Declaration on Christian Education

Gravissum Educationis

Pope Paul VIOctober 28, 1965

Before Vatican II

The conditions in Catholic schools prior to the Second Vatican Council were much different than those in

Catholic schools today.

Methods of teaching about Religion

Discipline

Opinions of Non-Catholic Schools

Methods of TeachingThe Baltimore Catechism was a summary that was written in order to explain Christian Doctrine, and after being approved by the pope, became a learning tool for all students in Catholic schools (NewAdvent.org).

-Students began learning the series of questions and answers that make up the Catechism in first grade

(Linhoff, J.).-Students had to study until they were able to recite the

Catechisms verbatim (Linhoff, J).-The Catechisms were the primary source of religious

education for students (Linhoff, W).

-Students learned about the Church’s harsh beliefs on Heaven and Hell. -Students were told that only baptized, practicing Catholic went to Heaven (Linhoff, J.).-They were also taught that babies that had not been baptized went to Purgatory, and were unable to get into Heaven (Linhoff, J.).-Children would pray for all the souls in Purgatory, which were people who didn’t go to Hell, but were unable to enter Heaven due to their sinful lives (Linhoff, J.).

-Questions about Catholicism were discouraged. “In high school, I questioned the infallibility of the Pope and the priest put me down and wouldn’t

discuss it…” (Linhoff, J.).“When I asked questions about bad popes, I was told that those questions should only be

discussed with theologians!! The nuns would not answer any questions about troubled times in the church.” (Linhoff, W.).

Catholic students attended Mass every morning (Linhoff, J).

Parents were not involved in teaching their children about religion (Kuciejczyk).

Religion affected what students were taught outside of religion class. -Little or no science was taught in Catholic grade schools, high schools, and universities (Kuciejczyk).

-Students that wanted to serve mass had to take Latin (Linhoff, W.).

Before Vatican II Catholic moral theology was identified with the manuals with their limited

scope of determining sinfulness and degrees of sinfulness, a legal model with law as the

remote and objective norm of morality, no real use of Scripture, a recognition of the role of

human reason and natural law, and a predominant and growing emphasis on

authoritative hierarchical teaching. (Curran, 254)

Harsh discipline was used to make children follow rules and

pay attention.

Strict and physical punishments were used on children.

-Students would have been disciplined for wrong answers, talking in class, chewing gum, passing notes, and even passing gas during class (Linhoff, W.).

“Once I whispered in class. The teacher saw me and said, ‘I’ll ram this ruler down your throat if you say anything again.” (Kuciejczyk).

Teachers hit children with rulers, forced them to sit in trash cans, and used other strange and painful punishments on their students (All Interviews).

Many more Catholic families believed strongly in Catholic

rather than a public education.

Post-Vatican II Catholics are less likely than their parents’ generation to have attended a Catholic elementary school. (Gautier).

Catholics looked down upon public school educations prior to Vatican II. -“The worst threat to someone in a Catholic school would be to send them

to a public school” (Kuciejczyk).-Children in Catholic schools felt superior to children in public schools (Linhoff, W.).

GRAVISSIMUM EDUCATIONIS

The Declaration on Christian Education

• The Declaration On Christian Education was written on October 8, 1965 by Pope Paul VI.

• The document is split into twelve sections not including the introduction and conclusion.

• Gravissimum Educationis, or the Declaration On Christian Education, addresses a lot of important issues that faced the Church during the time it was written.

• The introduction states that the second ecumenical council of Vatican II considered how important education is in the lives of individuals and how education affects social progress.– The Church has a divine mandate to provide

Christian Education. • The Church has this mandate because

education is very important in a child’s life and its influence does not stop growing

The Introduction

• The introduction specifies that education is not only important for children and young people, it is also important for adults to continue their education.

• The development of technology, science, and communications has offered people a better understanding of his or her culture and it allows people to grow together spiritually and closer together.

• Lastly, the introduction states that even though new methods of education and teaching are arising, children are still being deprived of a suitable education. (GE # Intro)

The Meaning of the Universal Rights to an Education

• Everyone has a right to an education based on their ability, gender, culture, and the traditions of their country.

• The goal of a true education is to form the human being for his or her own dignity and for the good of the society.

