH AS JESUS DID
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A Pastoral Message on

Catholic Education

NATIONAL CONFERENCE

OF

CATHOLIC BISHOPS

November, 1972

1973

Publications Office

UNITED STATES CATHOLIC CONFERENCE

1312 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20005



Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2016

https://archive.org/details/toteachasjesusdicath



Contents

Preface 1

I. To Teach as Jesus Did 3

Message 5

Community 6

Service 8

II. A World in Transition: Faith and Technology 10

III. Giving Form to the Vision 12

1. The Educational Ministry to Adults 12

Adult Education 12

Adult Religious Education 13

Education for Family Life 13

Parents as Educators 14

Adult Education and Social Problems 17

Higher Education 17

Campus Ministry 18

Catholic Colleges and Universities 20

Theology and the Catholic University 21

2. The Educational Ministry to Youth 22

Religious Education Outside the Catholic School 23

Doctrine, Community and Service . 24

Problems and Policies 25

Guidelines for the Future 25

Catholic Schools 28

Doctrine, Community and Service 28

The Crisis of Catholic Schools 31

Action Needed Now 33

Catholic Schools Called to Reorganization . . 34

Youth Ministry 35

IV. Planning the Educational Mission 38

An Invitation to Cooperation 39

V. A Ministry of Hope 42

Study Questions 43

Index 49





TO TEACH AS JESUS DID

A Pastoral Message on

Catholic Education

Preface

1 This pastoral message is the product of wide consultation

involving many individuals and groups. It reflects a painstaking

effort to obtain the views of persons from a variety of back-

grounds and interests—priests, religious men and women, lay
people, professional educators at all levels of education, parents,

students. Much of this consultation took place at the national

level but even more occurred at the local diocesan level, where

bishops sought out the views of the people regarding various

drafts of the document. While, in the last analysis, the pastoral

represents the views of the American bishops and only they are

responsible for what it says, grateful recognition is due the indis-

pensable contributions of all those who participated in the col-

laborative effort involved in its preparation, itself in many ways a

model of the shared responsibility for educational ministry which

the document envisions and warmly recommends.

2 The pastoral is also written against the background of the

Second Vatican Council's Declaration on Christian Education

which requested national hierarchies to issue detailed statements

on the educational ministry considered in the context of the

Church and society in their own countries.

3 The pastoral's scope is broad but not all-encompassing. A

virtually endless catalogue of programs, institutions, and activities

could be gathered together under the rubric of "education." It

was therefore necessary to employ some principles of exclusion

to avoid producing a treatise of excessive length and, perhaps,

1



superficiality. This document is concerned in the main with those

agencies and instruments under Church sponsorship which are

commonly recognized as "educational" by professional and lay-

man alike and through which a deliberate and systematic effort

is made to achieve what are commonly recognized as "educa-

tional" objectives. This is not to discount the educational/for-

mational role played by communications media, liturgy—indeed
one of the most powerful and appropriate educative instruments

at the disposal of the Church—and countless other familial, social,
and pastoral efforts, but only to state that they could not be con-

sidered in depth in this particular document. In addition, some

extremely important educational programs are not treated here

because they have already received detailed attention by the

bishops elsewhere (e.g., the education of priests, which is the

subject of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops' recently

published Program of Priestly Formation).

4 As the concluding section of this document states, the pastoral

is not to be regarded as the "final word" on its subject on either

the theoretical or practical level. It will serve a useful purpose

if it proves a catalyst for efforts to deal realistically with problems

of polarization and of confusion now confronting the educational

ministry. Thus one hopes that the ideas it contains will be studied

closely, criticized intelligently, and, where possible, implemented

successfully. In the years ahead American Catholics should con-

tinue to articulate and implement their commitment to the edu-

cational ministry in ways suited to their times and circumstances.

Within both the Christian community and the educational min-

istry the mission to teach as Jesus did is a dynamic mandate for

Christians of all times, places, and conditions.

2



I. TO TEACH AS JESUS DID

5 "Lord/' said Thomas , "we do not know where you are

going. How can we know the way?" Jesus told him:

"I am the way
,
and the truth

,
and the life ; no one comes

to the Father but through me. If you really knew me ,

you would know my Father also. From this point on

you know him; you have seen him." (John, 14:5-7)

6 Proclaiming the Gospel is a perennial task and joy for the

Church of Jesus Christ. Rarely if ever has it been more pressing

a need, more urgent a duty, and more ennobling a vocation than

in these times when mankind stands poised between unprece-

dented fulfillment and equally unprecedented calamity.

7 Catholic education is an expression of the mission entrusted

by Jesus to the Church He founded. Through education the

Church seeks to prepare its members to proclaim the Good

News and to translate this proclamation into action. Since the

Christian vocation is a call to transform oneself and society with

God's help, the educational efforts of the Church must encompass

the twin purposes of personal sanctification and social reform in

light of Christian values.

8 Thus one crucial measure of the success or failure of the edu-

cational ministry is how well it enables men to hear the message

of hope contained in the Gospel, to base their love and service

of God upon this message, to achieve a vital personal relationship

with Christ, and to share the Gospel's realistic view of the human

condition which recognizes the fact of evil and personal sin while

affirming hope.

9 Christian hope is of special importance today when many

people express a naive optimism which fails to admit the reality

and effects of sin upon the individual and society, and when many

others, fully aware of evil in themselves and society, are tempted

to indulge in crippling despair. In face of these two attitudes the

Church can make a unique contribution by preaching the Gospel

of hope. The Gospel proclaims the dignity and freedom of each

person and gives assurance that men are right to hope for per-

sonal salvation and for the ultimate conquest of sin, isolation,

injustice, privation and death because these evils have already

been conquered in the person of Jesus Christ.

3



10 The success of the Church's educational mission will also be

judged by how well it helps the Catholic community to see the

dignity of human life with the vision of Jesus and involve itself

in the search for solutions to the pressing problems of society.

Christians are obliged to seek justice and peace in the world.

Catholics individually and collectively should join wherever pos-

sible with all persons of good will in the effort to solve social

problems in ways which consistently reflect Gospel values.

11 Since special knowledge and skills are needed for the effec-

tive pursuit of justice and peace, Christian education is basic to

the effort to fulfill the demands of the Gospel in many different

communities: family, church, neighborhood, working world, civic

arena, international scene. To discern the practical demands of

justice is often difficult. Yet Christians must be prepared to per-

form these difficult tasks of discernment; social needs "must in

the years to come take first place among (their) preoccupations."

(Pope Paul VI, A Call to Action
, 7)

12 The Church is an instrument of salvation and a sign of Christ

in the world today. His mission is the Church's mission; His

message is the Church's message. Jesus was sent to reveal the

deepest truth about God and at the same time reveal "man to

himself and make his supreme calling clear." (The Church Today
,

22) He commissioned His Church to do the same; to teach men

and women about God and themselves, to foster their love of

God and one another.

13 Education is one of the most important ways by which the

Church fulfills its commitment to the dignity of the person and

the building of community. Community is central to educational

ministry both as a necessary condition and an ardently desired

goal. The educational efforts of the Church must therefore be

directed to forming persons-in-community; for the education of

the individual Christian is important not only to his solitary des-

tiny but also to the destinies of the many communities in which

he lives.

14 The educational mission of the Church is an integrated min-

istry embracing three interlocking dimensions: the message re-

vealed by God (didache

)

which the Church proclaims; fellowship

in the life of the Holy Spirit (koinonia); service to the Christian

community and the entire human community (diakonia). While

4



these three essential elements can be separated for the sake of

analysis, they are joined in the one educational ministry. Each

educational program or institution under Church sponsorship is

obliged to contribute in its own way to the realization of the

threefold purpose within the total educational ministry. Other

conceptual frameworks can also be employed to present and

analyze the Church's educational mission, but this one has several

advantages: it corresponds to a long tradition and also meets

exceptionally well the educational needs and aspirations of men

and women in our times.

MESSAGE

15 "For I have not spoken on my own; no , the Father who

sent me has commanded me what to say and how to

speak. Since I know that his commandment means

eternal life
,
whatever I say is spoken just as he instructed

me." (John , 12:49-50)

16 Revelation is the act by which God unfolds to mankind the

mystery of Himself and His plan for salvation. In Jesus, the Son

of God, the message of the Old Law was fulfilled and the fullness

of God's message was communicated. At the time of the Apostles

the message of salvation was completed, and we therefore "await

no further new public revelation before the glorious manifesta-

tion of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Divine Revelation , 4) It is this

message, this doctrine, which the Church is called to proclaim

authentically and fully.

17 This does not preclude development in doctrine, properly

understood, or change in the forms in which it is expressed. The

tradition handed on by the Apostles is a "living tradition" through

which God continues His conversation with His people. God

"still secretly directs, through the Holy Spirit, in sacred tradition,

by the light and sense of the faith, the Church, His bride, and

speaks with her, so that the People of God, under the leadership

of the magisterium, may attain a fuller understanding of revela-

tion."
(
General Catechetical Directory

, 13) There is, then, a

growth in understanding of the message which has been handed

down.
(
Divine Revelation

, 8)

18 In proclaiming all things which His Father commanded Him

to reveal, Jesus used images from the lives of His hearers and

5



spoke in the idiom of His day. The Church, too, must use con-

temporary methods and language to proclaim the message of

Christ to men and women today. The proclamation of the mes-

sage is therefore "not a mere repetition of ancient doctrine."

(General Catechetical Directory
, 13) Furthermore, within the

fundamental unity of the faith, there is room for a plurality of

cultural differences, forms of expression, and theological views.

But what is taught and how it is expressed are subject to the

magisterium, the teaching authority of the Church, as guarantor

of authenticity.

19 The teaching Church calls upon each of us to have an active

faith in God and His revealed truth. Under the influence of the

Holy Spirit, man gives total adherence to God revealing Himself.

Faith involves intellectual acceptance but also much more.

Through faith men have a new vision of God, the world, and

themselves. They must not only accept the Christian message

but act on it, witnessing as individuals and a community to all

that Jesus said and did. Catechesis thus "gives clarity and vigor

to faith, nourishes a life lived according to the spirit of Christ,

leads to a knowing and active participation in the liturgical mys-

tery, and inspires apostolic action." (Christian Education
, 4)

20 In sum, doctrine is not merely a matter for the intellect, but

is the basis for a way of life as envisioned by St. Paul: "Let us

profess the truth in love and grow to the full maturity of Christ

the head." (Ephesians, 4:15)

COMMUNITY

21 "I give you a new commandment: Love one another.

Such as my love has been for you
,
so must your love be

for each other. This is how all will know you for my

disciples: your love for one another." (John, 13:34-35)

22 As God's plan unfolds in the life of an individual Christian,

he grows in awareness that, as a child of God, he does not live

in isolation from others. From the moment of Baptism he be-

comes a member of a new and larger family, the Christian com-

munity. Reborn in Baptism, he is joined to others in common

faith, hope, and love. This community is based not on force or

accident of geographic location or even on deeper ties of ethnic

6



origin, but on the life of the Spirit which unites its members in

a unique fellowship so intimate that Paul likens it to a body of

which each individual is a part and Jesus Himself is the Head.

In this community one person's problem is everyone's problem

and one person's victory is everyone's victory. Never before and

never since the coming of Jesus Christ has anyone proposed such

a community.

23 Community is at the heart of Christian education not simply

as a concept to be taught but as a reality to be lived. Through

education, men must be moved to build community in all areas

of life; they can do this best if they have learned the meaning of

community by experiencing it. Formed by this experience, they

are better able to build community in their families, their places

of work, their neighborhoods, their nation, their world.

24 Christian fellowship grows in personal relationships of

friendship, trust and love infused with a vision of men and

women as children of God redeemed by Christ. It is fostered

especially by the Eucharist which is at once sign of community

and cause of its growth. From a Christian perspective, integral

personal growth, even growth in grace and the spiritual life, is

not possible without integral social life. To understand this is a

high form of learning; to foster such understanding is a crucial

task of education.

