Catholic Schools in the New Evangelization
by Fr. Roger J. Landry - January 27, 2006
Pope Benedict has followed Pope John Paul II in insistently heralding the urgency of a new proclamation of the Gospel to our own age. The Church is fundamentally missionary, and every Catholic is called by Christ to participate in that mission, either by heading to the front lines or by providing spiritual and financial support. The whole mystical body of Christ is supposed to act together in order to accomplish the great commission that the Lord has given, to "go and make disciples of every nation, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you" (Mt 28:19-20).
In nations where many have already received that baptism and instruction, but where many have ceased to give evidence of obeying what the Lord has commanded, both Popes have called on Catholics to take up the cause of a "re-evangelization" of their cultures and societies. In his 1999 Apostolic Exhoration "The Church in America," Pope John Paul II challenged Americans in particular to live up to the apostolic mandate given us by the Lord: "This command applies to the whole Church; and, in this moment of her history, the Church in America is called to take it up and respond with loving generosity to the fundamental task of evangelization."
One of the primary launching pads for the re-evangelization of America is Catholic schools. "In the overall work of the new evangelization," Pope John Paul II said, "the educational sector occupies a place of honor." He stressed that "a special effort should be made to strengthen the Catholic identity of schools, whose specific character is based on an educational vision having its origin in the person of Christ and its roots in the teachings of the Gospel. Catholic schools must seek not only to impart a quality education from the technical and professional standpoint, but also and above all provide for the integral formation of the human person."
Because of the crucial role of Catholic schools in the evangelizing mission of the Church, the Pope added, "It is essential that every possible effort be made to ensure that Catholic schools, despite financial difficulties, continue to provide a Catholic education to the poor and the marginalized in society. It will never be possible to free the needy from their poverty unless they are first freed from the impoverishment arising from the lack of adequate education." What he said applies not just to the materially poor, but to the spiritually impoverished. We will never be able to free those in our society from spiritual destitution without adequate education in the faith.
That's one reason why Catholic schools are more valuable now than ever. Especially in our Commonwealth, where in various places militant secularists are trying to indoctrinate public school children, among other things, with atheistic conceptions of the universe, moral relativism, valueless discussions of sexual promiscuity, and favorable portrayals of gay marriage, the worth of a Catholic education stands out all the more. Education is far more than instruction about the "three r's"; it is a growth process aimed at forming not just minds, but persons. The "integral formation of the human person" cannot occur in a valueless vacuum. Educators must have a clear sense of the type of character, compassion and values that they want to impart. In a Catholic school, they do: the character, compassion and values of Christ.
The crucial evangelizing mission of the Catholic schools in our diocese can be accomplished only with the support of the entire mystical body. It is becoming increasingly difficult for parents of young children to afford the rising costs of a Catholic education that still does not come close to giving adequate compensation to talented, committed and faithful lay educators. It is becoming even more difficult for parishes with parochial schools to give the same types of subsidies as in the past to cover their school's overhead.
In its 1997 document "The Catholic School on the Threshold of the Third Millennium," the Vatican's Congregation for Catholic Education said that the only way Catholic schools will thrive in the new century is for those within dioceses, and not just in parishes, to recognize "the necessity of their devoting special care to education and schools." Catholic schools will not be able to fulfill their crucial mission for the future of the Church in our diocese solely on the backs of Catholic school parents and the 26 out of 97 diocesan parishes with schools.
As with the foreign missions, Christ calls every Catholic to participate in this apostolic task, either by heading to the front lines or by providing spiritual and financial support.
Father Roger J. Landry is pastor of St. Anthony of Padua in New Bedford, MA and Executive Editor of The Anchor, the weekly newspaper of the Diocese of Fall River.
