Part Two: Challenges facing Catholic schools and possible solutions In an ever changing society and political environment that is geared toward change, diversity and progress there are multiple challenges facing the Catholic school system today. The most obvious and most jarring of these challenges would have come with the separation of Church and State, where religion and politics were once so tightly combined this separation and an independent body for education purposes would have altered the Catholic system into what it is known as today. Teachers no longer speak for the church but answer to education guidelines that must adhered. The following examples are only some of the challenges that are facing Catholics Schools in a modern …show more content…
The Catholic education system is finding the need to remain current and relevant in a society that is no longer religiously homogenous and where there are multiple educational options offered to the next generation. Furthermore as stated in Educating Today and Tomorrow: “It is important for Catholic schools to be aware of the risks that arise should they lose sight of the reasons why they exist. That can happen, for example, when they unthinkingly conform to the expectations of a society” (Vatican, 2014). A solution to this challenge is offered in the aims of a Catholic School, a Catholic school aims to create and nurture well-functioning members of society, adults who are in tune with their spirituality, not necessarily Catholicism as a practice but the values and morals that Catholicism is able to teach. These clear aims are the foundation for the identity formation of Catholic Schools in the 21st …show more content…
So how does a seemingly insular Catholic school compete with a multirelgious and multicultural community? This is perhaps the biggest challenge a Catholic school system will face, not all students in a school will practice Catholicism, they may not have any religious beliefs at all or they may practice a different religion altogether. How does a school foster “cultural openness… without being lukewarm or extremist” (Vatican, 2014) while also maintaining their aims. As complicated a challenge as this is, there is a relatively simple solution, through teaching and study students are learning about diverse societies, they are learning about becoming global citizens and their role in society. Robert Davis argued that “the price Catholic schools have had to pay for their accreditation as appropriate centres for the ‘delivery’ of the modern curriculum is a restriction of their Catholicity to those features of school life where secular society is prepared to permit the manifestation of Catholic ideas – mainly worship, ethos and Religious education.” (Grace, 2013). Likewise, through religious studies students are not simply learning about one religion, they learn about the many different religions that surround them and through this they gain a better understanding and hopefully learn about tolerance and
Just as there is a variety of identities involving race, gender, and class, so too are there a range of religious identities. Byzantine Catholics, Hindus, born-again Evangelicals, atheists, agnostics, and Buddhists are only a few religious identities I have encountered in America. This environment, at best, allows religious variety to be understood and embraced—and at worst, divides us. In Acts of Faith, author Eboo Patel discusses his belief that the “faith line” will define conflict and concord in the 21st century.
...sts discovered when they tried to cater to the individual needs of immigrants, to emphasize one objective is to sacrifice the other. The plight of blacks and women in the first part of the 20th century suggests that even the noblest of philosophies are not guaranteed to serve individuals in practice. Further, federal intervention into education, such as with the No Child Left Behind Act, should give educators pause to question what educational oversights would cause the federal government to intervene in its historical role as protector of the overlooked and unnoticed. Finally, the success of Catholic schools in the 1950’s and 1960’s is suggestive of the value of a standard, academic curriculum, but one must remember that Catholic schools enjoy the luxury of choosing the students they educate.
The goal of this paper is to determine if the Catholic religion has continued to modernize since Vatican II. In order to help analyze the modernization of Catholicism, this paper will examine the immigration of Catholics to America in the 19th and 20th centuries. Throughout this paper, I will reference Dr. Julie Byrne’s commentary, a professor in American religious history at Duke University, as a means of explaining how Catholicism has assimilated into American culture. Next, this paper suggests three challenges that Catholics are presently facing in the 21st century. Finally, this paper will elaborate on the growth in “irreligious Catholics” and its potential dangers. Although Catholicism assimilated into American culture during the 19th and 20th centuries, research and the rise in “irreligious Catholics” in the 21st century suggests it is possible that Catholicism has not continued to modernize.
Washington, D.C.: Regnery Gateway, 2014. Mueller, Arnold C. "Religion in the Public Schools." In Church and State Under God, ed. Albert G. Huegli, Ph.D. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2004.
