Following is the text of a Pastoral Letter on Catholic Education issued March 24 by the Bishops of the Province of Atlanta.

Mission of Church

The mission of the church is always the same – to bring Christ to man, Christ as priest, teacher, and Lord of the Universe. This mission is to form Christ in the heart of each individual.

The teaching role of the church belongs to all of its members, but in different ways, with varying roles and ministries. Bishops are the chief catechists in the Church. Priests share in the ministry of their bishops and, therefore, in their responsibility of catechizing. This is particularly true of pastors.

Today more than ever before the Religious are called to a supportive role in this work of catechizing. The laity must assist in this work to a greater and greater degree. The real and immediate responsibility of Christian formation, however, still rests within the family.

Although this mission is, indeed, as old as the Church, it has today a new and youthful appearance. Every advance in education has had its impact on this ancient role.

The Church is recapturing the notion of Christianity as an adult religion and sees new needs for placing emphasis on adult education. This does not mean that the child has been forgotten. On the contrary, social sciences have led us to see, more than ever before, the necessity of early childhood formation. Catechists at all levels know instinctively that the child is capable of perceiving in his own fashion, God his Father’s love for him as it was expressed in the sacrifice of his son. Their mode of perceiving and their capacity for understanding the gospel message must be considered and appropriate methods developed for reaching them.

Of tremendous importance, too, is the need for placing the gospel in a new light before the young men and women of our times. Throughout the years of adolescence, youth have unmatched idealism and enthusiasm. During these formative years we must challenge them with the call of Christ.

Even though it must be admitted that this process of educational transformation has brought problems, many times quite bewildering, the advances have admittedly brought tremendous new opportunities. In many identifiable ways, they have afforded the Church the opportunity to rethink its teaching mission. Rethinking is a chance to improve the quality of educational approaches.

Quality Education

It goes without saying that technical advances in education have brought about a great interest in quality education. Equally, people being more informed want quality programs. This can only mean the Church has to rethink its teaching mission so that quality is part and parcel of its every move to preach the Word and to form the individual in the image of the Father’s Son.

This rethinking of the Church in its teaching mission is well on its way; nevertheless, it must continue so that developments continue to enhance the Church as it reaches out to adults, to youth and to children.

From a practical point of view, this reassessing must be done on two levels; the diocesan level and the parish level. Here, we are saying that bishops and priests must use every resource they have. They must implore the best thinking available to them. People skilled in various fields must be brought in as professional consultants. The Church, like any institution, can only improve its techniques through the assistance of objective and supportive advice.

Education Boards

It is becoming more and more evident that parents, too, must be appropriately involved. The laity of today is an educated laity. More fundamentally, it is their children who are involved in this Christian formation. Parents, then, must be involved in the decision-making process at appropriate levels, since the primary right of the education of the children does rest with the home.

For this reason, boards of education are seen as vital in the Church’s catechetical mission. It is here that the voice of the community, the interest and concern of the laity, both parents and others, can be heard.

(Although the term “Board of Education” is utilized throughout this document, we recognize that some dioceses utilize a dual board structure; one for all religious education, and one for Catholic schools.)

At the diocesan level and at local parish levels, groups of parishioners should be properly consulted so that parents in particular are involved in the policymaking which determines the course of the education of their children. Such planning and policy making should be broadly based at the diocesan level. Planning must be comprehensive, taking into consideration the needs of all the people in the whole continuum of the educational process. Policymaking must likewise be extensive enough that practical, long-ranged planning is possible, so that sound direction is given to the total educational concept, and so that continued developments are made in every area of Christian education.

The idea of shared responsibility is especially important in the parish. Parents must be advisedly involved in the development of the parish catechetical program. For them to be responsible as laity in Christian education, a proper forum is essential. A board of religious education is an expedient and viable means of lay involvement.

Whether one looks to the diocesan level, to the parish level or, in certain instances, to intermediate area levels, it is obvious that such boards need to be further emphasized. Proper development here is expedient if involvement, planning, and policymaking are to become more and more visible realities in the Church’s mission.

Role of Parish

It is in the parish that formal religious education takes place. It is in the parish church that one finds the most practical opportunity to catechize. The teaching that takes place in formal instruction, in liturgical worship, in preaching the Word of God, or in programs of action. Whatever religious instruction takes place, it must be the very best. The parish, through intensive effort and activity, supports the family in its responsibility for growing in the knowledge of Christ. The pastor of the parish, with the support of his associates, must provide leadership. They must make the means available, from the opportunities which are at hand in every parish. The existence and success of all religious education is almost totally dependent on their leadership.

