Catholic Identity

Foundation of Catholic Education
*

St. Anne Educating the Blessed Virgin Mary

* Young people of the third
millennium must be a source
of energy and leadership in
our Church and our nation.
Therefore, we must provide
young people with an
academically rigorous and
doctrinally sound program of
education and faith
formation designed to
strengthen their union with
Christ and his Church

*Catholic schools collaborate
with parents and guardians
in raising and forming their
children as families struggle
with the changing and
challenging cultural and
moral contexts in which
they find themselves.

*Catholic schools provide
young people with sound
Church teaching through a
broad-based curriculum,
where faith and culture
are intertwined in all areas
of a school's life.

* By equipping our young
people with a sound
education, rooted in the
Gospel message, the Person
of Jesus Christ, and rich in
the cherished traditions and
liturgical practices of our
faith, we ensure that they
have the foundation to live
morally and uprightly in our
complex modern world.

*This unique Catholic
identity makes our Catholic
elementary and secondary
schools "Schools for the
human person" and allows
them to fill a critical role in
the future life of our
Church, our country, and
our world

*How conscious are we that
our school is an educational
ministry of the Church?
*Does SMA help
parents/guardians fulfill
their role as the primary
teachers of the Faith to
their children?
*Are we aware that parents,
teachers and administrators
have an important role in
assuring a Catholic
education at St. Mary
Academy?

*"Rabbi, you are
the Son of God;
you are the
King of Israel."

Jesus, the Teacher,
gave us the final
revelation of God
through His actions,
life, teaching,
sacrifice, resurrection
and ascension

The experience of the
Apostles and other
disciples, the things
they learned directly
from Jesus, became
the basis of Church
teaching and practice

The life of Jesus and
the Apostles’
preaching were
preserved first in the
Letters of St. Paul and
the other Apostles

The Evangelists then
set down the life of
Christ in the Gospels

St. Luke set down the
history of the early
Church in the Acts of
the Apostles

These writings
became the first pillar
of Church preaching,
teaching, action and
belief: The Scriptures

The preaching,
practice, and Way of
Prayer established by
Jesus was passed on
to His Apostles and
disciples through their
teaching and action

These elements
became the basis of
Sacred Tradition, the
second pillar of
Catholic life and
teaching

Hence there exists a close connection
and communication between sacred
tradition and Sacred Scripture. For both
of them, flowing from the same divine
wellspring, in a certain way merge into a
unity and tend toward the same end. For
Sacred Scripture is the word of God
inasmuch as it is consigned to writing
under the inspiration of the divine Spirit,
while sacred tradition takes the word of
God entrusted by Christ the Lord and the
Holy Spirit to the Apostles, and hands it
on to their successors in its full purity,

so that led by the light of the Spirit
of truth, they may in proclaiming it
preserve this word of God faithfully,
explain it, and make it more widely
known. Consequently it is not from
Sacred Scripture alone that the
Church draws her certainty about
everything which has been
revealed. Therefore both sacred
tradition and Sacred Scripture are
to be accepted and venerated with
the same sense of loyalty and
reverence.

The teaching of the
Apostles and their
successors was first
and foremost the
instruction of
Catechumens, those
entering the Church

The truths of the faith
were explored by
many schools of
philosophy and by the
slowly emerging
ecclesiastical schools
throughout
Christendom

At the time of the
Barbarian invasions
and collapse of the
Roman Empire in the
West, it fell to the
Church to preserve
culture, knowledge
and learning

The Church was the
last institution in the
West that could stand
firm, preserve
learning and pass it on
to future generations

Local parish schools and
monastic schools passed
on basic reading,
writing, arithmetic,
catechesis and practical
knowledge for those
who had the time to
attend them

The Benedictine
monks and nuns and
Dominican and
Franciscan friars and
sisters were the main
educators in the
Middle Ages

In many places in
Europe, the
Reformation forced
the closing of many
Catholic parish,
monastic and
university schools

The Council of Trent re-
enforced the idea of a
specifically Catholic
education at all levels
and promulgated the
creation and printing of
a universal catechism to
assist in educating the
faithful

One effect of the Council was an
explosion of educational orders and
schools in the Church:
The Ursulines
The Jesuits
Brothers of the Christian Schools
The Filippini Sisters
Sisters of Loreto
Piarist Brothers...