25 In the family children learn to believe what their parents'

words and example teach about God, and parents enrich their

own faith by participating in the formal religious education of

their children: for example, by preparing them to receive the

Sacraments of Penance, Eucharist and Confirmation. The mem-

bers of a parish grow in fellowship by coming together to worship

God and by making a shared response of faith on occasions of

joy and stress. Creating readiness for growth in community

through worship and through the events of everyday life is an

integral part of the task of Catholic education, which also seeks

to build community within its own programs and institutions.

26 Our nation, blessed by God with enormous resources, has

a heavy responsibility in the larger community of people on this

planet. Christian educational ministry includes as a dimension of

high importance the education of our own people to the impera-

tives of justice which should direct our national political, military,

7



cultural and economic policies. In the absence of justice no

enduring peace is possible. Thus the teaching of recent Popes,

the Council and the Synod of Bishops concerning peace and

justice for all nations and peoples must be communicated effec-

tively and accepted fully. In this task we invite the collaboration

of mission-sending societies whose apostolate includes educating

American Catholics regarding their international responsibilities.

SERVICE

27 "You address me as 'Teacher ' and 'Lord/ and fittingly

enough
,
for that is what I am. But if I washed your feet

— I who am Teacher and Lord—then you must wash each
other's feet. What I just did was to give you an example:

as I have done
,
so you must do." (John, 13:13-15)

28 The experience of Christian community leads naturally to

service. Christ gives His people different gifts not only for them-

selves but for others. Each must serve the other for the good of

all. The Church is a servant community in which those who

hunger are to be filled; the ignorant are to be taught; the home-

less to receive shelter; the sick cared for; the distressed consoled;

th^ oppressed set free—all so that men may more fully realize
their human potential and more readily enjoy life with God now

and eternally.

29 But the Christian community should not be concerned only

for itself. Christ did not intend it to live walled off from the

world any more than He intended each person to work out his

destiny in isolation from others. Fidelity to the will of Christ

joins His community with the total human community. "Thus

the mission of the Church will show its religious, and by that

very fact, its supremely human character." (The Church Today

,

11) No human joy, no human sorrow is a matter of indifference

to the community established by Jesus. In today's world this

requires that the Christian community be involved in seeking

solutions to a host of complex problems, such as war, poverty,

racism, and environmental pollution, which undermine com-

munity within and among nations. Christians render such service

by prayer and worship and also by direct participation in the

cause of social reform.

8



30

It is imperative that the Church render the service of educa-

tional ministry today. Many institutions in society possess much

larger material resources and thus can do far more to meet the

material needs of man. None, however, has the unique resources

of vision and values entrusted to His community by Jesus Christ.

To suppose that the Church's mission of service is somehow less

urgent in today's world than in the past is to fail to recognize

mankind's enduring spiritual need and the unique capacity for

meeting that need possessed by the Christian community.

31 Beyond question the vision of the threefold educational min-

istry presented here is an ambitious one. Were it of human

origin, one might well despair of its attainment. But since it

represents God's plan, it must be energetically pursued.

32 Even now it is being realized in many places. All three

aspects of the educational mission are present, for example, in a

well organized, comprehensive parish program of education

where the teaching of authentic doctrine supports and is sup-

ported by the building of community, and teaching and fellow-

ship in turn support and are supported by Christian service

through sharing spiritual and temporal goods with those in need.

In such a parish Catholic education's lessons are learned in class-

room and pew; yet not only there, but also in the experience of

living in a Christian community of faith actively engaged in serv-

ice of God, Church and neighbor.

9



II. A WORLD IN TRANSITION:

FAITH AND TECHNOLOGY

33 Underlying virtually all of the changes occurring in the world

today, both as instrument and cause, are technology and the

technological worldview. Technology is one of the most mar-

velous expressions of the human spirit in history; but it is not

an unmixed blessing. It can enrich life immeasurably or make a

tragedy of life. The choice is man's, and education has a power-

ful role in shaping that choice.

34 Technological progress equips man with sophisticated means

of communication, analysis and research. The speed and ease of

travel, the marvel of instantaneous communication via satellite,

television and telephone, the "transistor revolution" which car-

ries new information and ideas to the most remote corners of the

earth—these and many other developments foster growth in
awareness that the human family is one, united though diverse.

35 Scientific tools of research and analysis like the computer

have created a knowledge explosion. The past itself is more

accessible to people and they are able to understand it far better

than before. Thus not only does the present generation of man-

kind experience powerful influences toward unity but its bonds

with earlier cultures also grow stronger. In this context the conti-

nuity of God's living revelation and of teaching based on the

enduring deposit of faith is more apparent; the beauty of God's

plan for community among all His scattered children can be more

readily appreciated, and the plan itself can be more easily

realized.

36 On the other hand, one must acknowledge a distressing

paradox: this same technology threatens the unity and even the

future of mankind. Its instruments destroy ancient patterns of

life and uproot peoples from their traditions and history. Values

cherished for centuries are abruptly challenged, and the stability

of the social order is weakened if not destroyed. If this genera-

tion is, as some suggest, moving into a new era of global culture,

it simultaneously risks losing the values of particular cultures

which deserve to be preserved.

10



37 Although technology can create unparalleled material pros-

perity for all men, its abuse can be a tool of human selfishness.

At present, technologically advanced nations are accumulating

wealth at a rate which widens the gap between themselves and

the poor nations of the world. The same phenomenon—a tragic
gulf between rich and poor—is also present within many techno-
logically developed nations, including our own. Our readiness

for sharing has not kept pace with our skill at acquiring.

38 Technology poses new threats to the dignity of the person.

It makes possible violence and destruction on a scale hitherto

undreamed of. In our own nation's wealthy society the immense

output of goods and services too often distracts its Citizens from

awareness of their duty to God and their fellows, without satis-

fying their deepest needs for stability, friendship and meaning.

39 Faith suffers in the resulting climate of uncertainty and alien-

ation. Torn between the appeals of idealism and reform on the

one hand, and the seductions of greed and self-indulgence on

the other, many people drift on the surface of life, without roots,

without meaning, without love.

40 Yet profound human needs endure, and the educational

mission of the Church must use old ways and new to meet them.

This task is more difficult today than at many times in the past,

precisely because turbulence and uncertainty bring with them

skepticism toward the institutions of society, including those of

the Church. In evaluating and responding to this contemporary

phenomenon, it would be a serious mistake to identify mere

externals with essential faith, or to confuse rejection of what is

merely familiar with repudiation of our basic heritage. This

underlines the need for balanced discernment in place of sim-

plistic solutions.

41 Faithful to the past and open to the future, we must accept

the burden and welcome the opportunity of proclaiming the

Gospel of Christ in our times. Where this is a summons to change,

we must be willing to change. Where this is a call to stand firm,

we must not yield. In this spirit, our discussion turns now to the

concrete forms and structures of the educational mission.

11



III. GIVING FORM TO THE VISION

7. THE EDUCATIONAL MINISTRY TO ADULTS

42 The Church's educational mission takes form in many dif-

ferent programs and institutions adapted to the needs of those

to be educated. We shall first consider those directed to adults,
including in this category both adult or continuing education and

also the various forms of the ministry in higher education.

ADULT EDUCATION

43 Today, perhaps more than ever before, it is important to

recognize that learning is a lifelong experience. Rapid, radical

changes in contemporary society demand well planned, con-

tinuing efforts to assimilate new data, new insights, new modes

of thinking and acting. This is necessary for adults to function

efficiently, but, more important, to achieve full realization of

their potential as persons whose destiny includes but also trans-

cends this life. Thus they will also enjoy ever deepening fellow-

ship within the many communities to which each of them belongs.

Consequently the continuing education of adults is situated not

at the periphery of the Church's educational mission but at its

center. Like other church-sponsored educational efforts, adult

programs should reflect in their own unique way the three inter-

related purposes of Christian education: the teaching of doctrine,

the building and experiencing of community, and service to

others.

44 It is essential that such programs recognize not only the

particular needs of adults, but also their maturity and experience.

Those who teach in the name of the Church do not simply in-

struct adults, but also learn from them; they will only be heard

by adults if they listen to them. For this reason adult programs

must be planned and conducted in ways that emphasize self-

direction, dialogue, and mutual responsibility.

45 There are many instruments of adult education, and the

Church itself sponsors many such activities and programs. Their

full potential in this area should be recognized and used effec-

tively. The liturgy is one of the most powerful educational instru-

ments at the disposal of the Church. The fact that homilies can

12



be effective tools of adult education lends urgency to current

efforts to upgrade preaching skills and to improve the entire

homiletic process. The Catholic press and other communications

media should be utilized creatively for continuing education.

46 Finally, formal programs of adult education at the parish

and diocesan levels deserve adequate attention and support, in-

cluding professional staffing and realistic funding. Adult educa-

tion should also have a recognized place in the structure of

church-sponsored education at all levels, parish, diocesan and

national.

Adult Religious Education

47 The gradual manner of God's self-revelation, manifested in

Scripture, is a model for the catechetical efforts of the Church.

The full content of revelation can be communicated best to those

able by reason of maturity and prior preparation to hear and

respond to it. Religious education for adults is the culmination

of the entire catechetical effort because it affords an opportunity

to teach the whole Christian message. (General Catechetical

Directory

,

20) Catechetics for children and young people should

find completion in a catechetical program for adults.

48 The content of such a program will include contemporary

sociological and cultural developments considered in the light of

faith, current questions concerning religious and moral issues,

the relationship of the "temporal" and "ecclesial" spheres of life,

and the "rational foundations" of religious belief. (General Cate-

chetical Directory
, 97) Adult religious education should strive

not only to impart instruction to adults but to enable them better

to assume responsibility for the building of community and for

Christian service in the world.

Education for Family Life

49 Like many institutions in society, the family is under severe

pressure today. Challenges to accepted values, changing sexual

mores, new ideas about marriage and especially about the sanc-

tity of life—these and other factors can threaten family life and
unity.

50 To respond creatively to such pressures and to build a

healthy family life, Catholic adults who have assumed or are

13



about to assume the responsibility of marriage must see the family

as an image of the Church itself and base their marriage and

family life on Christian values taught by the Church in the name

of Jesus. As the Church struggles to fulfill Christ's mandate to

sanctify and teach men and women in the difficult circumstances

of life today, so should a man and a woman, united in marriage

and imbued with the Gospel ideal, seek mutual growth in Christ

and strive to form, in light of Christian values, the children whom

God entrusts to their care. But as all the people of the Church

are imperfect human beings who live their vocations imperfectly,

so parents approach their vocation conscious of their limitations

but aware also that by persevering effort to meet their responsi-

bilities, even in the face of failure and disappointment, they help

their children learn what faith, hope and love mean in practice.

Finally, as the Church, in imitation of Christ, must constantly seek

to be more sensitive and responsive to the needs of the poor

among us, so must each Christian family see Christ in those who

are less fortunate and, at cost to its own convenience and com-

fort, strive to be Christ to them, in the parish, the neighborhood,

and the larger communities of the nation and world.

51 In seeking to instill this understanding of the Christian

family's role, family life education must employ such means as

premarital instruction and marriage counseling, study, prayer and

action groups for couples, and other adult programs which mar-

ried persons themselves may plan and conduct in collaboration

with Church leadership.

Parents as Educators

52 While it was relatively easy in more stable times for parents

to educate their children and transmit their values to them, the

immense complexity of today's society makes this a truly awe-

some task. Without forgetting, then, that parents are "the first

to communicate the faith to their children and to educate them,"

(.Apostolate of the Laity
, 11) the Christian community must make

a generous effort today to help them fulfill their duty. This is

particularly true in regard to two matters of great sensitivity

and importance, religious education and education in human

sexuality.

53 Although religious education should foster unity within the

family and the Church, today at times it causes division instead.

14



There are several reasons for this. Changes in religious education

in recent years have disturbed many parents, in part at least be-

cause the training their children now receive seems to bear little

resemblance to their own. To the extent that this problem relates

to valid pedagogical methods, it may be resolved as parents come

to understand better the techniques of contemporary religious

education. However, the difficulty also touches at times on more

basic issues involving the orthodoxy and authenticity of what is

taught.