The liturgy, besides being an act of worship, is also a means of instruction if it is carefully prepared and done with dignity and simplicity. It has an inestimable value in bringing about change, not only through sacramental grace but a personal transformation through hearing the Word of God.

No doubt, too, it is at the Sunday Mass that the faithful, especially those who are young, will measure the sincerity and relevance of the Church. Word and worship must speak in a way that is intelligent and meaningful.

Nothing can replace the homily as a source of instruction. At Sunday Mass all of the people, especially families, are drawn together; people of all walks of life and of all ages, to hear God speak and to have God act in their lives.

A well-prepared sermon presents the Word of God briefly and simply. Filtering through the prism of the priest, on faith experience and intensified by his charity and zeal, the Word of God becomes more meaningful to people who are to witness Christ in that community.

The homily alone can give to young and old alike, week after week, the knowledge and inspiration to follow Christ, and to carry whatever cross He asks them to bear.

Priests alone, especially pastors, are responsible for seeing that their homilies are the source of grace and life that they can be.

The Pastor

The pastor is the center of the parish family. As leader, he must see to it that there is also formal religious instruction available to people of all ages. He is responsible for the Christian education of every individual in the parish.

To support each family in its growth in Christ, formal instruction must undergird the catechizing which comes through the action of the liturgy and the homily. Programs for adults are as necessary as programs for children.

As religious education is a responsibility he cannot take lightly, it is one that he cannot fulfill alone. He must have the guidance and support of associate pastors. Today he may be fortunate to have the support of a person trained to coordinate a comprehensive religion program for the parish. But parents and others in the parish must be closely involved, especially those serving on the parish board of education.

Role of Parents

We have repeatedly said that parents are the first educators of their own children. In the past we have seldom developed programs that effectively involved them. To be truly effective, religion must be communicated in the ever-active context of home, school, parish, and community. Who, better than parents, can show children how truly religion permeates every phase of their life. Who, better than parents, cooperating with the church and school, can help their children encounter Christ so that the whole process becomes a living and personal experience for them.

Fortunately, many new textbooks, along with newly developed methods, have recognized the necessity of parental involvement in the teaching of religion. This is first true where children are being prepared for events of great significance in their life, such as first communion and confession.

Pastors have a serious obligation to continually remind the people of their responsibility in the religious education of children. Without the continued participation of parents in this instruction, the Christian formation of children will suffer.

While the primary responsibility of religious education rests on the shoulders of parents, as in all phases of learning, formal instruction is most effectively and competently performed in a classroom context. Where such programs are available, parents must cooperate with them wholeheartedly. Parents, indeed, have every right to insist and expect that their parish program will be adequate. And, in order to insure this adequacy, parents must insist that there is active parish board planning, sufficient budgeted funds, good administration and competently trained teachers.

Central Offices

Realizing that many parishes will need assistance and direction in developing and executing their religious education programs, we recognize the necessity of having, on the diocesan level, a central office which can provide this assistance to the parishes by means of resource personnel and educational materials. Besides helping to establish policies in the area of religious education, this office will help serve the parishes by developing curricula, selecting suitable materials, pooling ideas, and training teachers. While we would urge each parish to establish the type of program that best meets its individual needs and particular circumstances, we also recognize that all parishes can readily use the support and assistance that only a professionally staffed resource center can supply.

As our religious education efforts develop and intensify, the role of the catechist is once again assuming the importance it has always deserved; but, unfortunately, has not always held. Whether the catechist be a volunteer who teaches one class per week or the full time professional instructor, it is a role that merits the admiration and support of all in the Church

For, indeed, these individuals served Christ and His Church in a very special way. They should be carefully chosen, and assiduously trained. Their value to the Church as teachers will increase throughout the years as they continue to develop in knowledge and experience. Growing continually in effectiveness, theirs is a service that can be rendered to the Church throughout their lives. Many of these catechists will be young people. They will bring with them that special zeal, enthusiasm, and energy so characteristic of their age.

Since the role of catechist will constantly grow in prestige and importance, it might be well if there were some recognition established in the parishes as well as the diocese, whereby the competence and experience of the most accomplished catechists would be publicly recognized and acknowledged. Catechists will be needed in ever growing numbers. They will constantly need to undergo more and more training. Such public recognition would help identify for parishes and dioceses those competent individuals who might develop as full time directors of religious education.

Directors or coordinators of religious education are becoming more numerous in our Church. Because of the increasing importance of this position, dioceses should be most careful to describe this person’s scope of responsibility as well as the desirable traits of character and professional qualification such a person should possess. Persons should be sought to fill this position who possess a broad prospective and a healthy amount of common sense. Since they will work closely with pastors, especially in the area of liturgy, wisdom would dictate a careful delineation of responsibility. When a coordinator is hired by a parish with a school, very often the school’s religious education program will be his or her responsibility. When such is the case, it may be well to hire experienced educators to fill this role. Only the professional can appreciate the myriad problems of schools, and the close cooperation that is so necessary with the school’s principal.