The educational and
catechetical mission of the
Church continued as
missionaries spread
throughout the world.
Education and catechesis
in native languages were a
priority of missionary
activity

Along with the world-
wide movement and
settlement of Catholics,
the Faith came to North
America. The first
permanent Catholic
educational institution
was the Ursuline
Academy in New Orleans

In 1632, Cecelius Calvert,
known as Lord Baltimore,
was granted possession of
all land lying between the
Potomac River and the
Chesapeake Bay. Lord
Baltimore saw this as an
opportunity to grant
religious freedom to the
Catholics who remained in
Anglican England.

Although outright violence
was more a part of the
1500s than the 1600s,
Catholics were still a
persecuted minority in the
seventeenth century.
Baltimore thought that his
New World possession
could serve as a refuge.
From:
http://www.ushistory.org/us/5a.asp

Local Catholic Schools were
established in the Colony of
Maryland to educate
Catholic children. Most of
the schools were run by the
Jesuits. Bishop John Carroll
wished to expand Catholic
education and so invited a
convert from New York to
travel to his diocese to
establish schools there.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton was a
convert to the Catholic faith from
Anglicanism, a move that caused
her to become an outcast among
her family and friends. After
beginning a Catholic day school in
New York, which failed due to
rampant anti-Catholic sentiment,
she travelled to Baltimore to
establish what was to be the first of
many Catholic parochial schools
throughout the United States.

Throughout the 19th century, the
influx of immigrants from
Catholic countries elicited vicious
anti-Catholic action in the United
States. The public schools were
run by Protestants, most
Catholics could not find decent
jobs and there was a fear that
the faith would be lost by the
children who would be influenced
by anti-Catholic educators

The First Plenary Council of
Baltimore stressed the need for
parochial schools and their role in
preserving and passing on the
faith to future generations

“Wherever parochial schools are possible,
they are ordered to be opened, and
Sunday- schools are insisted upon as an
absolute necessity ; when a school is
found in which Catholic doctrines or
moral principles are attacked, it is the
duty of the pastor in its neighborhood to
prohibit attendance at it by the children
of his flock. In the beginning of the
following year these decrees were
returned as approved by the Propaganda
Congregation and the Pope. A most
favorable impression was made upon the
Church at large.”

The number of Catholic schools and
students grew apace...In 1900, the
Church supported 3,500 parochial
schools, usually under the control of
the local parish. By 1920, the number
of elementary schools had reached
6,551, enrolling 1.8 million pupils
taught by 42,000 teachers, the great
majority of whom were nuns.

Secondary education likewise boomed.
In 1900, there were only about 100
Catholic high schools, but by 1920
more than 1,500 were in operation.
David P. Baker, "Schooling All the Masses:
Reconsidering the Origins of American
Schooling in the Postbellum Era," Sociology
of Education (1999) 72#4 pp. 197-215

For more than two generations,
enrollment climbed steadily. By the
mid-1960s, enrollment in Catholic
parochial schools had reached an all-
time high of 4.5 million elementary
school pupils, with about 1 million
students in Catholic high schools. The
enrollments steadily declined as
Catholics moved to the suburbs, where
the children attended public schools.

A major transition took place in the
1970s as most of the teaching nuns
left their orders. Many schools
closed, others replaced the nuns
with a majority of lay teachers
* From: Michael P. Caruso, When the Sisters Said Farewell: The
Transition of Leadership in Catholic Elementary Schools (R&L
Education, 2012) United States Catholic Elementary and
Secondary Schools, 2009-2010: The Annual Statistical Report
on Schools, Enrollment and Staffing (National Catholic
Educational Association, 2010).

* Jesus says, “But seek first the
kingdom (of God) and his
righteousness, and all these
things will be given you
besides.” (Matt. 6:33) Are we
giving the students of SMA the
chance to respond in faith and
intellect to the teaching of Jesus
and His Church?
* Have we lost the knowledge and
practice of our Catholic story?
* The Church has been at times
countercultural in society
throughout history: is the
counterculturalism of the
Gospel apparent at SMA?
* Is the community of SMA
aware of it’s role in carrying
on the great tradition of
Catholic education which we
have inherited and are called
upon to pass on?
*

"The Catholic school pursues cultural
goals and the natural development of
youth to the same degree as any other
school. What makes the Catholic school
distinctive is its attempt to generate a
community climate in the school that is
permeated by the Gospel spirit of
freedom and love. It tries to guide the
adolescents in such a way that
personality development goes hand in
hand with the development of the "new
creature" that each one has become
through baptism.

