A Beacon Of Light… Jesus, The First And Greatest Catholic Educator

By FR. RICHARD D. BRETON JR.

(Editor’s Note: Fr. Richard D. Breton Jr. is a priest of the Diocese of Norwich, Conn. He received his BA in religious studies and his MA in dogmatic theology from Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, Conn.)

• + + Recently I heard someone say the Church doesn’t have the authority to get involved with education. I find this quite interesting, considering it was Jesus Himself who gave the apostles and disciples the precise authority to do just that: “And Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:18-20).
  The Church has the authority to direct institutions of learning from elementary, secondary, and even post-secondary schools. The Church finds her authority primarily in Christ her founder, but also, in the Church’s collection of laws, called the Code of Canon Law. In 1983, the late Holy Father, now St. John Paul II, promulgated the new Code of Canon Law which provided updates to the previous Codex Juris Canonici, of 1917.
  The current Code of Canon Law provides an understanding of the responsibility the Church has in her involvement with education. Canon 794 §1 says: “The Church has in a special way the duty and the right of educating, for it has a divine mission of helping all to arrive at the fullness of Christian life.” We can clearly see from this canon that Church has a unique and “special responsibility” in education of the faithful.
  As mentioned in last week’s column, the parents are the primary and first teachers of the faith who are assisted by the Church in this duty. Canon 794 §2 goes on to explain who has the charge of fostering education in the Church: “Pastors of souls have the duty of making all possible arrangements so that all the faithful may avail themselves of a Catholic education.” This is consistent with the promises priests make at their Priestly Ordination regarding the three munera of Christ, to sanctify, to teach, and to lead.
  On the day of a priestly Ordination, the new priest is asked a series of questions by the bishop regarding his resolve to sanctify, to teach and to lead — that is, to participate in the triple munera of Christ. The following are the questions asked of the new priest:
  “Do you resolve, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to discharge without fail the office of priesthood in the presbyteral rank, as worthy fellow workers with the Order of Bishops in caring for the Lord’s flock?”
  “Do you resolve to exercise the ministry of the word worthily and wisely, preaching the Gospel and teaching the Catholic faith?”
  “Do you resolve to celebrate faithfully and reverently, in accord with the Church’s tradition, the mysteries of Christ, especially the sacrifice of the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, for the glory of God and the sanctification of the Christian people?”
  Each of these questions demand a response of “I do.” Notably, the first question pertains to the priest’s willingness to lead as a shepherd, the second to his willingness to teach and proclaim the Gospel with his words and actions, and the third of his willingness to faithfully celebrate the sacraments. So, here we can see that the priest has the highest role in assisting in the education of the faithful.
  In discussing education of the faithful, we must never concentrate solely on spiritual aspects, but rather, on educating the whole person. Canon 795 further explains what is meant by the whole person:
  “Education must pay regard to the formation of the whole person, so that all may attain their eternal destiny and at the same time promote the common good of society. Children and young persons are therefore to be cared for in such a way that their physical, moral, and intellectual talents may develop in a harmonious manner, so that they may attain a greater sense of responsibility and a right use of freedom, and be formed to take an active part in social life.”
  The Church’s role in education is one of preparation of the faithful to lead good quality active lives, with the goal of participating in the social aspect of life. Fundamentally speaking, graduates of institutions of Catholic Education receive more than just spiritual formation. They are uniquely prepared for all aspects of life.

The Principal Means

Education can be done in many different ways. The history of civilization has included many differing means of learning. For us the primary means is through the use of a school. Once again, the Church’s wisdom was at work by in defining how this was to be done. Canon 796 §1 explains this: “Among the means of advancing education, Christ’s faithful are to consider schools as of great importance, since they are the principal means of helping parents to fulfill their role in education.”
There must exist a special place in formulating the education of children. The importance of having this place to educate fosters knowledge and social interaction and supports the development of the whole person. Without this, children often have difficulty assimilating the knowledge necessary in acquiring a quality education. The recent coronavirus pandemic has brought this notion to the forefront of our educational system. As children were forced to stay home and endure virtual learning, statistically there was a huge drop in grades. Children who usually excelled in school found themselves struggling to make the grade. This is why physical schools are so important in educating our youth.
Having said this, I think it is important to mention here the importance of multiple intelligences. Howard Gardner of Harvard has identified seven distinct intelligences. This theory has emerged from recent cognitive research and “documents the extent to which students possess different kinds of minds and therefore learn, remember, perform, and understand in different ways,” according to Gardner (1991). According to this theory, “We are all able to know the world through language, logical-mathematical analysis, spatial representation, musical thinking, the use of the body to solve problems or to make things, an understanding of other individuals, and an understanding of ourselves. Where individuals differ is in the strength of these intelligences — the so-called profile of intelligences — and in the ways in which such intelligences are invoked and combined to carry out different tasks, solve diverse problems, and progress in various domains.”
Gardner says that these differences: “Challenge an educational system that assumes that everyone can learn the same materials in the same way and that a uniform, universal measure suffices to test student learning. Indeed, as currently constituted, our educational system is heavily biased toward linguistic modes of instruction and assessment and, to a somewhat lesser degree, toward logical-quantitative modes as well.” Thus, it is important to remember that every student learns differently and so each student’s experience may be drastically different.
Let’s take me for an example. When I was growing up, my educational experience was very difficult. Having a visual impairment and a learning disability made learning very different from my peers. This is why the physical school is so important. It enables each student the opportunity to learn in whatever way is best for them.
In next week’s column we will look at the relationship that teachers play in a Catholic Education. This relationship is vital to Catholic Education’s vision.