Today, many religious are expressing interest in this role. When such individuals are properly trained, and possess the desired expertise, this trend can only be good. For, indeed, the religious would also bring that special dedication and unique background that would enrich the entire educational program.

By no means do we wish to imply, however, that the position of coordinator is limited to Religious. Ever increasing numbers of lay people are receiving degrees in religious education or theology and assuming leadership in parish programs. We are pleased with this development and pray that it will continue.

We recognize that persons hired to fill this position, will, of necessity, put an added strain on many parish budgets. The Church, however, knows from years of experience that good education is expensive. We are confident, nevertheless, that our people will carry this added burden because they recognize the importance of religious education, both for themselves and for the young people of the parish.

The Catholic School

When we speak of Catholic education, many Americans think only of Catholic schools. But Catholic education includes much more than just the schools. This fact is recognized more clearly today.

The Catholic school, however, had a unique position in the American Church. This is as true in the South as it is in any other part of our country. Few will contest that the Church in America as we know it today, is a Church founded in great measure by Catholics who went through the parochial schools. The schools in those far away days had a single clear objective – to pass on to the young people the faith of their parents. This they did, and is perhaps their most glorious achievement. They molded Catholics from an amazingly varied background of nationalities and traditions into the American Church. There can be no doubt that the schools have served us well.

At a time when many factors threaten the future of our schools, we must remind ourselves of their accomplishments. This is important because the arguments of many of the critics of the schools today are arguments that were used a hundred years ago. Critics say that the schools are no longer needed, now that the faith of immigrant parents has been preserved. They say that the schools are divisive to the parish itself and to the American community at large. They say that if we cannot educate all Catholics, we should educate none in the schools. Some simply say that we cannot afford good schools and so we must close them altogether.

School Changed

We cannot question the sincerity of the schools’ critics nor can we completely answer their criticisms in this paper. But some few things must be repeated. We agree first of all, that the Catholic school of today cannot be the school it was in past ages. The children are different, the parents are different, the religious and lay teachers who staff and administer the schools are different. Indeed their purpose for existence must be different. The schools can serve the needs of the modern church in their own unique way. This has to be the ultimate test – how well the schools serve the Church.

Concerning the matter of quality education, there can be no compromise. Education is too important an element in the young lives of our children. This is even more so in the complex world in which we live today. Because of this, the Church must insist that the schools provide education of the highest quality. The Council of Baltimore, in the document that was the very foundation of the present Catholic school system, said that the schools must provide a quality of education at least as good as provided in the public schools. Today, the Catholic school must do even more. It must also contribute in a unique way to the community it serves, by imparting the religious and moral values our young people need today more than ever before.

We must, therefore, see to it that our schools provide teachers of excellent qualifications, a curriculum broad enough to meet the challenges of the modern world, and textbooks and materials of the highest quality.

Today we must provide education of the highest quality is not to say that our schools are to be available only to the intellectual elite. Exclusiveness of any sort cannot be tolerated.

Two types of exclusiveness especially are to be avoided – financial and racial. The constantly rising cost of education today possess the threat that our schools will be available only to the children of parents in a high economic bracket. Tuition, as demonstrated by statistics throughout the country, has risen sharply over the past years. Every time tuition is raised, more families are priced out of the schools, Yet the cost of all education is increasing, and Catholic education has the additional problem of a decline in the numbers of teaching religious. Parish boards of education and finance committees must constantly work to set up the delicate equation that balances the needs and resources of the parish and the services of its school. The same must be done on a diocesan level for our secondary schools.

Nor can we overlook the problems to Catholic institutions of higher education. Because they are usually private institutions they are even more threatened by the rise in costs. Here in the South where we have so few Catholic colleges to serve us, we must seek to assist them in every manner, both morally and financially. We cannot abandon them in a time of such great need.

Must Serve All

Nor do our schools serve the Church only. Often overlooked is the service they render to our total society. It is still difficult to find an apostolate more far-reaching or with longer-range effects than education. The young people who pass through our schools are molded in the traditions and heritage of both our Church and our country. They are trained in self discipline, respect for authority, and a willingness to accept responsibility, all vial elements for man in a society that is evermore free. We are sensitive to the modern demands for justice, peace, and service, and inspire them with the example of Jesus Christ. In this way we have the opportunity through our schools to make a unique contribution to the new South. Moreover, we do this not only for our own children, but for those children of non-Catholic parents, both black and white, whom the parochial schools here in the South have always served in such large numbers.