• Children should be assisted in order to develop their physical, moral, and intellectual abilities so that they could become more responsible.– This will be aided by the latest advances in psychology

and the arts and sciences of teaching.

• Children should be encouraged to participate in many community organizations for the common good. – Children should also be motivated to have good moral values and

to know and love God.• This section also states that as children grow more mature, they should

be given a positive and prudent sexual education. – Children should be taught to take their part in social life and have

the skills needed to become actively involved in various community organizations, open to discourse with others, and to be willing to do their best to do common good.

• Lastly, this section mentions how the government has an obligation to provide education to children. It also says that the church also has an obligation to provide a proper education and training to everyone no matter where they live. (GE 1)

Christian Education• This section stresses how all Christians are the

children of God through Baptism. – This means that all Christians have the right to a

Christian education.

• A Christian education makes the Christian aware of the gift of faith and it also helps Christians learn how to worship God.

• A Christian education also teaches faith, hope, and how to live personal lives justly.

• A Christian education is especially important for youth.

• All the faithful, especially children, are obliged to enjoy a Christian education. – This is the case because the youth are considered

the future of the church. (GE 2)

The Authors of Education

• According to this section, parents have the most serious obligation to educate their children. – Parents are also considered children's first and primary educators.

• Parents are also obligated to teach their children about the sacraments, God, and love of their neighbor.

– A family atmosphere animated by love and respect for God and man must be created.

• The family is the first place where children learn virtues. – The family has the primary duty of educating;

however, the assistance of the entire community is necessary.

• Certain rights belong to civil society. Civil society’s duty is to protect the duties and rights of parents and to aid them to educate their children.

• Lastly, this section mentions that the Church also has the duty of educating for the betterment for the good of society. (GE 3)

Various Aids to Christian Education

• The Church should use many aids such as teaching catechism instruction in order to strengthen faith and enlighten Christians to intelligently and actively participate in the liturgy.

• Other aids to Christian education that were mentioned were the media of communication, various groups for mental and physical development, youth associations, and schools. (GE 4)

Importance of Schools• According to this section, schools are important because

they establish a place where work and progress are shared. – Schools help to foster good values and to prepare children for

professional life.

• The other importance of schools are: helping children form the ability to judge rightly, passing on cultural legacy, promoting friendly relations and mutual understanding among pupils of different backgrounds and talents. (GE 5)

The Duties and Rights of Parents• The first issue this section addresses is the issue that

parents must freely choose their children’s schools. • It is the state’s obligation to protect the right of children to

an adequate school education, check on the availability of teachers and the excellence of their training, and to look out for the health of the pupils. – The state should also prevent any kind of school monopoly and

protect parents’ rights to educate their children.

• The faithful should assist with finding the most suitable methods of education and programs of study and informing teachers who can give youth a true education. (GE 6)

• Parents must be free to chose the school they want to education their children. – Governments should subsidize education so

that parents are truly free to choose schools for their children. (GE 6)

Moral and Religious Education in all Schools

• Parents who send their children to non-Christian schools should make sure that their children still have a Christian education.– Their education should still have the moral and religious principles

of the family.– The ministry of priests and laypeople will give witness through

children’s lives

• Governments should assist families to get the education for their children while respecting their religious freedom. (GE 7)

Catholic Schools• Catholic schools have a sacred duty to provide secular and

religious education.– The Church has the right to freely establish and conduct schools of

every type and level.

• Teachers should have a pedagogical skill to keep with the findings of the contemporary world, be endowed with an apostolic spirit, and bear witness to Christ throughout their lives.

• Lastly, this section says that Catholic education should teach children to think and act for themselves during and after school. (GE 8)

Different Types of Catholic Schools

• This section addresses the fact that parishes and dioceses are directed to establish primary, secondary, professional, and technical schools to educate children and adults.

• There should be centers for educating adults and promoting social welfare.

• Schools for religious instructions and for the preparing teachers should be established.

• Lastly, there should be centers for the mentally ill in need of special care. (GE 9)

Catholic Colleges and Universities

• The Declaration on Christian Education directs that Catholic Colleges and Universities be established. – These Universities and Colleges should teach

theology and lay subjects.– They should be located all over the world and

be available to all students, especially those from developing nations.

– They should focus on spiritual and intellectual development.