54 Religious truth must be communicated in a relevant manner

which gives each student a vital experience of faith. But it must

also be transmitted fully and accurately. There is no opposition

between orthodoxy and relevance. Religious truth is itself

supremely relevant, and the manner in which it is presented must

make this manifest. The Catholic community today faces the chal-

lenge of combining these complementary values—orthodoxy and
relevance—in viable programs of religious education for the
young. The steps to achieving this cannot be spelled out in the

abstract but must instead be worked out in dialogue and coopera-

tion on the parish, diocesan and national levels. Parents, religious

educators, including authors and publishers of textbooks, pastors,

bishops, must seek together, in a spirit of mutual respect and

shared commitment to the values of orthodoxy and relevance, to

solve the problems and ease the tensions that now exist. They

will find guidance in such sources as the General Catechetical

Directory issued by the Holy See, "The Basic Teachings of Catholic

Religious Education" to be issued by the American bishops, and

the projected U.S. national catechetical directory.

55 Continuing education will help parents understand the ap-

proach, content and methods of contemporary religious educa-

tion. At the same time, however, parents must not only be helped

to understand the aims and methods of catechesis; they must also

be involved in planning and evaluating the catechetical programs

provided for their children. (General Catechetical Directory
, 79)

And in order that this evaluation may be realistic and informed,

parents and other members of the Christian community have a

right to expect at least that the content of these programs will

be expressed in doctrinally adequate formulae as an assurance

that the programs are indeed capable of transmitting the authentic

Christian message.

15



56 If neglecting parental involvement can only contribute to

further misunderstanding and polarization in catechetics, the

same is equally true of the sensitive subject of education in human

sexuality. In 1968 we affirmed the "value and necessity of wisely

planned education of children in human sexuality" and acknowl-

edged our "grave obligation" to assist parents, who are "pri-

marily responsible for imparting to their children an awareness of

the sacredness of sexuality." (Human Life in Our Day

,

61) We
continue to regard this as an important priority in Christian edu-

cation, met in part through diocesan-approved family life educa-

tion in Catholic schools and other instructional programs.

57 These efforts presuppose parental understanding and ap-

proval and require parents' cooperation with classroom teachers.

The aim is not to supplant parents but to help them fulfill their

obligation. They have a right to be informed about the content

of such programs and to be assured that diocesan-approved text-

books and other instructional materials meet the requirements of

propriety. But when these reasonable conditions have been met,

parents should not allow continuing anxiety to be translated into

indiscriminate opposition to all forms of classroom education in

sexuality. Such opposition would be contrary to the teaching of

Vatican Council II and the pastoral policy of the American bish-

ops. Also, to the extent that it might disrupt responsible efforts to

provide formal education in sexuality for the young, it would

violate the rights of other, no less conscientious, parents who ask

for such instruction for their own children.

58 The child's need for and right to adequate knowledge and

guidance, adapted to his age and individual maturity are the

paramount considerations. In all programs proper emphasis must

be given to the spiritual and moral dimensions of sexuality. The

child's reverence for the God-given dignity and beauty of sex is

an effective safeguard of purity; it should be cultivated from the

earliest years.

59 These remarks all underline the fact that a "parent com-

ponent" must be part of many different church-sponsored edu-

cational programs. Where appropriate, Catholic schools can offer

courses for parents. School-related parent organizations should

provide opportunities for adults to learn more about child devel-

opment and pedagogical method. Similar provision for educating

16



and involving adults should be made by parish religious educa-

tion programs. All this requires teachers professionally educated

for work in this area.

Adult Education and Social Problems

60 "The constant expansion of population, scientific and tech-

nical progress, and the tightening of bonds between men have

not only immensely widened the field of the lay apostolate . . .

These developments have themselves raised new problems which

cry out for the skillful concern and attention of the laity." (Apos-

tolate of the Laity
, 1) Adult education must therefore deal with

the critical issues of contemporary society. "The role of the

Church today is very difficult; to reconcile man's modern respect

for progress with the norms of humanity and of the gospel teach-

ing."
(Mater et Magistra , 256) Applying the Gospel message to

social problems is a delicate but crucial task for which all mem-

bers of the Church are responsible but which is entrusted in a

specific way to lay people.

61 In proclaiming the social doctrine of the Gospel, the aim is

not to antagonize but to reconcile. But the proclamation must

be forthright, even where forthrightness challenges widely ac-

cepted attitudes and practices. Even though Christians may at

times err in their facts, interpretations, and conclusions about

social issues, they must not fail to apply the Gospel to contempo-

rary life. Adult programs which deal with social problems in light

of Gospel values thus have an extremely important place in the

Church's educational mission. And, as in other areas of adult

education, participants in such programs must be encouraged to

bring their insights and experiences to planning and conducting

them.

HIGHER EDUCATION

62

While higher education has always been important in the

United States, our rapid evolution as a technological society since

World War II has given universities and colleges an even more

prominent role in American life. Americans look to them for

expert knowledge in a multitude of fields and depend on them

for many functions which powerfully affect social and economic

17



life. This is reflected in the remarkable growth of college and

university enrollment. Today more than half of American young

people of college age attend institutions of post-secondary edu-

cation. The nation should be aware, however, that many private

institutions, including Catholic ones, are not now sharing in this

growth. For many, rising costs and dependence on tuition have

caused a student shortage which threatens their survival.

63 Like the nation, the Church is greatly influenced by higher

education and indebted to it in many ways. Cooperation between

these two great institutions, Church and university, is indis-

pensable to the health of society.

64 Everything possible must be done to preserve the critically

important contribution made by Catholic institutions through

their commitment to the spiritual, intellectual, and moral values

of the Christian tradition. Their students have a right to explore

the distinctively Catholic intellectual patrimony which affirms,

among other things, the existence of God and His revelation in

Jesus Christ as ontological facts and essential elements in seeking

and sharing truth. The Church itself looks to its colleges and

universities to serve it by deep and thorough study of Catholic

beliefs in an atmosphere of intellectual freedom and according

to canons of intellectual criticism which should govern all pursuit

of truth. The Catholic community should therefore fully support

practical efforts to assure the continued, effective presence of

distinctively Catholic colleges and universities in our nation.

65 The same support and concern should be extended to all of

higher education. The Church desires a commitment in every

college and university to the full and free pursuit and study of

truth, including the place of religion in the lives of individuals

and society. Catholics are further called to give their support to

all of higher education by the fact that the great majority of

Catholics who enter college enroll in non-Catholic institutions.

These young men and women have a strong claim on the service

and affection of the entire Catholic community; among them are

many future leaders of the nation and the Church.

Campus Ministry

66 The Second Vatican Council urged all "pastors of the

Church" not only to seek the spiritual welfare of students in

18



Catholic institutions of higher education, but also to ensure that

"at colleges and universities which are not Catholic, there are

Catholic residences and centers where priests, religious and lay-

men who have been judiciously chosen and trained can serve on

campus as sources of spiritual and intellectual assistance to young

people." (Christian Education
, 10) While the Council's emphasis

reflected conditions as they were up to that time, developments

since then point to the importance of campus ministry in Catholic

institutions as well. These developments include a decline in the

number of priests and religious engaged in Catholic higher edu-

cation, the increasing number of students who have not attended

church-sponsored elementary and secondary schools, and some

strong pressures to secularize Catholic institutions.

67 Wherever exercised, campus ministry has a number of dis-

tinct but related goals. These include promoting theological

study and reflection on man's religious nature so that intellectual,

moral and spiritual growth can proceed together; sustaining a

Christian community on campus with the pastoral care and litur-

gical worship it requires; integration of its apostolic ministry with

other ministries of the local community and the diocese; and

helping the Christian community on campus to serve its members

and others, including the many non-students who gravitate

toward the university. Campus ministry thus involves far more

than pastoral care given by chaplains to students. It is pastoral,

educational and prophetic, including a complex of efforts to give

witness to the Gospel message to all persons within the college

or university. It is conducted not only by priests and religious,

but also by lay faculty and administrators, students and members

of the local community.

68 Among the challenges facing campus ministry today are the

special problems posed by "commuter" colleges and universities

and the rapidly growing number of two-year colleges, whose

enrollment is expected to reach five million by the middle of

this decade. Students in these schools differ greatly from students

in four-year, largely residential institutions, since most of them

live at home and have jobs and many are married.

69 The work of campus ministry requires continual evaluation

of traditional methods of ministry and also of new approaches

which are licitly and responsibly employed. These latter can be

19



highly appropriate in the campus setting, where there exists an

audience receptive to the kind of sound innovation which may

in the future prove beneficial to the larger Catholic community.

70 Religious studies, formal or informal, should be part of every

campus ministry program. Neglect of such studies would risk a

growth in religious indifferentism. Today, when the importance

of reason and rational discourse is questioned and frequently

slighted in favor of the affective side of life, there is need for

emphasis on the relationship of faith and reason.

71 At the same time campus ministry must reflect the fact that

young people, while deeply concerned about personal holiness

and salvation, also seek meaning and values through the life of

community. A community of believers engaged in analysis and

practice of their faith is a sign of the continuing vitality of the

Church. Such a community is sympathetic to all who search

sincerely for the meaning of life and seek a foundation for values

which will guide them in the pursuit of their destiny.

72 Campus ministry must have its proper place in the educa-

tional and financial planning of every diocese. The selection,

preparation and continuing education of the men and women of

campus ministry should have a high priority in educational plan-

ning. Regional and national programs must be developed to pro-

mote the development of campus ministry not only for its own

sake but for the sake of increased dialogue between the Church

and the university.

Catholic Colleges and Universities

73

The Catholic college or university seeks to give the authen-

tic Christian message an institutional presence in the academic

world. Several things follow from this. Christian commitment

will characterize this academic community. While fully main-

taining the autonomy concomitant to its being a college or uni-

versity, the institution will manifest fidelity to the teaching of

Jesus Christ as transmitted by His Church. The advancement of

Christian thought will be the object of institutional commitment.

The human sciences will be examined in light of Catholic faith.

The best of the Christian intellectual and spiritual tradition will

20



be blended with the special dynamism of contemporary higher

education in a way that enriches both.

74 The Catholic college or university must of course be an insti-

tution of higher education according to sound contemporary

criteria. It will therefore be strongly committed to academic

excellence and the responsible academic freedom required for

effective teaching and research.

75 For a Catholic institution, there is a special aspect to aca-

demic freedom. While natural truth is directly accessible to us

by virtue of our innate ability to comprehend reality, the datum

or raw material from which theological reflection arises is not a

datum of reality fully accessible to human reason. The authentic

Christian message is entrusted by Jesus Christ to His community,

the Church. Theological research and speculation, which are

entirely legitimate and commendable enterprises, deal with divine

revelation as their source and material, and the results of such

investigation are therefore subject to the judgment of the

magisterium.

76 Historically, Catholic colleges and universities have had vary-

ing degrees of relationship to ecclesiastical authority. The con-

cern of Vatican Council II with these institutions centered on

their nature or function, their faculty, and their role in Christian

formation. (Christian Education
, 10) At present, cordial, fruitful

and continuing dialogue on the complex question of the relation-

ship of the Catholic college or university to the Church is pro-

ceeding between representatives of such schools and others offi-

cially concerned with Catholic education. The entire Catholic

community stands to benefit from this continued exploration.

Theology and the Catholic University

77 As an institution committed to examination of the full range

of human existence, the university should probe the religious

dimension of life. Scholars engaged in theological and religious

studies should thus be part of the academic community.

78 A department of theology, conceived and functioning as an

integral part of the Catholic university, can encourage scholars

in other disciplines to examine more deeply their own fields of

study. The theological scholar himself is enriched by participating

in such discussion.

21



79 The department of theology also encourages students to

confront religious questions and explore beyond the limits of a

narrow vision of life which excludes the religious dimension. At

the same time, interaction with students obliges scholars to re-

spond to the healthy challenge of reexamining their insights and

modes of expression.

80 Finally, the department of theology is a vital resource to the

Catholic community outside the university and must be aware of

its responsibility to that community. Its scholarship can provide

support to the pastoral ministry of the Church and help deepen

the Church's understanding of the Gospel message. Theologians

can render special assistance to bishops, whose role, like theirs,

includes both the development and the defense of Christian truth.

81 While no aspect of genuine religious experience is beyond

the scope of concern of the department of theology or religious

studies in a Catholic university, its characteristic strength appro-

priately lies in the presence of scholars whose professional com-

petence and personal commitment are rooted in the Catholic

tradition. In such an institution every scholar, Catholic or not, is

also obliged to respect its spirit and purpose.

