tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2452787668951177456.post7926760281032081862..comments2023-11-02T10:20:35.307-04:00Comments on Sacred Sharings For The Soul: Before we give our Catholic schools a failing grade...: C.C. Celestehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13453641862004243022noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2452787668951177456.post-47333975558945635082013-10-23T22:21:58.419-04:002013-10-23T22:21:58.419-04:00Marc, Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts ...Marc, Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and insight. You offer much more to reflect upon and bring forth valuable information.We can all gain a much needed perspective in reading your comment. The "evangelize before educate" concept is very important, not only for educators,but for all of us as the faithful. <br />There is so much one can do to educate those who have truly encountered the Lord and are thirsting for more. So much of the "fruitful soil" becomes bare when no one plants seeds. <br />May your work in the Lord continue to lead many to the truth and beauty of the Catholic Church and may you continually be enriched with the courage, clarity, and discernment to do His will. +JMJCelestehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13453641862004243022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2452787668951177456.post-17767572491184473112013-10-22T14:19:12.865-04:002013-10-22T14:19:12.865-04:00In theory, Catholic education is awesome! It has a...In theory, Catholic education is awesome! It has amazing potential. And that's what bugs me. It's not living up to a tenth of it's potential. The Catholic school could center the day around an awareness of God, integrate a Christian perspective into all subjects, and imbue the practice of the Faith into daily student life. But so often it's just a veneer. And you're right, much of that is on the teachers who themselves have not been formed correctly. <br /><br />I think there's a critical flaw in the religious component of Catholic education, though. I read a document once saying Catholic schools should seek to present the Faith with the same academic rigor as other subjects. Not bad in itself, but it also said that discipleship and conversion are the realm of catechesis and that's to be done in the parish. The Catholic school is not about catechesis. The problem with that is, in practice, the Catholic school families don't have anything to do with the parish or catechetical programming. They're looking to the school for that. They're sending their kids to the Catholic school so they won't have to do anything with the parish outside of the school. When catechesis happened in the family, this devotional aspect was taken care of. Now, parents have all but abdicated their role as religious educators to the school, but the school isn't forming them into disciples. The real problem with Catholic education is the focus is all wrong. Like everywhere else, we've assumed that education in the Catholic Faith equals faithful Catholics. It doesn't. And, a purely academic presentation of the Faith will almost never succeed in producing faith because it's detached, distant, and doesn't call people to make a commitment to Christ and to love him. It just teaches facts about him. <br /><br />Until the school changes it's priority and teachers learn how to evangelize first and educate second, nothing in Catholic education will change. And, my fear is that Catholic educators don't recognize this important distinction. But I agree with you...we shouldn't count Catholic education out, just push for serious change. In the current model, we won't get where we need to be, and if the episcopacy insist on putting so much hope in Catholic education, the future doesn't look promising. Marc Cardaronellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10608322942508691673noreply@blogger.com