It tries to relate all of human
culture to the good news of
salvation so that the light of
faith will illumine everything
that the students will gradually
come to learn about the world,
about life, and about the human
person".

The Council…declared that what
makes the Catholic school
distinctive is its religious
dimension, and that this is to be
found in…

a) the educational climate
b) the personal development of each
student

student
c) the relationship established
between culture and the Gospel

student
c) the relationship established
between culture and the Gospel
d) the illumination of all knowledge
with the light of faith

Many young people find themselves
in a condition of radical instability.

in a condition of radical instability
Others live in an environment devoid
of truly human relationships; as a
result, they suffer from loneliness and
a lack of affection

in a condition of radical instability
Others live in an environment devoid
of truly human relationships; as a
result, they suffer from loneliness and
a lack of affection
Large numbers of today's youth are
very worried about an uncertain future

Not a few young people, unable to
find any meaning in life or trying to
find an escape from loneliness, turn to
alcohol, drugs, the erotic, the exotic
etc.

Not a few young people, unable to
find any meaning in life or trying to
find an escape from loneliness, turn to
alcohol drugs, the erotic, the exotic
etc.
The normal instability of youth is
accentuated by the times they are
living in. Their decisions are not
solidly based: today's "yes" easily
becomes tomorrow's "no"

Finally, a vague sort of generosity is
characteristic of many young people.
Filled with enthusiasm, they are eager
to join in popular causes. Too often,
however, these movements are
without any specific orientation or
inner coherence. It is important to
channel this potential for good and,
when possible, give it the orientation
that comes from the light of faith.

There are also a number of positive
signs, which give grounds for
encouragement. In a Catholic school, as
in any school, one can find young people
who are outstanding in every way - in
religious attitude, moral behavior, and
academic achievement. When we look
for the cause, we often discover an
excellent family background reinforced
by both Church and school. There is
always a combination of factors, open to
the interior workings of grace.

Catholic schools are spread throughout the
world and enroll literally millions of
students. These students are children of
their own race, nationality, traditions, and
family. They are also the children of our
age. Each student has a distinct origin and is
a unique individual. A Catholic school is
not simply a place where lessons are taught;
it is a center that has an operative
educational philosophy, attentive to the
needs of today's youth and illumined by the
Gospel message. A thorough and exact
knowledge of the real situation will suggest
the best educational methods.

* Do SMA students, faculty and
school communities reflect on the
values involved in the issues of
the day in the light of Jesus’
teaching and the teaching
authority of the Church?
* Does SMA provide a stable, safe
environment based on the
principles of the Gospel in order
to assist those students suffering
from the uncertainties of modern
life?
* The influence of social media
and the internet is pervasive
in our society. What are the
potentially good influences of
this situation on our students?
What are the bad?
* A foundation in the Faith is
necessary to our future: how
can we strengthen this
foundation?
*

Like the marks of the Church proclaimed in
the Creed – one, holy, catholic, and
apostolic – so, too, does the Holy See
identify the principal features of a school as
Catholic: a Catholic school should be
inspired by a supernatural vision,
founded on Christian anthropology,
animated by communion and community,
imbued with a Catholic worldview
throughout its curriculum, and sustained
by Gospel witness. These benchmarks help
to answer the critical question: Is this a
Catholic school according to the mind of
the Church?

It is precisely because of its Catholic
identity, which is anything but sectarian,
that a school derives the originality that
enables it to be a genuine instrument of
the Church's evangelizing mission.
Michael Guerra, former president of the
National Catholic Educational
Association put the challenge succinctly:
"The first and most important task for
Catholic schools is to maintain and
continually strengthen their Catholic
identity."

The Church sees education as a process
that, in light of man's transcendent
destiny, forms the whole child and seeks
to fix his or her eyes on heaven. The
specific purpose of a Catholic education
is the formation of boys and girls who
will be good citizens of this world,
loving God and neighbor and enriching
society with the leaven of the gospel, and
who will also be citizens of the world to
come, thus fulfilling their destiny to
become saints.

Emphasis on the supernatural destiny of
students brings with it a profound
appreciation of the need to perfect
children in all their dimensions as images
of God (cf. Gen. 1:26-27). Catholic
theology teaches that grace builds on
nature. Because of this complementarity
of the natural and the supernatural,
Catholic educators should have a sound
understanding of the human person that
addresses the requirements of both the
natural and the supernatural perfection of
the children entrusted to their care.