2. THE EDUCATIONAL MINISTRY TO YOUTH

82 ''The future of humanity lies in the hands of those who are

strong enough to provide coming generations with reasons for

living and hoping." (The Church Today
, 31) Here as in other

areas of educational ministry the threefold purpose of Christian

education provides a guide for developing and evaluating pro-

grams. Educational programs for the young must strive to teach

doctrine, to do so within the experience of Christian community,

and to prepare individuals for effective Christian witness and

service to others. In doing this they help foster the student's

growth in personal holiness and his relationship with Christ.

83 This ideal of Christian education will best be realized by

programs which create the widest opportunities for students to

receive systematic catechesis, experience daily living in a faith

community, and develop commitment and skill in serving others.

All who share responsibility for educational ministry should sup-

port programs which give promise of realizing this threefold

22



purpose which is the guide and inspiration of all the Church's

educational efforts.
84

The history of American education is testimony to the deeply

held conviction of American Catholics that Catholic elementary

and secondary schools are the best expression of the educational

ministry to youth. As we shall explain at length later, this remains

our conviction today, one shared, we believe, by the great ma-

jority of American Catholics. Yet we choose to deal here first with

religious education programs for children and young people who

attend public and other non-Catholic schools not because Catho-

lic schools are any less important than in the past—their impor-
tance is in fact greater now than ever before—but because the
urgency and the difficulty of the educational ministry to the stu-

dents outside them warrant this emphasis. Among the pastoral

issues in education which today challenge the Catholic com-

munity in our nation, none is more pressing than providing

Catholic education for these young people.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION OUTSIDE THE CATHOLIC SCHOOL

85 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine and other parish pro-

grams of religious education are essential instruments of cate-

chesis. Besides enrolling some five and a half million students,

they have an even larger potential outreach among the many

Catholic children and young people who attend neither Catholic

schools nor out-of-school religious education programs. These

students, both present and potential, are the youth of whom the

Second Vatican Council spoke in urging the Catholic community

to be "present" to them with its "special affection and helpful-

ness." (Christian Education
, 2)

86 Obviously a part-time, out-of-school program of religious

education labors under special handicaps in attempting to achieve

the threefold purpose of Christian education. Yet we have a grave

duty toward the students for whom such programs now represent

the only means of formal religious instruction available to them.

Parents, educators, and pastors must do all in their power to pro-

vide these children and young people with programs which corre-

spond as fully as possible with the ideal of Catholic education.

23



Doctrine
,
Community and Service

87 Pastoral programs of religious education for young people

outside Catholic schools must be developed and conducted

within the framework of the threefold purpose of Christian edu-

cation. Merely "teaching about" religion is not enough. Instead

such programs must strive to teach doctrine fully, foster com-

munity, and prepare their students for Christian service. Whether

it takes place in a Catholic school or not, it is essential that the

Catholic community offer children and young people an experi-

ence of catechesis which indeed gives "clarity and vigor" to

faith, fosters living in the spirit of Christ, encourages participation

in the liturgy and sacraments, and motivates involvement in the

apostolate. (Christian Education
, 4)

88 Although there are inherent limitations in out-of-school pro-

grams, there are also considerable strengths which should be

recognized and built upon. A limitation, which is also a potential

source of strength, is their voluntary character, which, while mak-

ing it more difficult to secure participation, also offers significant

opportunities for the building of Christian community. The fact

that participants in leadership, teaching or student roles, are vol-

unteers provides creative planners with opportunity to develop

esprit among them, and indeed, to foster a stronger sense of

community within the entire parish. This is simply to apply to

the out-of-school program what has long been recognized as

true of the parish school, namely that the hard work and sacrifice

required for success can be powerful forces for Christian

fellowship.

89 In regard to service, administrators and teachers in such

programs offer personal witness to the meaning of Christian serv-

ice by their dedicated effort to impart Christian truth and values

to the young. This must be carried further, however, by giving

the programs themselves an orientation to service of both the

parish community and the community outside the parish. For

service is itself an efficacious means of teaching doctrine, and

thus these programs should include opportunities for service as

part of the educational experience they seek to provide the young.

Today, when many people have more leisure time than in the

past, it is appropriate that a parish increasingly turn its attention

to the task of preparing its members, young and old, for service

within and beyond the Christian community.

24



90 In many places pastoral programs of religious education are

now demonstrating vitality and effectiveness in achieving the

threefold purpose of Christian education, especially in parishes

which are true communities of faith. Their success deserves

recognition, praise and imitation. The achievements of some

innovative and imaginative programs for high school students

offer a bright ray of hope in a particularly difficult area. Some

parishes have made substantial progress in becoming centers for

the religious education of all parishioners, young and old. In

short, there now exist across the nation a variety of successful

models which should be studied and translated into similar efforts

elsewhere.

Problems and Policies

91 Despite their achievements and bright hopes, such programs

face serious problems which should concern the entire Catholic

community. These programs do not reach large numbers of

Catholic young people not in Catholic schools. Many of them

may simply not be accessible or receptive to any systematic,

organized program of religious education now available to the

Church. There are many reasons for this: parental indifference;

problems of scheduling; pressures of time; demands on and

appeals to their loyalty by other communities of which they are

members; the inadequacy of some religious education programs,

an inadequacy often due to insufficient financing and reliance on

personnel who have not had proper training and support. But

practical difficulties, frustrations and disappointments accentuate

the need for the Catholic community to increase its effort in this

crucial area. As a matter of policy, religious education programs

for Catholic students who attend public and other non-Catholic

schools should receive high priority everywhere, a priority ex-

pressed in adequate budgets and increased service from profes-

sional religious educators. In this light we offer the following

pastoral guidelines.

Guidelines for the Future

92 The essential unity of the educational ministry should be

reflected in its programmatic expressions. The educational mis-

sion of the Church is one. It takes form in many institutions,

25



programs and activities which, different as they are, all derive

inspiration, rationale and purpose from the same source: the one

educational mission of the Church which is essentially a continua-

tion in our times of the mission of Jesus Christ. Far from com-

peting with one another for money, personnel, students, etc., they

must function together harmoniously and efficiently, comple-

menting and supplementing one another in order to achieve

jointly the fullest possible realization of the threefold aim of

Christian education: teaching doctrine, building community, and

serving others.

93 Since religious education programs for Catholic students

who do not attend Catholic schools are an essential part of the

Church's total educational ministry, their staff and students should

be integrated fully into the unified educational ministry of the

local Christian community. In parishes this calls for efforts to

draw together these programs and the Catholic schools in closer

working relationships: for example, by including "CCD" students

in school and parish organizations and activities to the greatest

extent possible, and, in parishes which have no schools, by doing

the same for students who attend Catholic schools outside the

parish. The objective—integration of all pastoral and educational
programs into a unified whole whose components complement

and assist one another—should be a major concern of parish
leadership. In this regard, consideration should be given to com-

mon funding of ail catechetical education in a parish for both

the school and out-of-school programs.

94 Parishes which have Catholic schools should explore new

ways of placing them more directly at the service of the entire

parish community. The school should be a focal point for many

educational efforts on behalf of children, young people, and

adults. Where there is no parish school a parish educational cen-

ter should serve the same function of drawing together programs

and people.

95 Where a parish school must be closed, there should be care-

ful advance planning to provide funds and personnel for such a

center.

96 Parishes without parochial schools must not limit their pro-

grams to the bare essentials of religious instruction. Their chil-

dren and young people deserve Catholic education in as full a

26



sense as possible. This suggests that traditional programs be

enriched with a variety of informal experiences to help pupils

discover the meaning of Christian community life and its poten-

tial for service to others. New study and effort are needed to

utilize communications media and modern technology in re-

ligious education. In areas where parishes and missions confront

the problems of isolation and limited resources, regional cate-

chetical centers, either drawing together students from a broad

geographical area or sending out teams of skilled catechists into

the parishes of the region, may help meet the need for high qual-

ity, comprehensive religious education. In short, far from being

an excuse for an inferior program, the absence of a parochial

school simply challenges a parish, either alone or in cooperation

with other parishes, to expand its efforts to give its children and

young people as broad a Catholic educational experience as it

possibly can.

97 The effectiveness of voluntary service in religious education

programs must be strengthened. Parish leadership should give

recognition and moral support to the volunteers engaged in this

work, but, more than that, it should provide adequately financed

opportunities for their professional preparation and in-service

training. Furthermore, these programs, while retaining their dis-

tinctive voluntarism, must at the same time be reinforced by the

increased use of well trained, adequately paid professionals in

key positions. Organizations which serve the professional needs

of personnel working in this field should receive official recogni-

tion and encouragement.

98 Careful attention should be given to providing religious edu-

cation for members of minority groups and to involving them in

the mainstream of the catechetical effort.

99 The right of the handicapped to receive religious education

adapted to their special needs also challenges the ingenuity and

commitment of the Catholic community.

100 Planning is essential to create a unified system of religious

education accessible and attractive to all the People of God. We
must continue to explore new ways of extending the educational

ministry to every Catholic child and young person. In doing so,

we must be open to the possibility of new forms and structures

for all Catholic education in the years ahead. With regard to the

27



"tasks and responsibilities" of catechesis, "it is not enough to

rest content with the distribution of forces already existing; it is

also necessary that effort on the part of all Christians be more

and more stimulated and promoted. Care must be taken to make

the Christian community every day conscious of its duty." (Gen-

eral' Catechetical Directory
, 107) A comprehensive vision of the

Christian ministry in education, and integrated structures to em-

body it, seem now to offer the best hope for achieving the greatest

success with the largest number of Catholic children and young

people, both those who attend Catholic schools and those who

do not.

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

101 Of the educational programs available to the Catholic com-

munity, Catholic schools afford the fullest and best opportunity

to realize the threefold purpose of Christian education among

children and young people. Schools naturally enjoy educational

advantages which other programs either cannot offer or can offer

only with great difficulty. A school has a greater claim on the

time and loyalty of the student and his family. It makes more

accessible to students participation in the liturgy and the sacra-

ments, which are powerful forces for the development of per-

sonal sanctity and for the building of community. It provides a

more favorable pedagogical and psychological environment for

teaching Christian faith. With the Second Vatican Council we

affirm our conviction that the Catholic school "retains its immense

importance in the circumstances of our times" and we recall the

duty of Catholic parents "to entrust their children to Catholic

schools, when and where this is possible, to support such schools

to the extent of their ability, and to work along with them for the

welfare of their children." (Christian Education , 8)

Doctrine
,
Community

,
Service

102 Christian education is intended to "make men's faith be-

come living, conscious, and active, through the light of instruc-

tion."
(
The Bishops' Office in the Church

, 14) The Catholic

school is the unique setting within which this ideal can be realized

in the lives of Catholic children and young people.

28



103 Only in such a school can they experience learning and

living fully integrated in the light of faith. The Catholic school

"strives to relate all human culture eventually to the news of

salvation, so that the life of faith will illumine the knowledge

which students gradually gain of the world, of life, and of man-

kind." (Christian Education

,

8) Here, therefore, students are in-

structed in human knowledge and skills, valued indeed for their

own worth but seen simultaneously as deriving their most pro-

found significance from God's plan for His creation. Here, too,

instruction in religious truth and values is an integral part of the

school program. It is not one more subject alongside the rest,

but instead it is perceived and functions as the underlying reality

in which the student's experiences of learning and living achieve

their coherence and their deepest meaning.

104 This integration of religious truth and values with the rest

of life is brought about in the Catholic school not only by its

unique curriculum but, more important, by the presence of teach-

ers who express an integrated approach to learning and living in

their private and professional lives. It is further reinforced by

free interaction among the students themselves within their own

community of youth.

105 This integration of religious truth and values with life dis-

tinguishes the Catholic school from other schools. This is a mat-

ter of crucial importance today in view of contemporary trends

and pressures to compartmentalize life and learning and to isolate

the religious dimension of existence from other areas of human

life. A Catholic for whom religious commitment is the central,

integrative reality of his life will find in the Catholic school a per-

ception and valuation of the role of religion which matches his

own.

