Catholic Schools

In this issue of Catholic Update author Elizabeth Bookser Barkley reflects on her own experience in the Catholic schools of the 1950s and 1960s, the changes they have undergone since then, and her reasons for choosing Catholic schools for her own children. She reflects on five characteristics that make Catholic schools different from public schools, including shared values; a eucharistic focus; learning the Catholic story; applying faith to the world; and finally, combining reason and faith. On this last point, she points out that, "In an era when some fundamentalist Christians are rejecting science and reason, especially in their attacks on evolution, Catholic schools are places where students learn that being scientifically 'literate' is a necessity." As a Catholic parent and educator, she concludes, "Life is not just about facts, data and accumulation of knowledge. Life is also about mystery, wonder, awe...faith. Catholic schools equip their graduates to live in a complex world, with the intellectual tools to navigate its intricacies, as well as the faith that, in the words of Pope Benedict XVI to students, 'enables people to look to the future with hope' (address to university students, July 11, 2009)."