Catholic Identity and Culture of the Australian Catholic School - Research Paper Example

EDLE 636 - ASSIGNMENT EDLE 636 - Assignment Develop a concise, theologically and educationally sound ment on the ‘Catholic Identity and Culture of the Australian Catholic School’ The Catholic identity is centred on the presentation of the person of Jesus Christ with his call to repent and believe. It also espouses crucifixion Christianity which leads to the call to believe that everyone stands under the last four things of death and judgement, heaven and hell. As a catholic, one has a call to faith and reason as well as love and hope which is now profoundly countercultural (Diocese of Rockhampton, 2001). This is the catholic identity. The Catholic identity promotes stewardship with stipulates that material resources must be efficiently used to allow the most needy to have access. Human beings must be stewards of each other and safeguard the available resources so that future generations can enjoy it. Pastoral care is founded deep into their identity founded on a mutual relationship of profound respect. The Catholic identity utilises a variety of symbols, rituals and actions that are all used to express the various sacraments. In Australia, Catholics remain around one quarter of the population. There is a grounded belief that God is full of surprises and as such, people must strive to protect the catholic identity and learn from previous mistakes. Often, secularists have tried to remove religion from the public domain to private life in order to make it another area for consumer choice. Catholics do not believe in individual choices that reflect personal preferences unrelated to the truth as realized on their stand on the contraceptive pill and the post-war immigration. The contraceptive pill brought about a social revolution in the Western world. This was linked to the hope that abortion rates would fall drastically and children would only be conceived when it was convenient. This pill however simply liberated sexual activity from procreation making it a recreational right for adults. It has escalated divorce rates separating children from the ones they love. It is for these reasons that the Catholic identity has distanced itself from the use of contraceptives because of its belief that sexual activity should be a pure affair between a man and his wife. The Catholic identity believes in sacraments that are meant to allow a person realize in word and deed, the message of Gods Kingdom within itself. It proposes universality and inclusiveness in understanding Gods word. It takes Jesus as its exemplar and guide drawing inspiration from the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. That Catholic identity respects all life as being equally precious in the eyes of God and invites all to participate in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Catholics also recognize the role of lay leaders in their primordial role of emphasizing baptism among the lay faithful. This together with the doctrine of the congeniality of bishops has allowed the development of parish and school boards that govern education of children in the country. The Catholic Church believes that education in a child should be inclusive of fundamental aspects of religion that will govern their social life during and after school (Groome, 1998). This is the culture that has been inculcated into the Australian Catholic School. The Catholic identity believes that a decision to believe in Christ is mysterious and individual although schools can assist to some extent. Schools can impart the religious knowledge on fundamental aspects of the Bible that can be applied to daily life. They also encourage patterns of clear thinking, constructive inquiry and a quest for answers. It is in light of this that the Catholic Church has appointed catechists and evangelists whose work is inspired by the Holy Spirit to take the word of the Lord to all. Identify the major challenges facing Catholic schools in terms of this statement of identity and culture The Catholic Church has not changed over the years and the cultural, theological and ecclesial movements over time have had significant influences on their functions. This presents a challenge to the schools as they try to maintain their overall character and ethos in the face of socialization that has reviewed the manner in which students behave (Pell, 2006). In this new millennium, the schools appear less united with the church’s vision. And over the years, the same church has been forced to account for sexual abuse of the congregation by the clergy and other religious members. Some of the lay principles in a school have failed in their faith to meet the requirements for being a teacher. In this manner, they end up losing their way and engaging in activities that can be deemed questionable as they have not been fully established. Cases of abortion among the lay females, sexual abuse of children and even drug abuse have been reported in the recent past though not fully reported. These have just been speculations that have been circulating in the Catholic schools domain that have aggravated the challenges that they face. This has significantly dented the image of the church and the accompanying denial, hypocrisy and self-protective actions have not done anything to remedy the problem. In addition, the question of divorce and remarriage, birth control and sexuality have all been a challenge to the Catholic Church and in extension to the schools. This is because anything that affects the church in turn affects the schools because on the similar doctrine that they ascribe to. The catholic schools have now come to enrol students who come from other belief systems to achieve equality in service provision to the community (Holohan, 2006). But these changes have also brought about significant challenges that cloud their functioning. The church has been increasingly contesting this move by the schools to shift its morals of spirituality whereby the youth are the most affected. This has led to a decline in the number of youth who participate in formal religion with most of them rejecting it altogether. These children may not all ascribe to the catholic faith posing a great challenge to the various doctrines that may be practiced during school hours. Mass is one of the most important sacraments that the Catholic