• There should be a deeper realization between the harmony of faith and science in universities and colleges. – Students of real promise should be ready to

undertake weighty responsibilities in society and witness to the faith in the world.

• Lastly, there should always be an encouragement for young people to become teachers. (GE 10)

Faculties of Sacred Sciences• This section directs the faculties to teach the sacred

sciences more deeply. – the development of Christian doctrine should be taught more

deeply.

• This section states that dialogue with our separated brethren and non-Christians is fostered, answers are given to the questions that were arising from the development of doctrine. – This can lead to the betterment of the promotion of sacred sciences

by employing them with up-to-date methods and aids. (GE 11)

Coordination to be Fostered in Scholastic Matters

• This last section states that Catholic schools that they should cooperate with one another. – This includes on a diocesan, national, and international level.

• This section also directs universities and other schools to work together in order to promote mutual cooperation and understanding

• Universities and other schools should share scientific inquiries with one another by communicating their discoveries to one another. (GE 12)

In Conclusion

• The Declaration On Christian Education encourages young people to become aware of the importance of education and to prepare themselves for the future.

Right After Vatican II

Directly after Vatican II many educational reforms

gradually came into practice.

People began to put a greater emphasis on education and started believing that

everyone should have the right to a Catholic education, especially the poor and underserved, even if they are not

Catholic. • Non-Catholic children were welcomed into Catholic

schools.• The church advocated for society to help educate all

youth.• The supreme court made laws for the government to

pay for transportation to Catholic schools.

New methods of education were tried.

• Soon after Vatican II, teachers moved away from the Baltimore Catechism.– Catholic schools needed to, “move beyond

strict memorization to a child-centered approach to education. The religious education classroom changed from a place where the children came to absorbs facts passively into a site where students gained information for themselves,” (Bales 82).

• Education began to emphasize the importance of a moral conscience, truth, and love.– For a while theology teachers had to completely make up their

courses because it took a while for post Vatican II text books to come out.

• Catholic schools started to take advantage of recent discoveries in psychology, art, and science.– “There was a new emphasis put on respect for the whole child,

the psychology of the whole child. We began to be aware that different children had different learning styles,” (Cookson).

• Catholic education started to have an influence on the world; it was not there just to renew the church.– “Catholic Universities across the United

States are perceived as some of the most prestigious institutions of higher learning in the world. As communities of intellect and faith, they have been successful in educating generations of leaders in both the sacred and secular arenas,” (Mucheck 1).

• Education started focusing on helping students become more like Christ, instead of focusing on drilling students on the rules for not going to hell. – Catechists were encouraged to, “help one

distinguish what is essential from what is only secondary, what is essential from what is only common teaching. Grace is more important than sin, the Holy Spirit is more important than the pope, Christ is more central than Mary, and Mary is in relation to the other Saints,”(Colomb 29).

Lay people began to provide spiritual aid.

• Catholic institutions provided places for lay people to learn about religious education and stressed the importance of continuing the spiritual education of adults. – St. Paul Institute in St. Louis is opened to train lay teachers

for Catholic schools. – Dioceses throughout the United States, established

departments to support adult faith formation in parishes.

• Schools of Theology were opened to lay people. – The St. Thomas Aquinas Institute was

opened to lay people.

• RENEW groups were established in parishes.

A careful sexual education was added to the school

curriculum.

• In high schools sexual education was taught in biology and theology classes.

• “In the 1980’s we had to get permission slips signed by parents allowing us to teach their children about human sexuality,” (Cookson).

The church started to be concerned about the secular

education of people as well as the religious.

• Catholic teachers started teaching science at the elementary level and science kits were distributed to Catholic schools.

• More lay people began teaching in Catholic schools.

Parents were encouraged to be the primary and principal

educators of their children. • Parents were advised to create an

atmosphere of love in the home and to live Christian virtues for their children to imitate.

• It became the job of the religious sisters and clergy to support the parents. – They offered more parent education in the

schools and parents were the final decision makers.

Catholic Universities started teaching theology geared to lay

students. • Fontbonne College began to use

Vatican II Theology textbooks.

Catholic Schools developed and Catholic education was

promoted.