106 More than any other program of education sponsored by

the Church, the Catholic school has the opportunity and obliga-

tion to be unique, contemporary, and oriented to Christian

service: unique because it is distinguished by its commitment to

the threefold purpose of Christian education and by its total

design and operation which foster the integration of religion with

the rest of learning and living; contemporary because it enables

students to address with Christian insight the multiple problems

which face individuals and society today; oriented to Christian

29



service because it helps students acquire skills, virtues, and habits

of heart and mind required for effective service to others. All

those involved in a Catholic school—parents, pastors, teachers,
administrators, and students—must earnestly desire to make it a
community of faith which is indeed 'living, conscious, and

active."

107 The program of studies in a Catholic school reflects the

importance which the school and sponsoring community attach

to Christian formation. Basic to this task, as we have said earlier,

is instruction which is authentic in doctrine and contemporary

in presentation. Failure on either side renders the instruction

ineffective and can in fact impede the growth of living faith in

the child. Thus the proper use of new catechetical methods de-

signed with these objectives in view is to be applauded, as are

many new programs for the professional development of religion

teachers. They can contribute to making Catholic schools true

communities of faith in which the formational efforts of Catholic

families are complemented, reinforced and extended. Within

such communities teachers and pupils experience together what

it means to live a life of prayer, personal responsibility and free-

dom reflective of Gospel values. Their fellowship helps them

grow in their commitment to service of God, one another, the

Church, and the general community.

108 Building and living community must be prime, explicit

goals of the contemporary Catholic school. Community is an

especially critical need today largely because natural communities

of the past have been weakened by many influences. Pressures

on the family, the basic unit of society, have already been noted.

Urbanization and suburbanization have radically changed the

concept of neighborhood community.

109 Racial and ethnic tensions and other conflicts reflect an

absence of local and national community. War and the exploita-

tion of poor nations by the rich dramatize the same tragic lack of

community on the international level. Today's Catholic school

must respond to these challenges by developing in its students a

commitment to community and to the social skills and virtues

needed to achieve it. Participation together in the liturgy and in

paraliturgical activities and spiritual exercises can effectively foster

community among students and faculty. Since the Gospel spirit

30



is one of peace, brotherhood, love, patience and respect for

others, a school rooted in these principles ought to explore ways

to deepen its students' concern for and skill in peacemaking and

the achievement of justice. Here young people can learn to-

gether of human needs, whether in the parish, the neighborhood,

the local civic community, or the world, and begin to respond

to the obligation of Christian service through joint action.

110 At the level of institutional commitment, too, service of

the public interest is a notable quality of Catholic and other non-

public schools in America. "Private education has played and is

playing a significant and valuable roie in raising national levels

of knowledge, competence and experience." (Justice Byron

White in Board of Education v. Allen [392 U.S. 236]) Countless

men and women have been better able to contribute to the

political, social and economic life of the nation as a result of

their education in nonpublic schools. This service has been ex-

tended not only to those already in the mainstream of social life,

but also to many suffering special disadvantages, including in a

notable way the physically and mentally handicapped.

111 Other benefits flow from the private educational effort into

the lifeblood of the nation. These schools supply a diversity

which the American educational system would otherwise lack.

They provide desirable competition for the public schools, not

as antagonists, but as partners in the total American educational

enterprise. In a unique way they serve the community by keeping

viable the right to freedom of choice under law among educa-

tional alternatives. Most important, the commitment of Catholic

schools to Christian values and the Christian moral code renders

a profound service to society which depends on spiritual values

and good moral conduct for its very survival.

The Crisis of Catholic Schools

112

It will perhaps be objected that much of what has been

said up to now paints an ideal picture of the Catholic school and

its purposes. Truly it is an ideal, but little is achieved without

ideals to strive for. Furthermore, Catholic schools have realized

and continue to realize this ideal more successfully than is some-

times acknowledged today.

31



113 Of the Catholic school in America we say humbly, and

with gratitude for the grace of God manifested in it, that it has

nurtured the faith of Jesus Christ in millions of men and women

who have lived vibrantly Christian lives and have given them-

selves generously in service to others. Scarcely a man or woman

in the Church in America today has not benefited either directly

or indirectly from the sacrifices of his fellow Christians in creating

the Catholic school system. A full measure of gratitude is due to

the dedicated teachers who have expressed their Christian voca-

tion through the apostolate of Catholic education. All deserve

the thanks of the Catholic community, especially the religious

women whose resourceful leadership has been at the heart of the

Catholic school effort in the United States throughout its history.

114 Today this school system is shrinking visibly. The reasons

are many and include complex sociological, demographic and

psychological factors. Some believe there has been an excessive

effort in formal education and too much concentration on schools

at the expense of other educational programs. Some are con-

vinced that other forms of Christian service take unequivocal

priority over service rendered in the classroom. Some feel Ameri-

can Catholics no longer have the material resources to support

so ambitious an educational enterprise.

115 Financial problems have contributed significantly to the

present crisis. Burdened by the spiraling costs of both public and

nonpublic education, those who support nonpublic schools have

placed their cause before their fellow Americans. While legisla-

tors have responded in many instances, courts have often rejected

laws favorable to nonpublic education, sometimes on grounds

which many find extremely difficult to understand or accept.

116 The chief obstacle to meaningful public aid to nonpublic

elementary and secondary schools continues to be the United

States Supreme Court's interpretation of the First and Fourteenth

Amendments. The Court, however, has decided only the cases

brought before it; it has not rendered judgment on every con-

ceivable plan. Ter some it appears that the Court has raised an

impenetrable barrier between government and church-sponsored

schools; but to others, who are knowledgeable about its juris-

prudence and procedures, it appears that the Court, having ack-

nowledged that it is walking a tightrope between the First Amend-

32



merit's free exercise and establishment clauses, may eventually

see a way to give realistic support to parents' freedom to choose

a nonpublic school.

117 The words of Pope Pius XI, written some 40 years ago in

the encyclical on Christian education, afford timely encourage-

ment to those seeking justice for Catholic schools. "Catholics

will never feel, whatever may have been the sacrifices already

made, that they have done enough, for the support and defense

of their schools and for the securing of laws that will do them

justice." (Christian Education of Youth)

118 We are well aware of the problems which now face the

Catholic school system in the United States. We also wish our

position to be clear. For our part, as bishops, we reaffirm our

conviction that Catholic schools which realize the threefold pur-

pose of Christian education—to teach doctrine, to build com-
munity, and to serve—are the most effective means available to
the Church for the education of children and young people who

thus may "grow into manhood according to the mature measure

of Christ." (Christian Education , 2; cf. Ephesians, 4:13) We call

upon all members of the Catholic community to do everything in

their power to maintain and strengthen Catholic schools which

embrace the threefold purpose of Christian education.

Action Needed Now

119 Specific steps can and should be taken now by concerned

parents, educators, pastors and others to ensure the continuance

and improvement of Catholic schools. (Cf. for example, Non-

public Schools and the Public Good
,
Final Report: The President's

Panel on Nonpublic Education)

120 These will include such things as stating clearly and com-

pellingly the distinctive goals of the Catholic school; increasing

associations with other nonpublic and public schools; practicing

fiscal, professional, academic and civic accountability; conducting

vigorous programs of student recruitment; joining with other

nonpublic schools in public relations efforts; exercising firm con-

trol over operating costs and practicing greater efficiency in the

use of facilities and personnel; intensifying efforts to increase

income from private sources, including those which have gener-

ally gone untapped up to now; entering into partnership with

33



institutions of higher learning; undertaking school consolidations

at the elementary and secondary levels where circumstances

make this educationally desirable; and participating fully in the

search for solutions to the racial crisis in American education.

121 The unfinished business on the agenda of Catholic schools,

like many other schools, also includes the task of providing quality

education for the poor and disadvantaged of our nation. Gener-

ous, sustained sacrifice is demanded of those whom God has

favored in order to make available educational programs which

meet the need of the poor to be self-determining, free persons in

all areas of individual and social life. Recognition of past failures

should not obscure the fact that the Church in many places does

provide a wide variety of services for the poor, including schools

of high quality, often at the cost of heroic sacrifice and with

encouraging success. What is now being accomplished, however,

should serve only as a spur to renewed commitment and con-

tinued effort in this area so crucial to the good of society and so

central to the mission of the Church.

122 If the Catholic community is convinced of the values and

advantages of Catholic schools, it must and will act now to adopt

such measures and face such challenges as these. In particular

all those involved in the Catholic school effort should avoid a

defeatist attitude which would regard present problems as a

prelude to disaster. Difficult as they may be, they are not in-

soluble, given the will and the intelligence to seek and adopt

solutions.

Catholic Schools Called to Reorganization

123

Like other schools in our nation, Catholic schools are called

to a renewal of purpose, and some to reorganization. The goals

appropriate to today's Catholic educational effort, and thus to

today's Catholic schools, are in some ways more challenging than

in the past, including as they do the need to prepare young men

and women to be witnesses to faith during an era of instability

and at the same time to act as agents of creative institutional

change for which adequate models hardly exist. While the Chris-

tian purpose of the Catholic school must always be clearly evi-

dent, no one form is prescribed for it.

34



124 The search for new forms of schooling should therefore

continue. Some may bear little resemblance to schooling as we

have known it: the parish education center; the family education

center; the school without walls, drawing extensively on com-

munity resources; the counseling center; etc. We do not mention

these new forms to canonize what some may regard as educa-

tional fads or to presume a kind of knowledge we do not possess.

The point is that one must be open to the possibility that the

school of the future, including the Catholic school, will in many

ways be very different from the school of the past. Consideration

should also be given to the relationship of parish and school

where circumstances suggest that the traditional parish may no

longer provide the best framework for formal schooling.

125 New forms require pilot programs along with study and

evaluation. Catholic schools have the capacity and freedom to

experiment. Administrators and teachers should therefore co-

operate with parents in designing experimental models or pilot

programs to improve educational standards and results.

126 Reorganization may also involve new models of sponsor-

ship and collaboration. Various forms of cooperation with public

schools should be explored. In supporting a school system which

provides an alternative to the system sponsored by the state, the

Catholic community does not wish to ignore or be isolated from

public schools. On all levels of education, and particularly on a

system-wide basis, Catholic educators should seek actively to

cooperate with their public school counterparts and their col-

leagues in other nonpublic schools, sharing ideas, plans, person-

nel, technology, and other resources where mutually feasible and

beneficial. The possibility of institutional cooperation with other

Christian groups in the field of education should be explored.

Approached with candor and intelligence, cooperative planning

need not threaten the identity or independence of any school

system and can benefit all.

YOUTH MINISTRY

127 Youth ministry today faces challenges created by the prob-

lems and needs of youth in our society. Mirroring to a great

extent the alienation and uncertainty of adults, many young peo-

ple in this country, as well as in other nations of the world, feel

35



estranged both from traditional values and from an adult society

whose actions often belie its own professed commitment to these

values. These young people grope for the deeper meaning of

life and for roles consonant with their sense of human dignity.

The Christian community should be anxious to understand the

causes of their uncertainty and eager to respond to what is often

an unvoiced cry for help.

128 Other young people, more positively oriented toward

society, exhibit encouraging energy and optimism. But even many

of them feel unrest and apathy as a result of a socially imposed

prolonged adolescence during which they are impeded in their

growth to adulthood and frustrated in their efforts to act as re-

sponsible persons.

129 Disenchantment with organized religion is often part of the

the alienation of the young today. This seems in many instances

not to be disenchantment with God or with the spiritual dimen-

sion of life but with some institutional forms and functions. Even

as society grows more secularistic, many young people, reflecting

genuine religious concern, express growing interest in Jesus

Christ. Their quest for authentic values by which to live has

urgency and commendable authenticity.

130 Christians should be sensitive and discerning in their ap-

proach to the young, who through their Baptism and Confirma-

tion have been incorporated into full membership in the Christian

community. This community does have solutions to many of the

questions which trouble today's youth, but it cannot realistically

expect young people to accept them unless it, for its part, is

willing to listen to their problems. Thus it must strive not only

to teach the young but to learn from them and to see its own

institutions through their eyes and to make prudent changes

which this insight may suggest.

