Date of Award
Summer 2023
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Theology
First Advisor
Nussberger, Danielle
Second Advisor
Duns, Ryan
Third Advisor
Kelly, Conor
Abstract
The character of Catholic education has been variously described but is often associated with educating the whole person, a statement that is usually inadequately explored. In the first place, this “holistic” approach is often reduced to character education, which is an insufficient explanation of what makes Catholic schools distinctive. Moreover, the approach relies on a dense theological account of the human person, which can make it difficult to integrate into the daily reality of school life. This thesis critiques some insufficient approaches to Catholic education in light of the Church’s vision for education, beginning with Vatican II and Gravissimis Educationis by Paul VI. There are resources within the Catholic theological tradition that can provide needed depth, and the thesis draws out three insights from Trinitarian theology, especially Augustine’s De Trinitate, and applies them to the messy reality of Catholic schools. First, every subject bristles with God’s presence because God is the self-revealing creator. Catholic theology therefore provides a foundation on which educators can build a case for the unity of reality and the interconnected nature of all academic subjects. Second, God’s self-revelation is not merely informational; it is relational. Through the incarnation of Jesus Christ, we learn that God invites us into a deep and intimate relationship. The third point is closely related, and both pertain particularly to Catholic secondary education. While relationship with God is an end in itself, it produces results, namely an increase of self-knowledge, which in turn orders the will more justly and allows human beings to live with greater intention and love. Developing a relationship with God is highly personal, just as acquiring self-knowledge is an intimate process. It follows that Catholic educators must provide both guidance and space for adolescents to mature, which is what will move them toward a whole and healthy character. When placed in conversation with the on the ground realities of Catholic schooling, these trinitarian ideas can be used to develop fresh ways of describing what it means to be engaged in the work of developing the human person toward the end of fulfilling the Church’s mission.