Is Catholic education having an identity crisis?

Traditionally, parochial schools and Catholic high schools have been known for a very visible religiosity (think The Bells of St. Mary's). Catholic schools were recognized by their theological excellence as much as their excellence in other disciplines. With staffs largely comprised of religious men and women, the faith was modeled as well as taught. Moral living was as important as test scores.

Today's Catholic schools find themselves in a different situation. Having lost the religious as teachers, they are staffed by lay people, many of whom are not Catholic, the rest of whom have vastly different levels of catechesis. These teachers, administrators and staff are left to operate a school whose mission seems to be drifting from its original intent.

Are schools up to the task of contributing to the mission of evangelizing catechesis? We have to believe they are. The challenges are great, but the benefits of Catholic education overwhelmingly outweigh them.

Richard Reichert, in "Renewing Catechetical Ministry: A Future Agenda" (Paulist Press, 2002) poses important questions about the nature and role of Catholic education. Reichert makes the point that most Catholic schools approach catechesis with the less-favored intellectual model rather than the more current discipleship model.

In the intellectual model, the study of theology is on the same plane as the study of algebra or biology, a "do as I say" approach. Discipleship, on the other hand, follows a "do as I do" approach in the sense that the teacher is exemplifying what he or she is teaching.

It is true that Catholic schools approach religion as an academic discipline. But this does not mean that the intellectual model and the discipleship model are mutually exclusive. The faith is modeled differently than any other academic discipline. Unlike mathematics or science where education on the subject matter is confined to the classroom (one does not particularly care if one's Literature teacher understands or agrees with Quantum Physics), religious education must be modeled by the entire school community or it becomes irrelevant. Students should be able to see teachers, administrators and staff living their faith and modeling what it means to be a Catholic lay person.

The laity may actually have an advantage over the religious in this type of modeling. This presupposes not only an all-Catholic staff (or close to it), but one that has been adequately formed. It is the responsibility of the school administration to make sure the staff is willing to take on the challenge of modeling the faith to their students. And it is the task of administrators as well as diocesan officials to support people in their formation.

This requires time and treasure. Administrators can and should provide the time. But the Church needs to come up with the treasure. The financial support for graduate education, retreats and adult catechesis will turn well-intentioned teachers into theologically-educated models of faith.

Many people in parishes and dioceses believe it would be far better to use the money currently put into schools to fortify the formation and religious education programs in parishes. Parochial schools serve two very critical roles in the life of the parish. The first role is one of community building and formation. Parishes without schools, even those with thriving religious education programs, do not have the same community as those parishes with schools. The reality is that parents and families become intimately involved with their children's schools because of their day-to-day involvement.

The key to making the school a formation device for the entire parish is to utilize the community-building aspect of the school to encourage structured formation for parents. In this respect, schools could go a long way to assist parishes reach their goal of whole community catechesis and a formed laity.

The second role of a parochial school is to assist the parish with social ministry. Not only is the school a good catalyst for social outreach programs in the community, it also does outreach in itself. Most parochial schools, and especially those in inner cities, have students who attend on scholarship. Parochial schools have a tradition of educating all people, independent of religion, culture or socio-economic status.

Even if a particular school in a wealthy suburb has mostly affluent students, they are most likely contributing to the larger Archdiocesan funding of poorer students in other communities. In this sense, the school itself can be a social ministry to students and their families, and can remind even those parishioners who do not use the school of the importance of social outreach and hospitality to others.

Some see Catholic schools' attention to academic excellence as a distraction from their mission to evangelize and catechize. It is true that many Catholic high schools, faced with staff who are not properly formed in their faith, and hoping to compete with private non-sectarian academies, have shifted their focus to college preparation. I submit that the pursuit of academic excellence and evangelization are not mutually exclusive. Catholic high schools cannot compete with other private academies strictly on the basis of academics. Private schools do not face the same kind of budget constraints and can afford to better compensate their faculty.

What sets Catholic high schools apart is their fidelity to their Catholic identity. However, academic excellence is part of the Catholic identity. The Church, throughout the centuries, has been the champion of higher education and the compatibility of faith and reason. The challenge is to find highly qualified teachers, administrators and staff with a commitment to academic excellence while also wishing to share their faith.

The model of parish life in the United States is changing and may dramatically change in the next few generations. With fewer priests being ordained, a well-formed laity becomes vital. Catholic schools may play an increasingly important role in the life of the Church. Their true gift is to graduate young people who are academically and spiritually prepared for the challenges of the world.

The lay people currently in place in schools must be formed themselves before they can hope to adequately teach and model the faith to the next generation. I believe this is where the real challenge of Catholic education currently lies. That challenge will either be met or ignored by the entire Church, not merely those who work in or benefit from Catholic schools.

Raphael Domingo is a religion teacher, tennis coach and campus minister at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente. Currently pursuing a Master's degree in Catholic School Administration at LMU, he can be reached at rockydomingo@yahoo.com.