131 There are thus three distinct tasks for the ministry to youth:

to enable young people to take part in the Church's mission to

the world in ways appropriate to their age and responsive to

their interests; to .give a specific dimension—education in service
—to religious education; and to interpret young people, their
problems and their concerns to the Christian and general

communities.

132 Youth have a right and duty to be active participants in

36



the work of the Church in the world. Obviously, however, they

face certain obstacles because they are young and lack experi-

ence, organizational skills, and other necessary abilities. Adults

engaged in youth ministry therefore should function mainly as

guides and helpers by giving young people direction and support.

133 Those engaged in youth ministry are by that fact involved

in religious education. Their efforts complement the formal re-

ligious education carried on in Catholic schools and out-of-school

programs. They bring a specific focus to the work of religious

education, namely, education for mission. This is done through

programs which provide young people with opportunity to en-

gage in action projects exemplifying what it means to be a Chris-

tian in the world today. Such projects should be designed and

conducted in a way that helps youth see their participation as a

true expression of Christian concern and not simply as a natural

response to human needs.

134 The youth ministry should also provide for another educa-

tional need of the young, education in community. As maturing

Christians, young people need to experience a wide variety of

communities. They particularly need the experience of being in

a community which brings together young people from both

Catholic and public schools. Youth programs under Church

sponsorship should base their concept of "community" upon the

Gospel values proclaimed by Jesus Christ.

135 Among the major responsibilities of a diocesan youth di-

rector and others engaged in youth ministry is that of interpreting

youth and advocating their legitimate causes to the Christian

community and to other communities to which the young belong.

Their informal and immediate contact with the young often gives

those engaged in youth work a deep insight into the needs and

concerns of youth. It is appropriate that they share these con-

cerns with other adults and plead youth's cause with them.

136 Finally, all those involved in Catholic youth work should

recognize the value of what is called peer group ministry. Young

people themselves "must become the first and immediate apostles

to youth exercising their apostolate among themselves and

through themselves." (Apostolate of the Laity
, 12) Young people

should be welcomed as co-workers in this genuinely prophetic

form of education, and programs which develop their leadership

talents should have a central place in the youth ministry.

37



IV. PLANNING THE EDUCATIONAL MISSION

137 This pastoral message has stressed the need of many dif-

ferent educational programs and institutions and insisted that

each is an important part of the total educational ministry. This

may seem of questionable value at a time when the material re-

sources available to the Church for education are limited and,

perhaps, diminishing. But only if the Catholic community of our

nation is fully aware of and committed to various elements of the

educational ministry is it likely to provide the resources which

are needed. The cooperation of all is vital if the vision sketched

here is to be a reality now or in the future.

138 While it is difficult to define and plan the Church's educa-

tional mission in this period of rapid institutional change, the

effort must continue. Educational needs must be clearly identi-

fied; goals and objectives must be established which are simul-

taneously realistic and creative; programs consistent with these

needs and objectives must be designed carefully, conducted

efficiently and evaluated honestly.

139 Under the leadership of the Ordinary and his priests, plan-

ning and implementing the educational mission of the Church

must involve the entire Catholic community. Representative

structures and processes should be the normative means by which

the community, particularly Catholic parents, addresses funda-

mental questions about educational needs, objectives, programs

and resources. Such structures and processes, already operating

in many dioceses and parishes in the United States, should be-

come universal.

140 Vatican Council II urged the establishment of agencies by

which the laity can "express their opinion of things which con-

cern the good of the Church." (Constitution on the Church
, 37)

One such agency, long a part of the American experience and in

recent years increasingly widespread in Catholic education, is the

representative board of education, which, acting on behalf of the

community it serves, seeks patiently and conscientiously to direct

the entire range of educational institutions and programs within

the educational ministry.

141 On the diocesan level, the educational mission can best be

coordinated by a single board of education concerned with the

38



needs of the entire local church. Many such boards have already

been established and are now rendering important service to the

Church and education. They work best when they are broadly

representative of all the people of the diocese, laity, priests and

religious. Membership should be open to people of many points

of view, including those who may perceive needs and advocate

approaches different from those expressed in this pastoral.

142 Participatory approaches to decision making are desirable

not only in regard to educational policy but in the entire area of

pastoral need. Although the Ordinary has ultimate responsibility

for coordinating pastoral programs in the diocese, a significant

role in setting priorities can be played by the diocesan pastoral

council, itself a structure strongly recommended by Vatican II.

{The Bishops' Pastoral Office in the Church
, 27)

143 Much progress has already been made in educational plan-

ning by the Church in the United States. Many dioceses and

institutions, for example, have sponsored valuable educational

research carried out by professional agencies. Sharing the results

of these studies through a national clearinghouse would make it

easier to exchange data, provide guidance for new studies, help

avoid duplication, and assist planning.

AN INVITATION TO COOPERATION

144 The planning and collaboration invited here will only

come about through the active cooperation of all involved in

the educational apostolate. We especially seek the collaboration
of the teachers—priests, religious, and laity—who serve in Catho-
lic schools and other educational programs. If the threefold

purpose of Christian education is to be realized, it must be

through their commitment to give instruction to their students,

to build community among them, and to serve them. Further-

more, teachers bring insights and experience to planning the total

educational mission of the Church. We invite and urge their
creative contribution to the effort of the entire community to

meet the current challenges.

145 The involvement of religious men and women in educa-

tional ministry has long provided example and support to the

Christian community. They are publicly identified as persons

39



committed to giving witness to Gospel values, notably the value

of community. The stability which religious communities have

brought to the apostolate has made it possible to continue many

schools and programs which could hardly have survived other-

wise. Their witness, always valuable, is needed more than ever

today. The entire Church will be enriched by authentic renewal

of religious communities. All Catholics look forward to their

continued presence as a vital force in the total teaching mission

of the Church.

146 The number of religious teachers, upon whom Catholic

education has historically depended, is declining at present. The

entire Catholic community should seek to understand the causes

of this phenomenon and should adopt appropriate measures in

an attempt to reverse the trend. Clarification of the ecclesial role

of women could be a factor in the solution of the much deplored

vocations crisis among religious communities of women.

147 A continuing shortage of religious teachers now is one of

those signs of the times which Catholics must confront realistically

in carrying on the educational ministry. It emphasizes the fact

that reliance on lay persons in the work of Catholic education

will not only continue in the years ahead but will certainly in-

crease. This is not to suggest, however, that the presence of lay

teachers and administrators in Catholic schools and other educa-

tional programs is merely a stopgap. They are full partners in the

Catholic educational enterprise, and the dramatic increase of

their numbers and influence in recent years is welcome and desir-

able in itself. As with religious, so with lay teachers and adminis-

trators, the Catholic community invites not only their continued

service but also their increased participation in planning and

decision making and their continued emergence in leadership

roles.

148 It is also imperative that the Catholic community collabo-

rate with all Americans committed to educational freedom. The

right of parents to exercise genuine freedom of choice in educa-

tion in ways consistent with the principles of justice and equality

must be recognized and made operative. In this connection one

must hope that our nation will arrive at a satisfactory accommo-

dation on the role of religion in public education, one which

respects the rights and legitimate interests of all parents and

students.

40



149 While steps must be taken to ensure legitimate freedom of

choice in education for all, special attention should be given to

extending it to those in our country who suffer most from educa-

tional disadvantage. Efforts at educational self-determination

already undertaken by some members of such groups are truly

a significant manifestation of man's struggle to be free, akin to

the Catholic community's historic effort to be free to direct its

educational destiny. Incompatible with such freedom is a phi-

losophy which would demand, in effect, that all educational

efforts be subsumed in one educational system. In an area so

intimately related to fundamental human needs and rights as is

education, coercive theory or practice which results in the elimi-

nation of viable educational alternatives is intolerable, however

it may be rationalized.

150 The development of Catholic education in this country up

to now reflects the religious freedom which Catholics enjoy in

the United States. For its part the Catholic community has a long

tradition of cooperating with public authoritiy in promoting civic

interests in many fields including education. Thus it is important

that persons in government and public service, who influence

and regulate the educational activities of the state, understand

our convictions about what church-sponsored, faith-inspired edu-

cation contributes to the general good of the nation.

41



V. A MINISTRY OF HOPE

151 This pastoral document is not the final word on Christian

education. In a sense the final word has already been spoken by

Jesus Christ whose mission the Christian community continues

today in many ways, including the educational ministry. In an-

other sense the final word will never be spoken; it is the task of

each generation of Christians to assess their own times and carry

on the mission of Christ by means suited to the needs and oppor-

tunities they perceive.

152 The educational mission is not exhausted by any one pro-

gram or institution. By their complementary functions and co-

operative activities all programs and institutions contribute to the

present realization of the Church's educational mission. All

should remain open to new forms, new programs, new methods

which give promise of fuller realization of this mission in the

future.

153 The educational mission is not directed to any single group

within the Christian community or mankind. All have a role to

play; all should have a voice in planning and directing.

154 Like the mission and message of Jesus Christ, the Church's

educational mission is universal—for all men, at all times, in all
places. In our world and in our nation, the mission of Christian

education is of critical importance. The truth of Jesus Christ must

be taught; the love of Jesus Christ must be extended to persons

who seek and suffer.

155 The Christian community has every reason for hope in con-

fronting the challenge of educational ministry today. To all our

efforts we join prayer for God's help, and for the intercession of

Mary, the Mother of Jesus. We face problems; so did those who

came before us, and so will those who follow. But as Christians

we are confident of ultimate success, trusting not in ourselves,

but in Jesus Christ, who is at once the inspiration, the content,

and the goal of Christian education: "the way, and the truth, and

the life."

42



STUDY QUESTIONS

(Numbers refer to paragraph numbers, not pages)

PREFACE

What are the values of consultation? To the person consulted? To the

person doing the consulting? (1)

What is meant by a "ministry" within the Church? (2)

What does the expression "educational ministry" mean to you? (2)

By whom is educational ministry exercised? (2)

What educational areas are included in the scope of this Pastoral? Why

not all? (3)

What problem does the Pastoral hope to clarify? How does it hope to

accomplish this? (4)

Is it possible for a document like this to be the "final word" on its

subject? Why? (4)

CHAPTER I

What are the objectives of Catholic education? (7)

What help does the Pastoral give for measuring the success or failure

of the educational ministry? (8-10)

Does your experience tend to make you optimistic or pessimistic about

the effects of sin upon the individual and society? (9)

What are some of the Gospel interpretations of the dignity and freedom

of each person? (10)

Do you see ways of applying Gospel values to questions of justice vs

injustice? (11)

Vatican II calls on us to discern the signs of the times. What is meant

by the term "discern?" (10-11)

What good is doctrine if it does not influence conduct? (10-12)

What do you think St. Paul means when he says, "Let us profess the

truth in love?" (12-20)

How can the Christian community serve the community of the nation?

The community of all men on earth? (13)

How can each person serve the community of the Church? (10-13)

Are prayer and worship truly forms of service? (10-14)

Why do American Catholics have a responsibility for peace and justice
in other lands? (11)

43



Would you be willing to sacrifice some of the comforts of our way of

life, or pay more for them, in order to help people in other lands

live a more human life? (11)

Why is fellowship in the Holy Spirit the foundation of real com-
munity? (12-19)

Why is it impossible to separate personal growth from community

growth in the Church? (13)

How do the sacraments reflect and foster community? (14-17)

How does a consideration of the three interlocking dimensions of the

educational ministry of the Church open new avenues? (14-32)

What does the fact that "community is at the heart of Christian educa-

tion" say to a family? (22-25)

How is experiencing community a teaching/learning activity? Is it a

religious experience? (22-26)

Community implies service. Is this the service of God? Of man? Of

both? (27-30)

CHAPTER II

How should a Christian respond to present-day technological prog-

ress? (33-35)

What are the possible effects of technology on man's faith in God?

(36-39)

Do you think that technology and material progress make life more

truly human, or do you think they are an obstacle to this? (40-41)

CHAPTER III

Why must adults continue life-long efforts to learn? Is this true in

religious education? (43)

Are twelve years of the study of religion enough? (43)

In what respect can the Church be considered an image of family

life? (49-50)

Parents are the first and most important teachers. Explain their role as

educators. (52-59)

What is the meaning of the word "catechetics?" How would catecheti-

cal approaches to adults differ from those to children? (55)

What are some of the conditions of modern life which make it impera-

tive that adult religious education be a lifelong experience? (57-60)

How do adult learning methods differ from those of children? (59)

What opportunities do Christian adults have to continue their ministry

of education in society? What responsibilities? (60-61)

44



"Applying the Gospel message to social problems is a delicate but

crucial task for which all members of the Church are responsible."

