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Charles Whitehead reflects on the exciting vision for Catholic Schools offered by the Archdiocese of Baltimore
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EVANGELISATION
IN THE CATHOLIC SCHOOL|
"Catholic schools have a unique opportunity and a grave responsibility to evangelise". These few simple words of Pope John Paul II recently caught my attention. I'm always pleased when I see our Catholic schools performing well in the government's league tables - they are obviously providing a good, all-round education. But I'm also aware that a lot of the young people leaving our schools have very little on-going contact with the Church, and the Pope's words seem to be aimed at this problem. Certainly our Catholic schools have a unique opportunity to evangelise, but John Paul II goes much further when he says they also have a grave responsibility to evangelise our children. This responsibility does not rest with the schools alone; we all have our part to play in creating an effective partnership between parents, parish, and school in the up-bringing of our children. The Domestic Church The primary role belongs to the family - the basic cell of society. It's the cradle of life and love, the place in which the individual is born and grows up. This is why Christians attach so much importance to the "domestic church" - we see the family as ordained by God, and part of his original design for us. The family offers the laity an immediate and vital arena for our Christian witness; it is the place where our children first hear about God, and begin to form their ideas about his person and nature. This is why we become so concerned when the very definitions of marriage and family are put at risk through attempts to enshrine in legislation alternative and distorted notions of this basic human community which has served us so well. When I speak of the family, I don't just mean Mum, Dad and the children - I'm also thinking of all those relatives and friends who have an influence on our family life. In some matters a trusted grandparent, uncle, aunt, or close family friend may have a greater influence than a parent. As I look back at the years when our own children were growing up, I know that members of our "extended" family had a very positive influence on them. These friends were a very important part of our domestic church. A Family of Families The parish too is called to play its part as a family of families, helping to nourish the spiritual life of parents and children through prayer, the word of God, the sacraments, and its community life. Today it is often the case that preparation for the sacraments takes place in the parish rather than in the school, and the child is taught to see the parish as an important faith community. It's in the parish that we gather together to celebrate the liturgy, to receive the sacraments, to give physical expression to the word "church". It's in our parishes that our mission, evangelism, and social concern are rooted. For most of us the heart of the Church is our parish. A Fully Christian Environment But the reality today is that many of our children and young people don't go to church on a regular basis, so the school has a vital part to play in providing a fully Christian environment in which our young people become daily more appreciative of the gift of faith they have received, and experience the harmony between faith, life and culture. For a lot of young people it's the school that becomes their faith community, and at a time when our young people are under constant peer pressure to conform to an increasingly secular culture, it's hard to underestimate the important role of the Catholic school and its teachers. It's for this reason that I became interested in a guide for schools prepared by the Archdiocese of Baltimore, USA, entitled "Evangelisation in the Catholic School" which I first saw in issue no. 13 of a fine magazine from New Zealand, "New Evangelisation". The Baltimore guide begins with the statement quoted in my first sentence, and was written to help Catholic schools in their mission of evangelisation. What encouragement and help can our teachers find there? The Call to Conversion I think we all understand that the essential mission of the Church today is the same as it was from the day of Pentecost. We are called to proclaim the Good News, to bring the message of salvation and the Kingdom of God into every facet of human life, and to transform our culture through the love and power of Jesus. As the Baltimore guide expresses it: "Evangelisation is a call to conversion in Christ, an on-going conversion with a series of dyings and risings, through which we strive to proclaim "it is no longer I, but Christ who lives in me". Each of us by virtue of our baptism shares in the evangelising mission of the Church. Faith is a gift from God which calls for a response from us, and the Pope is challenging our Catholic schools to respond by fostering a climate of conversion among staff, students and families. An Evangelising School The Baltimore guide presents an inspiring but challenging vision for an evangelising school:- • it is welcoming - everyone sees himself or herself as a "Christ
bearer". A Mission to Evangelise The guide lays out some goals, followed by objectives and strategies for school Principals and for Teachers. This is not the place to repeat them in detail, these snap-shots will give the flavour of the vision: • the Principal of a Catholic school is the faith leader of
that community; The result? All in the school community are so excited about their faith and their relationship with Jesus Christ that they want to pass it on. An inspiring vision is also presented for the role of the teachers, who are encouraged to realise that their first responsibility is to be attentive to their own relationship with Jesus Christ. They are to see each student as a child of God and to foster spiritual growth, connecting faith with life and giving witness to their own faith. The evangelising teacher is aware of parents who are not Catholic, and makes them welcome in an environment which can seem alien. They are invited to:- • set aside time each day for personal prayer and spiritual
reading There is much, much more to be found in the Baltimore guide, all aimed to inspire and help teachers fulfil their mission to evangelise in and through the school. The Challenge we face... I am not suggesting that it's easy for any teacher to put all this into practice when life is already so full and demanding. I know very well that there are big differences between the school systems in the USA and in Britain and Ireland. I understand that what can be done in a private Catholic school in the United States may not be possible in a Catholic state school in Britain or Ireland. My purpose in writing about the Baltimore Archdiocesan guide is to stimulate and inspire our thinking - not to suggest we must all adopt the same recommendations. But the Pope's challenge remains: "Catholic schools have a unique opportunity and a grave responsibility to evangelise". He is again highlighting his call for a New Evangelisation, this time in our schools. I often hear very positive reports from school chaplains about the openness of the young people in our schools to the Gospel, so let's be encouraged and challenged at the same time - there's always more we can do to help them enter into a living relationship with Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit. The challenge before us is to work and pray so that the partnership between family, parish and school becomes stronger, and each plays its part in evangelising our young people. In the concluding words of the Archdiocese of Baltimore's guide:- Evangelisation happens by the way we live God's love in our daily life; by the love, example and support people give each other; and by the ways parents pass faith on to their children. The Catholic school is, in essence, an evangelising ministry, guided by the Holy Spirit, and faithful to the continuing mission of Jesus - "I came that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10). It's a very challenging statement, but one to which my response can only be a loud AMEN. © Charles Whitehead
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