faith adheres to (The Archbishops Charter for Catholic Schools). It is conducted in a certain manner with certain rituals that must be respected throughout the worship. Children from other secular families may not find this appealing and may often resist such activities. By providing the option that some students can omit attending mass and participating is some other activities that define the catholic faith; these schools go against the aspect of pastoralism. It is stipulated that everyone has a freedom of worship and they can choose to not engage in any form of worship that they do not wish. Bending this to force students from other denominations to ascribe to the catholic faith while they are in school may only lead to rebellion and resentment (Davis, 2010). It may be the leading cause of rebellion and failure to embrace religion among the youth of this generation however this has not been fully established. Government funding for these schools has also been a significant challenge because these schools are initially set up with funding from the local churches. But as time goes by, these schools often require funding from the government to ensure continuity. This funding is often limited and in a manner that does not promote the very values that the church seeks to further. This is because the government has got its own stipulations on the way school activities should be undertaken. It also stipulates not only the hours but the nature of subjects that are supposed to be taught in these schools. Some of these teachings are those that go against the church’s expectations placing the school management in a very precarious position (McGahey, 2002). These schools fail to meet the expectations of the church in their bid to conform to government accountability systems. Even allowing that these schools do not require government funding in any way, they are also expected to operate through the prescribed guidelines that have been set. There are certain subjects that are supposed to be taught in school curriculum during a set time and for any school to be registered by the authorities as being authentic then they must conform. Lay principles also have a challenge because they are answerable to multiple legitimacies of government accountability (Belmonte, Cranston & Limerick, 2006). They have the task of developing a genuine catholic school while conforming to government regulations. This is by far the greatest challenge that these schools face in light of their culture and identity. Select ONE of these challenges and develop a strategy for response at the school level. The challenge that a lay principle has when defining the curriculum of the school to conform to both the governments and the church’s expectations of learning is a significant challenge. This challenge can be responded to in a number of ways at the school level. The school can engage in meetings and discussions with the members of the board of education at the government level to discuss fundamental aspect of religion and learning. A clear understanding has to be arrived at on the recommended teaching guidelines that are acceptable and the various provisions that can be accepted. With a clear understanding of this, the principle can then approach other teachers and parents through a parent-teacher meeting aimed at sensitizing the parents on the various aspects of education that they would wish to impart on their children and its relationship to religion. Only when the parents clearly understand the catholic doctrines of religion and their stand on various issues can they allow their children to be taught. With this understanding, it will be easier to reach out to the children because their parents will act as linkages in providing an understanding of what the school expects of them. Even allowing that the government has got its own curriculum that it would wish schools to conform to, lay principles can also introduce further classes or set apart time that will allow them to provide additional teaching in the manner they would wish. Other subjects that may not have been included in the government curriculum can be squeezed in at some other hours. Learning materials on religion including diagrams, art work, posters and signs may be included in the school to allow children to identify with them. It is only in this way that the lay principle can satisfy the requirements of the government while promoting the culture and vision of the Catholic Church. References Belmonte, A., Cranston, N. and Limerick, B. (2006). Voices of catholic school lay principals: promoting a Catholic character and culture in schools in an era of change. A paper presented at the 2006 international Conference of the Australian association for Research in Education (AARE), Adelaide. Davis, R. (2010). Positive Culture. Leadership Excellence, 27(8), 10-11. http://ezproxy.acu.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=52768138&site=ehost-live Diocese of Rockhampton. (2001). Defining Features of Catholic Schools. Diocese of Rockhampton. http://www.rok.catholic.edu.au/files/DefiningA4BookletFinal.pdf Groome, T. (1998). Educating for Life: A Spiritual Vision for Every Teacher and Parent. Allen, TX: Thomas More pp. 9-21 http://ezproxy.acu.edu.au/login?url=http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/ereserve/copyright/documents/Groome9828.pdf Holohan, G. (2006). Nurturing Catholicity in our Catholic schools. Paper presented at the National Catholic Education Conference, Sydney, 27-29 September. http://ezproxy.acu.edu.au/login?url=http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/ereserve/copyright/documents/Holohan11614.pdf http://www.aare.edu.au/06pap/bel06236.pdf McGahey, V. (2002). Establishing moral community in catholic schools; sensing the spirit in leadership. Leading & Managing, 8(1), 60-77. http://ezproxy.acu.edu.au/login?url=http://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=125889;res=AEIPT Pell, G. (2006). Religion and culture: Catholic schools in Australia. The keynote address National Catholic Education Conference, Sydney, 27-29 September. http://www.sydney.catholic.org.au/people/archbishop/addresses/2006/2006928_17.shtml The Archbishops Charter for Catholic Schools. Catholic Education Office. Archdiocesan of Hobart. Retrieved Feb 5 2011 http://www.tcspff.org.au/sites/tcspff.org.au/files/Archbishops%20Charter.pdf Read More