Catholic Education: Mission and Challenges

By Joseph Domfeh Boateng

As an evangelizing arm of the church, Catholic education plays an indispensable role in introducing young people to rudimentary elements of the Catholic faith as well as creating human and social capital. In spite of the numerous contributions Catholic education has made in the area of socio-economic development, many people don't understand what Catholic education is nor appreciate its contribution in the character formation and overall enhancement of human capital. This book is written to explain what Catholic education is, its mission, its identity, and its challenges. The audience the book seeks to serve includes diocesan policymakers and those in charge of in-service training and formation programs aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of leadership practice in Catholic schools. This book is also a useful resource for Catholic school leaders and administrators. It is a must-read for students undertaking graduate studies in Catholic school leadership and new emerging leaders and administrators in Catholic education.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jul 24, 2019
• ISBN: 9781644587287

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Catholic Education

Mission and Challenges

Joseph Domfeh Boateng

Copyright © 2019 by Joseph Domfeh-Boateng

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Acknowledgments

Isaac Newton once said: If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants. The book has become possible through a collaborative work of many hands, different minds, and extensive consultation of the works of great scholars. It will, therefore, be a difficult task to mention the names of individuals whose scholarly works I consulted in writing this book. However, it will be out of place if I fail to name friends and colleagues without whose encouragement, systematic guidance, and constructive critiques, this book wouldn’t have seen the light of day. I am especially grateful to Rev. Dr. Thomas Oppong-Febiri, Rev. Dr. Osayamen S. Imhangbe, Rev. Dr. Anthony Bature, Reverend Monsignor Seth Osei-Agyemang, and Reverend Abraham Berko whose encouragement carried me through every stage of this project.

I am particularly indebted to Reverend Joseph Francis Bisignano, the former pastor, and Reverend Monsignor John Ferry, the current pastor of St. Patrick’s Church, Bedford, New York for creating a friendly environment for me at the rectory to write this book. I owe a very special thanks to Mrs. Bridget Josie McCabe for reading the manuscript page by page giving insightful comments and suggestions.

A special thanks goes to my adopted families and friends in the United States: Mrs. Eileen K. Melican and family, Mr. Dennis Lynch and family, the Pike family, the Gros family, the Stearns family, the Zepf family, the Pedretti family, the Mignone family, the Emnemnom family, and the Juliana family. I am also indebted to Reverend Eric Twene, Reverend Francis Boateng, Ms. Naa B. Opoku, and the parishioners of St. Patrick’s Church, who provided an enduring love, friendship, and support when I was writing this book.

The guidance, critiques, suggestions, and caring friendship of the above-mentioned individuals have shaped the ideas discussed in the pages in this book, but I am responsible for its content.

Abbreviations

c.—canon

cc.—canons

GE—Gravissium educationis

SCCE—Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education

CCE—Congregation for Catholic Education

EG—Evangelium Gaudium

LK—Gospel according to St. Luke

MK—Gospel according to St. Mark

MT—Gospel according to St. Matthew

P—pages

PP—pages

PB—Pastor bonus

RM—Redemptoris mission

UNESCO—United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organization

USCCB—Unites States Conference of Catholic Bishops

#—number/section

Introduction

Catholic education has always played an ineluctable role in the evangelizing mission of the church. It has been effective in disseminating the Catholic faith and introducing young people to its rudimentary elements. Recognizing the indispensable role education plays in carrying out the mandate Jesus Christ gives to the Catholic Church to go out and teach all nation; the church has vigorously and zealously defended and continues to defend her role in education and her right to establish schools at different levels.

Scholars have attested to the importance of Catholic education. Numerous studies have shown clearly its ineluctability in the church’s evangelization efforts. While the relevance of the Catholic education and the indispensable role it plays in the overall evangelization of the church is well-known, not many people understand what Catholic education is or appreciate its contribution to the character formation of individuals who have received a Catholic education and overall enhancement of human capital. It is also evident that not many people have a clear understanding of how much Catholic education has done and continues to do in serving the development and sustenance of social capital, it’s functions and the challenges that go with the application of these.

The author writes this book in an attempt to delineate what Catholic education is and its mission, its identity, and its challenges. The author also explores the Holy See’s intervention in dealing with these challenges as a way of enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of those who are on the forefront of Catholic education.

The book is organized into five chapters. Chapter 1 focuses on the concept of Catholic education and its historical development. The chapter also discusses the interplay between faith and reason in Catholic education. The chapter concludes by examining the definition of a Catholic school and its governance.

In chapter 2, the author discusses the mission, identity, and culture of a Catholic school. In so doing, he examines the hallmarks of the Catholic school, the role of Catholic schools’ leaders in cultivating and nurturing the ethos of Catholic education and Catholic schools’ contribution in the socio-economic development society.

Chapter 3 takes a comprehensive look at the role of a Catholic school in the new evangelization efforts of the church. In so doing, the chapter carefully examines the concepts of evangelization and the new evangelization. The chapter also discusses a Catholic school as the center of the new evangelization and the role of Catholic school leadership in the new evangelization efforts.

Chapter 4 discusses the challenges confronting Catholic schools. The challenges discussed in the chapter include inadequate faith and spiritual training or formation of Catholic school leaders, inadequate in-service training and professional development programs, secularization, low enrollment, inadequate funding, and excessive interferences of state in the internal management of Catholic schools.

The final chapter focuses on the Apostolic See’s intervention in dealing with the challenges confronting Catholic education. The chapter looks at the historical development of the Roman Curia dicastery in-charge of Catholic education, its internal structure, and the relevant documents the dicastery issues to help diocesan bishops in dealing with the challenges facing Catholic education. The chapter discusses how the Apostolic See helps in dealing with the challenges of Catholic schools by issuing guidelines highlighting the norms, policies, and principles relating to worldwide Catholic education. These guidelines assist diocesan bishops or conferences of bishops in dealing the peculiar problems confronting Catholic education in their respective dioceses or countries.

The audience the book seeks to serve includes diocesan departments for Catholic education, diocesan policymakers by providing them with tools and resources in formulating guidelines, norms, policies, and regulations for Catholic education in their respective dioceses. The book also serves the members of religious institutes or societies of apostolic life whose charism is education. People currently in leadership positions in Catholic schools including those who aspire to occupy leadership positions in Catholic schools will find the book useful. The book intends to serve students in graduate programs in Catholic school leadership, comparative studies in public and Catholic education. It is a must read by all those who are interested in the church’s educational enterprise.

Thus, the book is useful to the new emerging individuals who occupy leadership positions in Catholic schools and play various roles that used to be occupied and played by clergy and members of religious institutes by providing readily available guidelines to enhance their leadership practice. The book serves as a useful tool for policymakers for Catholic education and those charged with in-service training and formation programs which aim at enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of leadership practice in Catholic schools.

Chapter 1

The Concept of Catholic Education

In 2015, the Catholic Church celebrated two important events. The first is the fiftieth anniversary of the Second Vatican Council’s document on Christian education, Gravissimum Educationis, which was issued on October 28, 1965. The second is the twenty-fifth anniversary of Ex Corde Ecclesiae, the Apostolic Constitution on Catholic colleges and universities promulgated by Pope John Paul II on August 15, 1990. In these two documents, the church highlights the mission and identity of her educational institutions. It is the celebration of these anniversaries that triggered the author’s desire to explore the whole value of Catholic education, that is, its mission, identity, challenges, prospects, and its contribution to the evangelizing mission of the church and the development of human society. An examination of some key concepts and terminologies relating to Catholic education is necessary before delving into the nuts and bolts of the relevance of Catholic education.

The term Catholic education falls within an educational system