Let us make the point here that as we cannot make our schools available only to the intellectually or financially elite, we can never allow them to become racially elite. As we have said, in the south, the Catholic schools have long served black children. Indeed in many cases, it was the Catholic school has a unique opportunity to serve these people. So we must be vitally concerned that rising costs and an increasing white Catholic population, do not make our schools unavailable to black children. Above all, the church cannot be content to follow in the matter of integration; it must lead. Here again we have a unique opportunity to lead. Because a school that is Catholic and segregated is a lie. The community at large, but especially the Catholic community, must know that our schools are open to all.

This is more easily said at times than practiced. Housing patterns and tuition rates often frustrate our efforts to make classrooms available, especially to the disadvantaged. We must do everything in our means to solve problems along these lines. But our policies must be fair and our intentions must be clear. Let us be honest with ourselves.

Above all we must be careful at all times that our schools do not become havens for those who would use them for any reason other than the desire for a religiously oriented education for their children. We must never allow our financial problems to tempt us into accepting the children of parents who do not love our schools.

Religious Orientation

Let us emphasize again that our schools are religiously oriented. They impart an education that in every discipline has a Christian outlook. They prepare the young person to meet every challenge, especially moral ones. In the early ’60s, it was said that many of our schools failed in the area of religion more than any other. Whatever the validity of that charge in some instances, we do not think that it is true of the Catholic schools of today.

Nowhere has the renewal in religious education taken place more effectively than in the Catholic school. Granted that there have been instances of extremes, the bishops have carefully assessed and supported the renewal that has taken place. In our schools we have the advantage of professionally trained religious educators. More important, we have the children scheduled into regular religion classes, worshipping in liturgies carefully planned, often by the children themselves, and geared to their own level of learning.

But it is not just the formal religious instruction that is so important. The school itself is a Christian community. The child learns by the example of the dedicated Religious, priests, and lay teachers with whom he spends so much of his time. It is as though the school were a laboratory for Christian living. If religion cannot be taught here, where can it be taught? We feel that the reason so many Catholics sacrifice so much to have their child in a Catholic school is for this reason alone.

Noble Calling

There, has been, no doubt, in recent years a growing number of religious who have questioned whether or not the classroom was the most desirable apostolate. The continuing decline in the number of Religious in schools has been caused by this reevaluation. It is this, more than anything else, that has increased the financial difficulties of operating the schools. It is impossible to say for another which apostolate is more worthy. The entire mystery of vocations is involved. God calls each of us to his own way of life. But we do not hesitate to say that either for the religious or the lay person alike, teaching is a noble calling and a service to the Church of the highest order. In all society, the teacher holds a place of respect and esteem. In the Church it is even more so, because teachers are second only to parents in shaping the lives of our young children. It could not be otherwise. The teacher is with the youngster more than any other person. The example of his or her life is always there, to be an inspiration and challenge to the child. Throughout the course of the day, the teacher is willing to listen, ready to advise and admonish. Especially during the adolescent years, whom the young person will share his innermost thoughts.

Today, when there is increasing alienation among parents and young people, the teacher’s task is even more difficult and the challenge even greater. We can only repeat, with perhaps more urgency than ever before, the Church needs teachers. It is one of the most difficult of all vocations. But teachers, we need, and religious teachers especially, today, more than ever.

Must Keep Schools

When we look at the problems that challenge our schools, it is easy at times to become discouraged. Here in the South there is, unfortunately, little hope of receiving any state aid for our schools. Federal aid itself has been postponed until the latest decision of the Supreme Court is analyzed and acceptable means discovered to meet its requirements. We are no longer building new schools. Indeed, it is difficult to keep the ones we presently have. To do this will take the most careful planning and cultivation of a generous response from all the members of the Church. Formulas for spreading costs must be devised, a restructuring or centralization of programs must be undertaken if necessary. We cannot stand by to see the schools of less affluent parishes close while others remain open. The times ahead are a challenge to the generosity of all Catholics. Our schools have never been easy to build and support, but built they were and supported by those who have gone before us over many years. They were built in hard times, times of struggle and adversity. How ironic it would be if we closed them for lack of support in this time when the Church finds itself more affluent than ever before. It is an event that we cannot allow to happen.

Signed:

Most Reverend Thomas A. Donnellan

Archbishop of Atlanta

Most Reverend Vincent S. Waters

Bishop of Raleigh

Most Reverent Ernest L. Unterkoefler

Bishop of Charleston

Most Reverend Gerard l. Frey

Bishop of Savannah

Most Reverend Michael J. Begley

Bishop of Charlotte

Right Reverend Edward McCaffrey

Abbot Nullius, Belmont Abbey