On The Mission of Catholic Schools
The military is famous for its many acronyms. CIPHER. HALO. FATS. POW. Even RED HORSE.
IOT is another one. “In order to.”
We’re attacking that beach in order to…
We’re landing on that island in order to…
When soldiers are deployed, it’s imperative that they have clarity and alignment on the IOT or else confusion reigns, morale quickly breaks down when trouble arises, and worse.
This acronym has become part and parcel of our ministry in ACTS XXIX. There is little clarity and alignment in the Church, we think and have often stated here and elsewhere, on a whole set of IOTs. God became a man in order to…Jesus sends us out as disciples in order to…A chancery exists in order to…
One of those apostolates within the Church that has been grappling for clarity and alignment is Catholic schools. Catholic schools exist in order to…what exactly?
I’m not sure there’s one single way to answer this, but we would like to offer some thoughts to keep the conversation going, especially in this time of year when we celebrate Catholic schools week.
In short, we would argue Catholic schools exist in order to 1) lead children (and their parents, oftentimes) into an encounter with Jesus; 2) help them mature as disciples of the Lord; and then 3) mobilize them for mission in this world. This last part helps make the bridge between education in the faith and education at large.
"Catholic schools exist in order to lead young people to Jesus, help them mature as His disciples, develop their knowledge and skills, and then catapult them out into the world on mission."
Luigi Giussani, the founder of Communion and Liberation, was fond of saying that Catholic education was a crucial place where the biblical narrative, the faith, the gospel needs to be presented in a compelling and attractive way to young people. However, this narrative needs to be presented by witnesses who are themselves credible and attractive, and in such a way that it helps young people to understand how the faith alone answers the deepest desires of their hearts and their minds. Furthermore, this narrative makes sense of reality in a way that the many narratives of the culture around us don't and can’t. When this happens, it often leads students to being overwhelmed by what they have heard and moved so as to entrust their lives to Jesus in faith.
Alongside this presentation of the gospel in a compelling and attractive way - not only in words but in the examples of the teachers, no matter the subject - students can then be led into deeper discipleship, into a deeper understanding of the Scriptures and sacraments and why they are essential for living a life of freedom and fulfillment.
While this is happening, students should also be helped to discover their gifts, talents and skills. Finally, and crucially, all of this is brought into harmony with what they’re learning.
Youth, as we all know, tend toward idealism and zeal. Blessed be God! When we’re young we often begin to dream about changing the world. And this is exactly what Jesus is calling them, and us, to do. After having encountered Him and been filled with His Holy Spirit, He sends us out as His disciples to continue the work of re-creation, transformation, healing, reconciliation and resistance that He began on Easter Sunday when He triumphed over Sin and Death.
In other words, Catholic schools don’t exist in order to simply get children into heaven. Nor do they exist in order to get students into the top prep schools and universities. They don’t exist in order to be an alternative to public schools. Catholic schools exist in order to lead young people to Jesus, help them mature as His disciples, develop their knowledge and skills, and then catapult them out into the world on mission. Once in that world, whether it’s in sports, the arts, family, politics, medicine, law, education and every other sphere imaginable, they are now equipped with confidence in Jesus’ love, goodness, power, mercy and Lordship to transform this world that God loves through their life and work.