CATHOLIC SCHOOLS (S.C.C.E., Malgré les declarations, 24 June 1977) – Vat. II Vol. 1
INTRODUCTION
Catholic schools are receiving more and more attention in the Church since the Second Vatican Council, especially with the emphasis now being placed on the Church as portrayed in the constitutions Lumen Gentium and Gaudium et Spes. In the Council’s declaration Gravissimum Educationis they are discussed in the wider sphere of Christian education. The present document develops the thinking of this declaration, limiting itself to a deeper reflection on the Catholic school.
The Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education is aware of the serious problems which are inseparable from Christian education in a pluralistic society. It regards as a prime duty, therefore, to focus attention on the nature and distinctive characteristics of a school which would present itself as a Catholic. Yet the diverse situations and legal systems in which the Catholic countries demand that local problems be faced and solved by each Church within its own social-cultural context.
While acknowledging this duty of the local Churches, the Sacred Congregation believes that now is the opportune moment to offer its own contribution by re-emphasizing clearly the educational value of the Catholic school. It is in this value that the Catholic school’s fundamental reason for existing and the basis of its genuine apostolate is to be found. This document does not pretend to be an exhaustive treatment of the subject; it merely proposes to state the premises that will lead to further fruitful study and development.
To Episcopal conferences, pastorally concerned for all young Catholics whatever school they attended, the Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education entrusts this present document in order that they may seek to achieve an effective system of education at all levels which corresponds to the total educational needs of young people today in Catholic schools. The Sacred Congregation also addresses itself to all who are responsible for education – parents, teachers, young people and school authorities – and urges them to pool all their resources and the means at their disposal to enable Catholic schools to provide a service which is truly civic and apostolic.
THE CATHOLIC SCHOOL AND THE SALVIFIC MISSION OF THE CHURCH
In the fullness of time, in his mysterious plan of love, God the Father sent His only Son to begin the kingdom of God on earth and bring about the spiritual rebirth of mankind. To continue his work of salvation, Jesus Christ founded the Church as a visible organism, living by the power of the Spirit.
Moved by the same Spirit, the Church is constantly deepening her awareness of herself and meditating on the mystery of her being and mission. Thus she is ever rediscovering her living relationship with Christ ‘in order to discover greater light, energy, and joy in fulfilling her mission and determining the best way to ensure that her relationship with humanity is closer and more efficacious’ – that humanity of which she is a part and yet from which she is so undeniably distinct. Her destiny is to serve humanity until it reaches its fullness in Christ.
Evangelization is, therefore, the mission of the Church; that is, she must proclaim the good news of salvation to all, generate new creatures in Christ through baptism, and trai them to live in the awareness that they are children of God.
MEANS AVAILABLE FOR THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH
To carry out her saving mission, the Church uses, above all, the means which Jesus Christ has given her. She also uses other means which at different times and in different cultures have proved effective in achieving and promoting the development of the human person. The Church adapts these means to the changing conditions and emerging needs of mankind. In her encounter with differing cultures and with man’s progressive achievements, the Church proclaims the faith and reveals ‘to all ages the transcendent goal which alone gives life its full meaning’. She establishes her own schools because she considers them as a privileged means of promoting the formation of the whole man, since the school is a centre in which a specific concept of the worlds, of man, and of history is developed and conveyed.
SOME ASPECTS OF SCHOOLS TODAY
24. To understand the real nature of the Catholic school one cannot divorce it from wider modern problems concerning schools in general. Apart from the ideas advanced by the promoters of de-schooling – a theory which now seems of minor significance – contemporary society tends to place greater importance than ever on the specific function of the school: its social significance (parental participation, increased democratization, equality of opportunity); its tendency to coordinate and eventually include the educational work of other institutions; the extension of the statutory duration of attendance at school.
THE SCHOOL AS A CENTRE OF HUMAN FORMATION
25. To understand fully the specific mission of the Catholic school it is essential to keep in mind the basic concept of what a school is; that which does not reproduce the characteristic features of a school cannot be a Catholic school.
THE GENERAL PURPOSE OF A SCHOOL
26. A close examination of the various definitions of a school and of new educational trends at every level, leads one to formulate the concept of a school as a place of integral formation by means of a systematic and critical assimilation of culture. A school is, therefore, a privileged place in which, through a living encounter with a cultural inheritance, integral formation occurs.
27. This vital process take place in the school through personal contacts and commitments which consider absolute values in a life-context and seek to insert them into a life framework. Indeed, culture is only educational when young people can relate their study to real-life situations with which they are familiar. The school must stimulate the pupil to exercise his intelligence through the dynamics of understanding to attain clarity and inventiveness. It must help him spell out the meaning of his experiences and their truths. Any school which neglects this duty and which offers merely pre-cast conclusions hinders the personal development of its pupils.
