Catholic schools in Australia

Catholic Edu

While secularism may be at times undermining the core values of a Catholic school, the school remains the hub of a faith community. One role of the school is to create a community of faith within its grounds, by fostering the spiritual development of children. This occurs by fusing academic rigor with spiritual catechesis. Academic subjects are taught within the framework of Catholic ideology. Catholic schoolteachers help children to think critically about the meaning and application of information, a task far deeper and more complex than rote instruction.

Another role of the Catholic school is to foster community development outside of its grounds. This latter role is often more complex than the former. By providing a proper Catholic education to students, the school indirectly creates a larger community of faith. Yet the Catholic institution can play a direct role in community development too. Creating leadership and service programs, for example, allows the Catholic school to become a beacon of light in the community.

One practical way by which the religious school develops a community of faith is by showing how to frame all aspects of community life in a religious context. "What confers on religious instruction in schools its proper evangelizing character is the fact that it is called to penetrate a particular area of culture and to relate with other areas of knowledge," (Catholic 6995, p. 73). Crotty, Fletcher & McGrath (1995) also refer to the integration of faith with culture. This means that the Catholic school shows how to imbue all aspects of life and learning with religious truth and discipline. Warren (n.d.) notes that a Catholic school is a societal entity, and not just a Church entity. The responsibility of the Catholic school extends far beyond allegiance to the Church; all members of the community must be served. The religious education should ideally include elements that are "common to both Catholics and non-Catholics" in the community (Warren, n.d. p. 75).

Warren (n.d.) also mentions the role of the Catholic school in helping students develop a "critical consciousness" that helps them to navigate through life and interpret complex life issues. For example, modern political life will conflict sharply with religious values in areas such as social service or preparation for war. The role of the religious institution may be to help students think critically about difficult topics, formulate opinions, and provide the tools by which students can make a difference in the world with education as their foundation.

As Rossiter (1997) points out, the retreat has been and remains a successful and integral component of Catholic education in Australia. The retreat creates an actual community, but also serves as a symbol of a micro-community creation. A retreat will provide participants with leadership and communication training, which aides them in serving their communities beyond that of the retreat. The retreat also has a catechetical component and fosters Christian community development.

Graham (1995) bemoans the recent breakdown in communication between Catholic school and community, which is often the fault of schools not doing enough to create community atmospheres or serve the needs of parents. The community breakdown is one that can be mended, though, with creative community-building programs like the retreat. Retreats can be designed to blend practical learning and the needs of adults with those of the developing child. Graham (1994) emphasizes the need for strong catechesis, which provides the means by which to develop religious communities. The Congregation for Catholic Education (1988) claims, "catechesis takes place within a community living out its faith at a level of space and time not available to a school: a whole lifetime," (p. 55). Thus, the school's role in the community transcends that of the student, that of the parent, and that of the curriculum.

By applying Catholic values to academic subjects, catechesis becomes far more than religious education. Catechesis becomes a transformative force in the community. Communities are comprised of individuals, and when each individual is empowered with spiritual tools, the community as a whole benefits. Religious education is one component of the Catholic education that can create trust and bonds between Catholic and non-Catholic members of the community. A Catholic school is by definition a religious institution, or at least one component thereof; and although that role does involve evangelism, the Catholic school does forge bonds with non-Catholic organizations (Congregation for Catholic Education 1988). Especially when local authorities may direct Catholic school curriculum to a great degree, catechesis still takes place to make the religious institution a community builder. "In the context of state schools or non-confessional schools where the civil authorities or other circumstances impose the teaching of religion common to both Catholics and non-Catholics it will have a more ecumenical character," (Catholic 6995, p. 75).