What are some of these problems as you see them in your com-

munity? (61)

Do you have an adult education program in your parish? How could

you go about getting such a program started or improving an exist-

ing program? (61)

Why should the Church concern itself with the good health of all

higher education? (62)

What are the ways in which higher education contributes to the

Church? (62-65)

Why should we have Catholic colleges and universities? (64-65)

What is involved in campus ministry? (66-67)

Why is campus ministry more than the care that chaplains offer to

students? (67)

Who should be involved in campus ministry? (67)

How should campus ministry be supported? (72)

How does campus ministry relate to parish life? (71-72)

How can parish ministry and campus ministry help each other? (72)

What are the prime responsibilities of Catholic universities and colleges

with regard to: a) freedom to seek the truth, b) fidelity to the truth

of Jesus Christ? (73-76)

Are the above-named responsibilities opposed to each other? Explain.

(73-76)

What role does the department of theology play in the university?

(77-81)

What can be done for the approximately six and one-half million

Catholic children and youth who are not enrolled in Catholic schools
or CCD programs? (85)

The Pastoral states that merely "teaching about" religion is not suffi-

cient. Since 1963, the U.S. Supreme Court has permitted teaching

about religion in the public schools. Discuss the meaning of both

statements.

What practical steps must be taken to give religious education programs
for Catholic students who attend public schools and other non-
Catholic schools the high priority which the Pastoral calls a matter

of policy? (86)

Do you feel there are other limitations to out-of-school programs of re-
ligious education besides those suggested by the Pastoral? (85-90)

What is the educational mission of the Church? (92)

In what ways can the entire Catholic community become involved in

45



providing Christian education for youngsters in public schools?

(91-100)

The educational ministry of the Church is one. Explain how the Cath-

olic school and the out-of-school religious education components

of a total parish religious education program can complement and

assist each other. (92-93)

What is meant by the assertion that Catholic schools help bring about

the integration of religious truth with the rest of life. (93)

Discuss the statement about the "common funding" of all catechetical

activity in a parish for both parish schools and out-of-school pro-

grams. (93-95)

Is the "desire to serve" the prime requisite for a teacher in out-of-school

programs of religious education? (93-97)

How can the effectiveness of voluntary service in religious education

programs be strengthened? (96)

What integrated structures are needed to offer the best hope of suc-

cess for the Catholic education of the largest number of Catholic

youth? (97-99)

The Pastoral states that "of the educational opportunities available to

the Catholic community, Catholic schools afford the fullest and best

opportunity to realize the threefold purpose of Christian education

among children and young people." How are Catholic schools better

prepared to provide those opportunities? (101)

Discuss the following statement from the Pastoral: "With the Second

Vatican Council we affirm our conviction that the Catholic school

'retains its immense importance in the circumstances of our times'

and we recall the duty of Catholic parents 'to entrust their children

to Catholic schools, when and where this is possible, to support

such schools to the extent of their ability, and to work along with

them for the welfare of their children.'" (101)

Why is it important that religious instruction in the Catholic schools

be both authentic and contemporary in presentation? (104)

How does the function of the Catholic school in "building and living

community" meet especially crucial needs in today's society? (106)

What should be the relation of Catholic schools to public and other

nonpublic schools? (Ill)

How do Catholic and other nonpublic schools contribute to the public

interests? (107-111)

How strong is your commitment to the Catholic schools? Are you will-

ing to take the trouble to persuade legislators of the value of freedom

of choice? (111-115)

How would you rate the possibility of some form of public assistance
to nonpublic schools? (115-116)

46



How is the entire Catholic community to be involved in making basic

decisions concerning Catholic education? (106-116)

Discuss the possible steps suggested in the Pastoral for action to ensure

the continuance and development of Catholic schools. (113-116)

What is the role of the Catholic community in improving the under-

standing of public officials of the contribution of church-sponsored

education to the general good of the nation? (116)

Considering the service function of the Catholic schools described in

the Pastoral, what can these schools realistically do to bring quality

education to the poor and disadvantaged? (122)

What steps might you take to ensure the continuance of Catholic

schools? (119-120)

How are the Catholic schools uniquely fitted to the role of searching

out new educational forms to respond to the challenges of a chang-

ing society? (124)

What is the recommended framework of consultation and planning for

the development of new forms of education in the Catholic schools?

(125-126)

What are some of the traditional values many youth seem to ques-

tion? (127-129)

What are some ways in which the Christian community may assist the

young in their groping for the deeper meaning of life? (130)

What is "socially imposed prolonged adolescence"? How can we
assist youth in their development into adulthood? (131-134)

Why are many young people disenchanted with organized religion?
(129)

What roles might young people take in the teaching mission of the

Church? (132)

What does it mean "to enable young people to take part in the Church's

mission to the world in ways appropriate to their age and inter-

ests"? (134)

In what ways can we assist youth in their need for community? How
does the adult's need for community differ from youth's? Why?

(135-136)

Does your parish have youth on its parish council?

Define "peer group" ministry. What role should adults take in this form

of ministry? (136)

CHAPTER IV

In your opinion what are the most serious threats to the continuance

47



of Catholic schools? What would be the most serious results if they

went out of existence? (144-147)

What is the "ecclesial role" of women? (146)

CHAPTER V

Discuss the reasons for hope regarding the mission of Christian edu-

cation. (152-155)

SUMMARY QUESTIONS

In what ways do you feel that this pastoral might be helpful to you?

What sections of this document would you recommend be further de-

veloped for particular application?

48



INDEX

(Numerical references are to paragraph numbers.)

Academic freedom, 74

theology in Catholic colleges, 75

Accountability, 120

Action projects, 133

Adolescence:

prolonged, 128

(see also Youth)

Adult education:

full realization of potential, 43

funding; status, 46

instruments of, 45

learning from the adults, 44

methodology, 44

parish programs, 59

professional staff, 46

social problems and, 60-61

(see also Continuing education)

Adult religious education:

content of program, 48

culmination of catechesis, 47

Adults:

educational ministry to, 42

Alienation, 39

disenchantment with religion, 129

of youth, 127

Amendments (U.S. Constitution), 116

Apostolate:

catechesis and apostolic action, 19

involvement, 87

youth ministry, 136

Baptism, 130

community aspect, 22

Belief:

rational foundations, 48

(see also Faith)

Bible:

dignity and freedom; the Gospel, 9

educational ministry, 8

proclaiming the Gospel; duty, 6

social doctrine of the Gospel, 61

Bible texts:

Ephesians (4:15), 20

John (12:49-50), 15

John (13:13-15), 27

John (13:34-35), 21

John (14:5-7), 5

Bishops:

Catholic schools and, 118

decision making, 142

responsibility for document, 1

theologians and, 80

Board of education, 140

diocesan level, 141

membership, 141

Budgets, 91

Campus ministry:

Catholic and non-Catholic colleges,

66

challenges today, 68

continual evaluation of, 69

goals, 67

in planning of every diocese, 72

religious studies, 70

selection of personnel for, 72

Vatican II on, 66

witness in, 67

Catechesis (and/or Catechetics):

clarity and vigor for faith, 87

concern for, 100

doctrinally adequate formulae, 55

faith and, 19

gradual manner, 47

new methods, 107

parents' involvements in, 55

Catechetical directory, U.S. national

(projected), 54

Catholic Church, see Church.

Catholic education:

Christian vocation, 7

enrichment program, 96

goals today, 123

knowledge illumined by faith, 103

mission of the Church, 7

(see also Christian education; Reli-

gious education; and references

under Education)

Catholic press, 45

Change:

adult education and, 43

educational planning, 138

insight of the young, 130

institutional, 123

49



openness to, 41, 152

tradition and, 17

world in transition, 33-41

Children:

Christian formation, 50

Christian education:

Christ the goal of, 155

community at heart of, 23

final word on, 151

ideal of, 83

mission to teach as Jesus did, 4

purpose, 102

social needs and, 11

(see also references under Educa-

tion)

Christian life:

Catholic schools and, 113

doctrine and, 20

educational success and, 8

effective catechesis, 87

learning experience, 32

Church:

development of doctrine, 17

educational mission, 12

higher education and, 63

instrument of salvation, 12

message of salvation, 16

mission: Christ's mission, 12

mission to teach, 7

servant community, 28

teaching authority, 18

youth and mission of, 131

(see also Catholic education; Edu-

cational mission; Magisterium)

Church schools:

contribution to the common good,

150

(see also Schools)

Collaboration:

preparation of this document, 1

Colleges and universities:

(
general and Catholic)

academic excellence; academic

freedom, 74

Catholic support for, 64

Catholics in non-Catholic institu-

tions, 65

Christian commitment, 73

Church and university; increased

dialog, 72

"commuter" and 2-year colleges,

68

commitment to truth, 65

contribution of Catholic institu-

tions, 64

cooperation of Church and uni-

versity, 63

goals, 73

growth in enrollment, 62

prominent role, 62

relation to ecclesiastical authority,

76

secularization in, 66

serving the Church, 64

survival of private institutions, 62

theology and academic freedom, 75

theology and the Catholic univer-

sity, 77

(see also Campus ministry; Higher

education)

Common good, 28, 150
Communication via satellite, 34

Communications media, 96

adult education, 45

not treated in depth, 3

Community:

adult education, 48

Baptism and, 22

as body, 22

building, 13, 23, 101

building, in schools, 108

Christian life, 96

college campus ministry, 67

commitment; Catholic schools, 109

concern for those outside, 29

fellowship of the Holy Spirit, 14

God’s plan for, 35

growth of Christian fellowship, 24

heart of Christian education, 23

ideal Christian education, 83

the individual in, 22

learning experience, 32

life of the Spirit, 22

many different, 11

measure of educational success, 10

natural communities weakened,

108

new commandment, 21

out-of-school religious education,

88

problems in, 109

total human community, 29

youth as members of the Christian,

130

youth ministry, 134

Computers, 35

Confirmation, 130

Confraternity of Christian Doctrine,

85

Constitution of the U.S., 116

50



Consultors:

for this document, 1

Continuing education:

help in understanding the contem-

porary, 55

importance, 43

(see also Adult education)

Cooperation:

Catholics and public authority, 150

educational research, 143

invitation to, 144ff

many different educational pro-

grams, 137

Cooperative planning, see Educa-

tional planning.

Courts and public aid, 115

Culture:

technology and, 36

Decision making:

lay teachers and, 147

participatory approaches, 142

Despair:

temptation, 9

Development of doctrine, 17

Diakonia, 14

Didache, 14

Dignity:

Christian hope, 9

education and, 13

technology and, 38

youth and, 127

Diocesan pastoral council, 142

Diocesan youth director, 135

Diversity in education, 111

Doctrine:

way of life, 20

(see also Catechesis; Religious edu-

cation; Theology; etc.)

Education:

agenda, 138

concerns of this document, 3

dignity and community, 13

family life, 25

forming persons-in-community, 13

freedom vs. one (state) system,

149

goals, 138

institutional cooperation, 126

knowledge; God's plan for man,

103

needs in, 138

new forms and structures, 100

personal growth and, 24

program design, 138

purpose of this document, 4

search for new forms of schooling,

124

technology and life enrichment, 33

(see also Adult education; Catholic

education; Christian education;

Family life education; Higher

education; Learning; Religious

education; Schools; Sex educa-

tion; Threefold educational mis-

sion; etc.)

