Catholic Identity

THE ROLE OF THE CATHOLIC SCHOOL

“Among educational means the Christian faithful should greatly value schools, which are principal assistance to parents in fulfilling their educational task.”
Code of Canon Law (1917, revised 1983)

“Community is at the heart of Christian education not simply as a concept to be taught but as a reality to be lived.”
To Teach As Jesus Did (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 1972)

“The school is a place of integral formation. Its task is fundamentally a synthesis of culture and faith. A synthesis of faith and life.”
The Catholic School (Congregation for Catholic Education, 1988)

“The Catholic school is at the heart of the Church.”
The Catholic School on the Threshold of the 3rd Millennium (Congregation for Catholic Education, 1997

THE ROLE OF PARENTS IN THE CATHOLIC SCHOOL

“The role of parents in education is of such importance that it is almost impossible to provide an adequate substitute.”
Declaration on Christian Education (2nd Vatican Council, 1965)

THE ROLE OF TEACHERS IN THE CATHOLIC SCHOOL

“Teaching has an extraordinary moral depth and is one of man’s most excellent and creative activities, for the teacher does not write on inanimate material, but on the very spirits of human beings.”
The Catholic School on the Threshold of the Third Millennium (Congregation for Catholic Education, 1997)

“The entire effort of the Catholic school teacher is oriented towards an integral formation of each student.”
Lay Catholics in Schools: Witnesses of Faith (Congregation for Catholic Education, 1982)

THE ROLE OF PRIESTS & RELIGIOUS IN THE CATHOLIC SCHOOL

“When it [Catholic Education] is animated by lay and consecrated persons that live the same educational mission in sincere unity, the Catholic school shows the face of a community that tends toward an increasingly deeper communion.”
Educating Together (Congregation for Catholic Education, 2007)

“By living their vocations with generosity and eagerness, consecrated persons bring to schools their experience of a relationship with God, based on prayer, the Eucharist, the sacrament of Reconciliation, and the spirituality of communion that characterize the life of religious communities.”
Consecrated Persons & Their Mission In the School (Congregation for Catholic Education, 2002)