• “Teachers must stimulate students to acquire a responsible freedom, which makes them capable of living in different milieux and cultures with the solidarity and coherence of the Christian vision,” (Pope John Paul II 820).

• New schools were built throughout St. Louis, which followed the changes in population.

Teachers became better educated in secular and religious

matters.

• Catholic school teachers started to work for state certification as teachers.

Young people were encouraged to take education seriously.

• Catholic high school students were encouraged to go to college.– Change happened gradually. In 1967, the

principal from St. Joseph’s academy in St. Louis refused to send girls’ transcripts to Mizzou, because the archbishop said that all people in Catholic high school should go on to a Catholic college.

Summary

• Parents became more involved in their children’s education.

• Catholic schools excelled in both religious and secular education.

• The main focus in Catholic education switched from avoiding sin to love.

Many educational reforms are still in practice today.

• Every person is entitled to an education.

– Everyone still has an opportunity to an education.

• Children are guaranteed this sacred right of education.

– Public officials make sure children are guaranteed this right by laws.

– There have been committees created on education such as the USCC Committees on Education (U.S. Catholic Bishops 1-10).

• Sexual Education is taught in schools.

– More than two out of three public school districts have a policy to teach sex education. The remaining one third lets the school or the teacher decide (Facts on Sex Education in the United States).

• Children should be taught at an early age and should receive the sacrament of baptism in a Christian family.

– Many children raised in a Catholic family are baptized a couple months after birth.

– Everyone is my family was baptized at a very early age.

• Parents have the right to choose their child’s school.– They can choose whether they send them to a public or

Catholic school. – Parish School of Religion (PSR) is an option for parents

(Archdiocese of St. Louis).• There are attempts everywhere to promote more Catholic

education.– Archbishop Wuerl calls for government support. He is

trying to get them to fund for more Catholic schools to be built so everyone is near a Catholic school (Wuerl 394-402).

– It was good that the Catholic Church is making an effort to help more people become educated.

• Schools should be safe house where children can grow and express their faith, and themselves.

– Father Christiansen proposes ideas for Faith and Justice education.

– It can be achieved in four simple ways (Christiansen 413-417).

– This is a good part of the document because schools should be a safe haven where children should not have to worry about what goes on outside of school.

• Catholic School’s goal is to help the children grow as they were made through baptism.

– The Catholic school wants to help the children grow and create a personality based on faith.

– They guide them through life with the Catholic message.

– Also, teachers act in a way that Jesus would want them to act. Children learn this from others.

• Catholic School’s want the children to act/think for themselves.

– Schools will provide their students will make the means accessible for pro-life march if they are pro life and are willing to go.

– The provide programs for service to help people in need.

– They have athletics for the children. • Non-Catholics can attend Catholic schools

– The average percent of non-Catholics in a Catholic school is about 14% (Kelley).

• There are Catholic colleges and universities. – College of St. Mary, in Omaha, is just one

example of the many Catholic colleges within the United States. There are Catholic colleges in most states. There are many Catholic colleges and universities today (Find the Perfect Catholic College for You).

• There should be cooperation between Catholic schools and also between Catholic schools and non-Catholic schools.

– Children play school sports against other schools.

• We are very happy that these reforms are still in place today, and people

follow them. We think that the Pope, Bishops, etc. put these reforms in the document for a reason, and they should be followed. We are happy that most of our reforms are still being followed today.

There were also some reforms in the document were not

implemented.

• The document suggested that parents are free to choose the education/school they want for their child, and the government should subsidize Catholic education. – Catholic school costs money unlike public

school. Parents have to still pay their taxes, which funds public schools, but if they want to send their child to a Catholic school they have to pay more money.

We interviewed Jane Maulll a Catholic school teacher from 1972 to 1986. She said, “I feel that if you send your child to a Catholic school you should not have to pay the taxes that fund a public school. I do not feel that it is right for parents to basically have to spend money for two different schools if their child does not go to one of them,” (Maull). This leads us too…

There are some reforms that we think still need to be

made, to better Christian education.

• Children with special needs should be able to attend Catholic school and also get the services they need.– We feel this should be put into the document because

children with disabilities should have the same opportunities as everyone else. They should not be punished for their disabilities.

– Catholic education should continue to grow. – We feel Catholic education is a very valuable thing that

should never go away.