A third mark of catholicity is the emphasis
on the school as a community – a
community of persons and, even more to
the point, "a genuine community of faith."
Such an emphasis proposes an alternative
model for Catholic schools to that of an
individualistic society. This communal
dimension is rooted both in the social nature
of the human person and in the reality of the
Church as "the home and the school of
communion." That the Catholic school is an
educational community "is one of the most
enriching developments for the
contemporary school."

The integral formation of the human person, which
is the purpose of education, includes the
development of all the human faculties of the
students, together with preparation for professional
life, formation of ethical and social awareness,
becoming aware of the transcendental, and
religious education. Every school, and every
educator in the school, ought to be striving "to
form strong and responsible individuals, who are
capable of making free and correct choices," thus
preparing young people "to open themselves more
and more to reality, and to form in themselves a
clear idea of the meaning of life" [The Catholic
School, 31].

To be integral or complete, Catholic
schooling must be constantly inspired
and guided by the gospel. As we have
seen, the Catholic school would betray
its purpose if it failed to found itself
on the person of Christ and his
teaching: "It derives all the energy
necessary for its educational work
from him."

A final indicator of a school's
authentic catholicity is the vital
witness of its teachers and
administrators. With them lies the
primary responsibility for creating a
Christian school climate, as
individuals and as a community.
Indeed, "it depends chiefly on them
whether the Catholic school achieves
its purpose."

*Are the ties between home,
school and church made
stronger for students
through their attendance at
SMA?
*Are we assisting parents in
deepening their
understanding of Catholic
Identity at SMA?
*Is the curriculum at SMA
enhancing the formation of
the whole person,
intellectually, spiritually
and socially?
*Is the Gospel central to the
academic and social
experience of students at
SMA?
*

The bishops of the United States,
particularly in the seminal
document, To Teach as Jesus Did
(1971), continuously underscore
the three-fold mission of our
Catholic schools—to proclaim
the Gospel, to build community,
and to serve our brothers and
sisters.

In their most recent document,
Renewing Our Commitment to Catholic
Elementary and Secondary Schools in
the Third Millennium (2005), the United
States Catholic Bishops emphasized that
the entire Catholic community is
called to evangelize our culture, and
stressed that Catholic elementary and
secondary schools play a critical and
irreplaceable role in this endeavor.

“Education is integral to the
mission of the Church to proclaim
the good news. First and foremost,
every Catholic institution is a place
to encounter the Living God, who
in Jesus Christ, reveals his
transforming love and truth”
(Pope Benedict XVI, Address to Catholic
Educators, April 17, 2008, Washington DC,
par. 2)

“our vision is clear: our Catholic schools
are a vital part of the teaching mission
of the Church. . . . We must respond to
challenging times with faith, vision and
the will to succeed because the Catholic
school’s mission is vital to the future of
our young people, our nation, and most
especially our Church.”
(United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops, Renewing Our Commitment to
Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools in
the Third Millennium #15)

The National Standards and Benchmarks
for Effective Catholic Elementary and
Secondary Schools is intended to
describe how the most mission-driven,
program effective, well managed, and
responsibly governed Catholic schools
operate. They are offered as school
effectiveness standards rather than
curriculum content standards, although
they support curriculum development
consistent with national standards and
the Common Core State Standards.

This document contains three
types of statements grounded in
Church teachings, best practice,
and proven success of those
committed to the future of
Catholic elementary and
secondary education in the
United States.

The Defining Characteristics flow
directly from the holy See’s teaching on
Catholic schools as compiled by
Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB (The
Holy See’s Teaching on Catholic Schools,
2006), and from statements by Pope
Benedict XVI and the American bishops.
The characteristics define the deep
Catholic identity of Catholic schools and
serve as the platform on which the
standards and benchmarks rest. The
defining characteristics authenticate the
standards and benchmarks, justifying their
existence and providing their meaning.

The Standards describe policies,
programs, structures, and processes
that should be present in mission-
driven, program effective, well-
managed, and responsibly governed
Catholic schools that operate in
concert with the defining
characteristics. The standards
address four domains: Mission and
Catholic Identity, Governance and
Leadership, Academic Excellence,
and Operational Vitality.

