Systematic Theology as a Catalyst for Renewal in Catholic Education

Dear Colleagues,

The recent Global Catholic Education Report noted that ‘Globally, the Catholic Church estimates that 34.6 million children were enrolled in Catholic primary schools in 2020, with 19.3 million children enrolled in Catholic secondary schools and 7.5 million children enrolled at the preschool level’. In addition, ‘the Church estimates that it provided post-secondary education to 6.6 million students globally in 2020. This includes 2.4 million students in non-university higher institutes, 0.4 million students enrolled in ecclesiastical studies at the university level, and 3.8 million students enrolled in other types of university studies’.¹

Catholic schools, colleges and universities are both the inheritors of a venerable tradition, and the dynamic interpreters of this tradition in a wide variety of contexts. Yet, the exigencies of the day-to-day tasks of managing such educational institutions can sometimes occlude the ‘one thing necessary’ (Lk 10:42), as leaders, administrators, teaching faculty, and support staff look to recent developments and trends in educational, leadership and governance research to find models of best practice to adopt in their various institutions.

In contemporary secularised and secularising cultures, the fact–value distinction is often so deeply imbedded within the psyche of teachers and administrators—even in Catholic schools—that the faith is relegated to the realm of value, thus affecting only certain external or subjective features of a given institution; meanwhile, the function of the school, including the regular curriculum (excepting that of Religious Education or Instruction), is considered to be part of the objective and thus neutral ‘fact’ of a school or university. Writing specifically about the Catholic university, but with a logic that can equally be applied to the Catholic school, be it a primary of secondary school, the late David L. Schindler argues the following:

Catholic universities may have theology departments that are faithful to the teaching of the Church, dormitory life that is a model of morality, campus chapels that are full of prayerful worshippers, and community organizations that energetically serve the most vulnerable and most afflicted in our society. All of these things are indispensable for a college or university that would be vibrantly Catholic. But the point is that none of them yet informs us what specifies a Catholic institution as a university. To have a Catholic university, in other words, it is necessary (also) to develop a Catholic mind.²

Schindler’s critical insights offer both scholars as well as leaders, administrators, and teachers in Catholic educational institutions much to reflect on as they work to ensure that ‘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’.³

This Special Issue of the Religions journal aims to deepen our understanding of how theological principles can inform and transform educational theory and practice within Catholic institutions, be they schools or universities. Systematic theology, with its rigorous exploration of Christian doctrines, offers profound insights that can significantly enhance the mission of Catholic education, particularly in secularised or secularising contexts. This Special Issue seeks to gather scholarly articles that examine the integration of Catholic systematic theology into educational theory and practice, highlighting the mutual enrichment of both fields.

This Special Issue welcomes the submission of original research articles and reviews whose scope includes, but is not limited to, the following topics:

• The role of systematic theology in shaping Catholic educational philosophy;
• The impact of theological anthropology on educational theory practices;
• The application of Christology and ecclesiology in curriculum development and school administration;
• The influence of sacramental theology on school culture and pedagogy;
• The integration of moral theology in character education and ethical formation;
• Metaphysics and the task of Catholic education;
• Trinitarian or relational ontologies and education;
• Christology, anthropology, and educational theory;
• Education for eternity: Eschatology and education;
• Faith as a type of knowledge;
• Religious instruction/education and catechesis;
• Liturgy in/as Catholic education;
• Science and scientism in the Catholic school/university;
• Theological anthropology and Catholic school ethos and structure;
• Integral human development and Catholic education;
• Engaging the ratio and intellectus in Catholic educational and formational contexts;
• Catholic education and faith formation;
• Catholic spirituality and student wellbeing;
• Catholic contributions to the ‘Classical Education revival’;
• Catholic education and integral ecology;
• Articulating mission and identity in pluralist contexts;
• Catholic education in a post-truth context;
• The catholic (i.e., universal) impact of the Christian faith on all aspects of knowledge;
• Education, authority, and the role of the teacher;
• Catholic education and evangelisation in secular and post/secular contexts;
• Education within the Catholic–Christian metanarrative;
• Catholic education and the intellectual apostolate of the new evangelisation;
• The role of wonder, mystery, and beauty in Catholic education;
• Catholic education and the liberal arts tradition;
• The contribution of key thinkers to discussions pertaining to Faith, Reason, and Catholic Education, such as: John Henry Newman, Sophia Cavaletti, Christopher Dawson, Chiara Lubich, Jacques Maritain, Luigi Giussani, Stratford Caldecott, David L. Schindler, as well as post-conciliar popes: Karol Wojtyla/Pope John Paul II, Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI, and Jorge Bergoglio/Pope Francis.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200-300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editor (tom.gourlay@ci.wa.edu.au), or to the Editorial Office of Religions (religions@mdpi.com). Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors in order to ensure that they are within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Notes:

1. Q. Wodon, Global Catholic Education Report 2023: Transforming Education and Making Education Transformative (Washingtom, D.C.: Global Catholic Education, 2022).

2. David L. Schindler, Heart of the World, Centre of the Church: Communio Ecclesiology, Liberalism and Liberation (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm B. Eerdmans, 1996), 147.

3. "Declaration on Christian Education: Gravissimus Educationis (1965)," in The Documents of Vatican II: With Notes and Index (Strathfield, NSW: St Pauls, 2009), 8.

Dr. Thomas V. Gourlay
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• Catholic education
• systematic theology
• trinitarian and relational ontologies
• Catholic faith and culture
• ecclesiology
• religious education
• catechesis