Educational ministry (and Educational

mission)

:

all have role in, 153

Catholic schools; American history,

84

hope in, 155

many different programs, 137

many programs involved, 152

measure of success, 8

necessary, 30

planning the, 137ff

social measure of success, 10

teachers' role in, 144

unity in, 92

universal, 154

to youth, 82-84

Educational planning:

cooperative, 126

involves entire community, 139

progress in, 143

structures and processes, 139

teachers as collaborators, 144

Educational research, 143

Educational self-determination, 149

Environmental pollution, 29

Equality:

educational freedom, 148

Ethnic tensions, 109

Eucharist:

community and, 24

Evil:

human condition, 8

Exclusion, principles of, 3

Experience:

adult education, 44

of youth, 132

Experimentation in education, 125

Faith:

active, 19

analysis; vitality, 71

Catholic schools, 113

children and parents, 52

51



Christian education, 102

clarity and vigor, 87

externals and essentials, 40

implications of, 19

knowledge and, 103

reason and, 70

teaching, 101

uncertainty and alienation, 39

vitality of, 54

Family:

image of the Church, 50

learning experiences, 25

pressures on, 108

Family life education:

means; programs, 51

pressures; threats, 49

Freedom:

Christian hope, 9

in Catholic schools, 107

(see also Academic freedom; Reli-

gious freedom)

Freedom of choice in education, 111,

116, 148, 149

Friendship, 24, 38

Future:

of humanity, 82

openness to, 41

realization in the, 152

God:

existence of, 64

revelation, 12

Good News, 7

Gospel, see Bible.

Grace:

growth in, 24

Handicapped, the, 99, 110

High school students:

successful programs for, 90

Higher education:

influence of, 63

support and concern for, 65

(see also Colleges and universities)

Holiness:

concern of young people, 71

personal, 101

personal; youth/ 82

Holy Spirit, 14, 17

faith and, 19

Homeless, the, 28

Homilies, 45

Hope:

affirmation of, 8

in educational mission, 155

importance today, 9

Human needs:

educational ministry, 40

Hungry, the, 28

Ignorant, the, 28

Indifferentism, 70

Integration:

learning and living, 104

religion and life, 106

Intellectual freedom, 64

Intellectual life, 20

Catholic patrimony, 64

International responsibility, 26

Isolation, 29

Jesus Christ:

Catholic colleges and, 73

Christian hope, 9

Church as sign of, 12

Church's mission, 7

community; body, 22

contemporary language, 18

faith in, 19

goal of Christian education, 155

love, 154

marriage and, 50

message of salvation, 16

mission of, 92, 151

mission to teach, 4

revelation of God, 64

teaching Church and, 75

universal mission, 154

values, 30, 134

youth and, 129

Justice:

for Catholic schools, 117

duty to seek, 10

education and pursuit of, 11

educational freedom, 148

international, 26

students' concern for, 109

task of discernment, 11

Knowledge explosion, 35

Koinonia
,
14

Laity:

Vatican II on, 140

Lay apostolate:

widening field for the, 60

Lay teachers, 147

52



Leadership:

youth ministry, 136

Learning:

God's plan for man, 103

lifelong experience, 43

Legislators, 115

Leisure, 89

Life:

alienation, 39

compartmentalized, 105

enjoyment of, 28

integration of religious values, 104

sanctity of, 49

temporal and ecclesial spheres, 48

(see also Christian life)

Liturgy:

educational instrument, 45

educational role, 3

participation, 19, 87, 109

participation; schools, 101

Love:

Christian life, 20

educational mission, 12

new commandment, 21

Magisterium, 17

teachings subject to, 18

theological studies and, 75

Man:

destiny transcends this life, 43

human condition, 8

vocation, 12

Marriage:

family and Church, 50

Marriage counseling, 51

Mary (Mother of Jesus), 155

Material needs, 30

Maturity:

adult education, 44

adult religious education, 47

Christian life, 20

Meaning:

search for, 71

Message, see Bible; Doctrine; Educa-

tional mission; Religious educa-

tion; Revelation; etc.

Methodology:

contemporary, 18

Ministry to youth, see Youth ministry.

Minority groups, 98

Mission-sending societies:

international responsibility, 26

Missions:

regional catechetical centers, 96

Models:

successful religious education pro-

grams, 90

Moral code, 111

Optimism:

sin and, 9

Ordinary, see Bishops.

Orthodoxy, 53

in teaching, 54

Parents:

as educators, 52

cooperation with classroom teach-

ers, 57

essential component in education,

59

learning from children, 25

support of Catholic schools, 101

vocation, 50

Parish:

threefold educational ministry, 32

traditional, 124

Parish educational center, 94

Parish life:

growth in fellowship, 25

Parochial schools, see Schools.

Past, the:

accessible, 35

fidelity to, 41

Paul VI, Pope:

on social needs, 11

Peace:

duty to seek, 10

education and pursuit of, 11

international, 26

students' concern for, 109

Personal growth, 24

Pilot programs, 125

Pius XI, Pope:

on justice for Catholic schools, 117

Planning, 100

(see also Educational planning)

Plurality:

teaching and, 18

Poor, the:

providing quality education for,

121

seeing Christ in, 50

Poverty, 29

Prayer:

Catholic schools, 107

social problems and, 29

Preaching skills, 45

53



Premarital instruction, 51

Private schools:

benefits from, 111

role, 110

Professionals:

increased use of, 97

Progress:

difficulty related to, 60

technological, 34

Prosperity:

technology and, 37

(see also Poverty; Wealth)

Public aid to nonpublic schools, IIS-

117

Public relations, 120

Public schools:

cooperation with, 126

Purity, 58

Race problems, 109, 120

Reason: importance questioned, 70

Recruitment:

Catholic schools, 120

Regional catechetical centers, 96

Relevance:

in religious education, 54

Religion:

disenchantment with organized,

129

isolated from rest of life, 105

place in human life; study, 65

in public education, 148

Religious communities, 145

renewal of, 145

Religious education:

areas of limited resources, 96

authentic and contemporary, 107

children and parents, 52

contemporary techniques, 53

cooperation in developing method,

54

education in service; for youth,

131

guidelines for out-of-Catholic-

school programs, 92ff

integration of students, 93

out-of-Catholic schools; staff and

students integrated, 93

out-of-school programs; strengths,

88

out-of-school; voluntary, 88

outside the Catholic school, 85ff

parishes; common funding of all

programs, 93

parishes without parochial schools,

96

part-time program; handicap, 86

priority: students in non-Catholic

schools, 91

relevance, 54

sources, 54

teaching "about" religion is not

enough, 87

unity or division, 53

youth; education for mission, 133

of youth; serious problems, 91

(see also Adult religious education;

Campus ministry; Catechesis;

Christian education; Youth min-

istry; etc.)

Religious educators:

professional, 91, 97

Religious freedom, 150

Religious men and women:

educational ministry, 145

Religious teachers:

number declining, 146

shortage of, 147

Religious women:

as teachers, 113

vocations crisis, 146

Responsibility:

in Catholic schools, 107

shared, 1

Revelation:

continuity of, 35

definition, 16

gradual, 47

growth in understanding, 17

message, 14

Rich and poor (nations):

international problems, 109

technology and, 37

(see also Wealth)

Sacraments:

efficacy, 101

learning by preparing for, 25

Salvation:

hope for, 9

plan for, 16

Sanctification:

Catholic education, 7

Sanctity, see Holiness.

Scholars:

department of religious studies, 81

theological and religious studies,

77

54



Schools:

(in general as well as "Catholic"

schools)

advantages, 101

agenda now, 120-121

in America; nurtured by faith, 113

building community, 108

call to maintain and support, 118

Catholic elementary and second-

ary, 84

Catholic; learning and living, 103

Christian purpose clearly evident,

123

closing; careful planning, 95

as communities, 107

community of faith, 106

consolidations, 120

contemporary, 106

continuance and improvement of,

119

cooperation with public schools,

126

defeatist attitude, 122

distinction of Catholic schools, 105

financial problems, 115

future, 124

goals, 120

higher education and, 120

ideal of Christian education, 102

ideal picture of the Catholic school,

112

importance, 84

income, 120

justice for Catholic schools, 117

oriented to Christian service, 106

program of studies, 107

religious commitment, 105

renewal of purpose, 123

reorganization, 123-126

service of entire parish community,

94

shrinking system, 114

unique (Catholic), 106

(see also Colleges; Private schools;

Public schools)

Scope:

of this document, 3

Secularism, 129

Secularization:

Catholic colleges, 66

Service:

adult education, 48

Christian life, 96

Church's mission today; urgency,

30

commitment and skill in, 83

essential in Christian community,

14

for good of all, 28

growth; Catholic schools, 107

institutional commitment, 110

learning experience; community,

32

leisure and, 89

means of teaching, 89

orientation of Catholic schools,

106

orientation to, 89

personal witness, 89

Sex education, 52

child's needs and rights, 58

content; textbooks; propriety, 57

important priority, 56

opposition by parents, 57

parental involvement, 56

spiritual and moral dimensions, 58

Sharing:

acquiring and, 37

Sin:

optimism, 9

personal, 8

Skepticism, 40

Social life:

personal growth, 24

Social needs:

priority of, 11

Social order:

survival of, 111

technological progress and, 36

Social problems:

adult education and, 60-61

Christian community and solution

of, 29

Gospel message applied to, 60

Gospel values, 61

measure of educational success, 10

Social reform:

Catholic education, 7

participation in, 29

Social unity, see Community; Unity

Spiritual life, 24

Spiritual needs, 30

Stability:

wealth and, 38

Students:

outside Catholic schools, 85ff

55



spiritual welfare of, 66

(see also Campus ministry)

Suburbanization, 108

Success:

basis for hope, 100

requirements for, 88

Supreme Court of the U.S., 116

Teachers:

apostolate, 113

educational planning, 144

example of integrated living, 104

parents' cooperation with, 57

professionally educated, 59

(see also Religious teachers)

Teaching:

contemporary language, 18

Technology:

dignity and, 38

enriching life, 33

as threat, 36

Temporal goods, 32

Theologians:

assistance to bishops, 80

Theology:

academic freedom in Catholic col-

leges, 75

the Catholic university and, 77

department of, a community re-

source, 80

department of, in a Catholic uni-

versity, 78

scholars and students, 79

scholars in department of, 81

Threefold educational mission:

adult education and, 43

ambitious goal, 31

Catholic schools afford best op-

portunity, 101

Catholic schools effective, 118

commitment of Catholic schools,

106

guide for all educational efforts, 83

interlocking dimensions, 14

parish program of education, 32

students in non-Catholic schools,

86

successful programs, 90

teachers vital in, 144

unity of effort, 92

the youth and, 82

youth outside Catholic schools, 87

Tradition:

living, 17

threefold educational mission, 14

Travel, 34

Truth:

bishops and theologians, 80

Christian life, 20

commitment to pursue, 65

critical pursuit of, 64

seeking, 64

theological study and, 75

United States:

international responsibility, 26

Unity:

influences towards, 35

plurality of cultural differences, 18

religious education and the family,

53

technological progress and, 34

Universities, see Colleges and uni-

versities.

Urbanization, 108

Values:

Catholic education, 7, 103

Catholic higher education, 64

Catholic schools, 107, 122

Christian, 30

children and parents, 52

commitment of Catholic schools,

111

family, 50

family life, 49

orthodoxy and relevance, 54

religious education of youth, 89

religious integration, 104

religious persons, 145

social problems and the Gospel,

10, 61

technological progress and, 36

young people, 71, 129

youth and traditional, 127

youth programs, 134

Vatican Council II:

on campus ministry, 66

Catholic higher education, 76

on Catholic schools, 101

on the laity, 140

national hierarchies and education,

2

quoted passim.

students in non-Catholic schools,

85

Vocation:

Catholic teachers, 113

Christian, 7

56



Voluntary service:

Strengthening, 97

Volunteers, 88

War, 29, 109

Wealth:

distracting from other values, 38

technologically advanced nations,

37

(see also Poor; Poverty; Rich and

poor)

White, Bryon (Justice), 110

Witnessing:

campus ministry, 67

Christian faith, 19

goal of Catholic education, 123

religious communities, 145

by teachers, 89

Women:

ecclesial role, 146

Worship:

Community aspect, 25

Youth (adolescents; young adults;

young people):

Christian community, 130

interpreting, to others, 131

learning of human needs, 109

listening to, 130

many resist religious education, 91

optimism, 128

organized religion and, 129

rights re work of the Church, 132

values, 71

Youth ministry:

challenges today, 127

education in community, 134

guides and helpers, 132

interpreting youth to the commu-

nity, 135

peer group ministry, 136

as religious education, 133

three tasks, 131

57



.