Roles of the Catholic Church in Western civilization has been scrambled with the times past and development of Western society. Regardless of the fact that the West is no longer entirely Catholic, the Catholic tradition is still strong in Western countries. The church has been a very important foundation of public facilities like schooling, Western art, culture and philosophy; and influential player in religion. In many ways it has wanted to have an impact on Western approaches to pros and cons in numerous areas. It has over many periods of time, spread the teachings of Jesus within the Western World and remains a foundation of continuousness connecting recent Western culture to old Western culture.-
In conclusion, teachers who share their worldview with their students and encourage them to also expand and develop their own biblical worldview are giving their students a whole integrated education. The hope of a teacher should be that what their students learn will carry them through life by always seeing everything through the lens of God’s
In conclusion, it is important to study religion off campus as Smart (1994) has said one must “walk a mile in [the] moccasins [of religious people]” in order to gain a real understanding of how belief has an impact on people and how it motivates people to live their lives, this cannot be obtained through textbooks or media reports. It is how Harvey (2013) suggests that belief has to be learnt and is enacted by others through witnessing, speaking, reading, ritualising, congregation and acceptance. Studying off campus does not mean challenging the traditional understanding of religion. Historical and textual books should still be used to provide foundation knowledge but one must go beyond this and engage with living religions in order to obtain a rich first-hand experience.
Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, the American educational system has undergone much transition in response to our changing society. Though there have been many problems raised throughout the years in regard to what our school systems should be teaching our children, there have also been many developments.
Webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk, (2014). [ARCHIVED CONTENT] Key stage 2 | Religious education | Subjects | Key stages 1 & 2 | National Curriculum. [online] Available at: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100202100434/http://curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/key-stages-1-and-2/subjects/religious-education/keystage2/index.aspx [Accessed 22 Apr. 2014].
After reviewing all the issues studied in this course, the one area where I feel most confident, and would therefore call the "easiest issue" is in the area of Catholic identity. Studying at Marymount has allowed me to deepen my understanding of Catholic identity, and that understanding conforms to the discussion of Catholic identity found in the Handbook of Research on Catholic Education (Hunt, Joseph & Nuzzi, 2004), where identity is included in the theology that makes Catholic schools Catholic (p.31). Simply put, Catholic identity emerges from the theology of Catholicism and the truths taught by the church. Moreover, in an age when Catholic school enrollment is on the decline, successful schools are those who have remained true to their
Understanding a specific religion basically from what is consistently said in regards to it doesn't have any rationale; so training would help them see well. All the religions originate from the same. In addition to this social perspectives of religions also have to be taught to the students. These social functions of religions are based on believes and practices.
Education from the Church has initiated structural learning which brought a gradual end to the barbaric era (Dark Ages). The Church’s legacy gained them the medieval reputation of society and this has influenced the reputation of the Church today.
Oriana Ravenna Mr. Laino Religion, Period A 22 February 2018 Catholic Social Teaching Catholic Social Teaching is all about building a society where we can lives our lives and be as holy as possible amongst all the obstacles we face everyday (Catholic Bishops). There are so many aspects of the Catholic Social Teaching. Some of the key themes are, life and dignity of the human person, call to family, community, participation, rights and responsibilities, and option for the poor and vulnerable.
.... From it we learn not to lose sight of the facts and some of the things we do most of the time come because of our society, “they are only culture products.” It also teaches us to keep an open mind, not everything that unknown to us we most immediately reject it. We should see things through an open mind and not let our feelings and what we have been taught by our culture get in the way of finding the truth. Religion is different in many cultures but we should be open to what others religion is, it might be different but if we don’t take a minute to actually try to understand their way than we are making a mistake. We have to have an open mind because without an open mind we will not see beyond what we already know or think we know. I like one of Rachels sentence and its true what he says, “Then we may be more open to discovering the truth, whatever that might be.”
Reading shapes the way that a college student thinks and broadens their understanding in a variety of subjects. Not only do books and articles aid in teaching information, they provide channels to connect with other people. Books invite conversation to intellectual friends and teachers, allowing the Christian student a chance to further deepen their awareness of subjects they wish to comprehend. As God calls His followers to build relationships with others on earth, books become a tool to follow His teachings. As Stanley Hauerwas (13) says, “To a great extent, becoming an educated person means adding lots of layers to your relationships.” A Christian college student must understand that in order to get the most out of this practice, they must pay attention to what they are reading. “If reading is to accomplish anything more than passing time, it must be active” (Adler 299). By engaging the thoughts and ideas captured by the author and studying the contents, a Christian student can enhance their learning experience in a myriad of ways. Reading is an essential practice for a Christian college student and as Stanley Hauerwas (14) states, “Books are touchstones, common points of reference. They are the water in which our minds