The Benchmarks provide
observable, measurable descriptors
for each standard. Benchmarks
provide a solid basis for future
development of more detailed self-
assessment and diagnostic
instruments, data collection and
reporting structures, and
accreditation tools, as appropriate
at the local, diocesan, regional, and
national levels.

National Standards and
Benchmarks for Effective
Catholic Elementary and
Secondary Schools was drafted
by a national task force of
Catholic school educators and
supporters, in communication
with the National Catholic
Educational Association (NCEA).

An excellent Catholic school is
guided and driven by a clearly
communicated mission that
embraces a Catholic identity
rooted in gospel values, centered
on the Eucharist, and committed
to faith formation, academic
excellence and service

1.1 The governing body and
the leader/leadership team
ensure that the mission
statement includes the
commitment to Catholic
identity.
Guided by our Blessed
Mother, Saint Mary
Academy is a Catholic faith
community that educates
children in mind, body and
spirit. We strive to inspire
our students to honor God,
love learning and serve
others.

1.2 The governing body and
the leader/leadership team
use the mission statement as
the foundation and normative
reference for all planning
Mother, Saint Mary
others.

1.3 The school
leader/leadership team
regularly calls together the
school’s various
constituencies (including but
not limited to faculty and staff,
parents, students, alumni(ae)
to clarify, review and renew
the school’s mission
statement.
Mother, Saint Mary
others.

1.4 The mission statement is
visible in public places and
contained in official
documents
Mother, Saint Mary
others.

An excellent Catholic school
adhering to mission provides a
rigorous academic program for
religious studies and catechesis in
the Catholic faith, set within a
total academic curriculum that
integrates faith, culture, and life.

2.1 Religious education
curriculum and instruction
meets the religious education
requirements and standards of
the diocese

2.2 Religion classes are an
integral part of the academic
program in the assignment of
teachers, amount of class time
and the selection of texts and
other curricular materials

2.3 Faculty who teach religion
meet diocesan requirements
for academic and catechetical
preparation and certification to
provide effective religion
curriculum and instruction

2.4 The school’s Catholic
identity requires excellence in
academic and intellectual
formation in all subjects
including religious education

2.5 Faculty use the lenses of
Scripture and the Catholic
intellectual tradition in all
subjects to help students think
critically and ethically about
the world around them

2.6 Catholic culture and faith
are expressed in the school
through multiple and diverse
forms of visual and performing
arts, music and architecture

2.7 The theory and practice
of the Church’s social
teachings are essential
elements of the curriculum

adhering to mission provides
opportunities outside the
classroom for student faith
formation, participation in
liturgical and communal prayer,
and action in service of social
justice

3.1 Every student is offered
timely and regular
opportunities to learn about
and experience the nature and
importance of prayer, the
Eucharist, and liturgy

3.2 Every student is offered
timely, regular, and age-
appropriate opportunities to
reflect on their life experiences
and faith through retreats and
other spiritual experiences

3.3 Every student participates
in Christian service programs
to promote the lived reality of
action in service of social
justice

3.4 Every student experiences
role models of faith and
service for social justice
among the administrators,
faculty and staff.

adhering to mission provides
opportunities for adult faith
formation and action in service of
social justice.

4.1 The leader/leadership
team provides retreats and
other spiritual experiences for
the faculty and staff on a
regular and timely basis

4.2 The leader/leadership
team and faculty assist
parents/guardians in their role
as the primary educators of
their children in faith

4.3 The leader/leadership team
collaborates with other
institutions (for example,
Catholic Charities, Catholic
higher education, religious
congregation-sponsored
programs) to provide
opportunities for
parents/guardians to grow in the
knowledge and practice of the
faith

4.4 All adults in the school
community are invited to
participate in Christian service
programs to promote the lived
reality of action in service of
social justice

4.5 Every administrator,
faculty, and staff member
visibly supports the faith life of
the school community

*Are the contributions and
wisdom of all members of
the SMA community
considered respectfully as
we move forward to
improve SMA?
*What are the Standards for
Catholic Identity that SMA
excels in?
* What are the Standards of
Catholic Identity at SMA that
need to be implemented or
improved?
* How can all stakeholders at
SMA (Faculty, Staff, Parents,
Advisory Board) work
together in adopting and
implementing the benchmarks
for Catholic identity?
*

*To inform
*To consult
*To assist St Mary
community in moving
forward with Catholic
identity

Catholic Identity

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