SPECIFIC CHARACTER OF THE CATHOLIC SCHOOL
33. Having stated the characteristics of the Catholic school from the point of view of ‘school’, we can now examine its Catholic quality, namely its reference to a Christian concept of life centred on Jesus Christ.
34. Christ is the foundation of the whole educational enterprise in a Catholic school. His revelation gives new meaning to life and helps man to direct his thought, action and will according to the Gospel, making the
beatitudes his norm of life. The fact that in their own individual ways all members of the school community share this Christian vision, makes the school ‘Catholic’; principles of the Gospel in this manner become the educational norms since the school then has them as its internal motivation and final goal.
35. The Catholic school is committed thus to the development of the whole man, since in Christ, the perfect man, all human values find their fulfilment and unity. Herein lies the specifically Catholic character of the school. Its duty to cultivate human values in their own legitimate right in accordance with its particular mission to serve all men has its origin in the figure of Christ. He is the one who ennobles man, gives meaning to human life, and is the model which the Catholic school offers to its pupils.
36. If, like every other school, the Catholic school has as its aim the critical communication of human culture and the total formation of the individual, it works towards high goal guided by its Christian vision of reality ‘through which our cultural heritage acquires its special place in the total vocational life of man’. Mindful of the fact that man has been redeemed by Christ, the Catholic school aims at forming in the Christian those particular virtues which will enable him to live a new life in Christ and help him to play faithfully has his part in building up the kingdom of God.
37. These premises indicate the duties and the content of the Catholic school. Its task is fundamentally a synthesis of culture and faith, and a synthesis of faith and life: the first is reached by integrating all the different aspects of human knowledge through the subjects taught, in the light of the Gospel; the second in the growth of the virtues characteristic of the Christian.
RELIGIOUS TEACHING
49. The specific mission of the mission school, then, is a critical, systematic transmission of the culture in the light of faith and the bringing forth of the power of Christian virtue by the integration of culture with faith and of faith with living. Consequently, the Catholic school is aware of the importance of the Gospel-teaching as transmitted through the Catholic Church. It is, indeed, the fundamental element in the educative process as it helps the pupil towards his conscious choice of living a responsible and coherent way of life.
50. Without entering into the whole problem of teaching religion in schools, it must be emphasized that, while such teaching is not merely confined to ‘religious classes’ within the school curriculum, it must, nevertheless, also be imparted explicitly and in a systematic manner to prevent a distortion in the child’s mind between religious and other forms of education is that its aim is not simply intellectual assent to religious truths but also a total commitment of one’s whole being to the person of Christ.
51. It is recognized that the proper place for catechesis is the family helped by other Christian communities, especially the local parish. But the importance and need for catechetical instruction in Catholic schools cannot be sufficiently emphasized. Here young people are helped to grow towards maturity in faith.
52. The Catholic school must be alert at all times to development in the fields of child psychology, pedagogy and particularly catechesis, and should especially keep abreast of directives from competent ecclesiastical authorities. The school must do everything in its power to aid the Church to fulfil in catechetical mission and so must have the best possible qualified teachers of religion.
THE PARTICIPATION OF THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY IN THE CATHOLIC SCHOOL’S WORK
60. From the outset the Catholic school declares its program and its determination to uphold it. It is genuine community bent on imparting, over and above an academic education, all the help it can to its members to adopt a Christian way of life. For the Catholic school mutual respect means service to the person of Christ. Co-operation is between brothers and sisters in Christ. A policy of working for the common good is undertaken seriously as working for the building up of the kingdom of God.
61. The co-operation required for the realization of this aim is a duty in conscience for all members of the community – teachers, parents, pupils, administrative personnel. Each has his or her own part to play. Co-operation of all, given in the spirit of Gospel, by its very nature a witness not only to Christ as the corner-stone of the community, but also as the light which shines far beyond it.
THE CATHOLIC SCHOOL IN MISSION COUNTRIES
77. The importance of the Catholic school apostolate is much greater when it is a question of the foreign missions. Where the young Churches still rely on the presence of foreign missionaries, the effectiveness of the Catholic school will largely depend on its ability to adapt to local needs. It must ensure that it is a true expression of the local and national Catholic community and that it contributes to the community’s willingness to co-operate. In countries where the Christian responsibility for its own schools, the bishops will have to undertake the responsibility themselves for the time being, but must endeavour little by little to fulfil the aims outlined above in connection with the organization of the Catholic schools.
Declaration on Christian Education (Gravissimum Educationis, 28 October 1965) – Vat. II Vol. 2
PREFACE
The sacred ecumenical council has given careful consideration to the paramount importance of education in the life of men and its ever-growing influence on the social progress of the age. In fact the education of youth, and indeed a certain continuing education of adults, have been rendered both easier and more necessary by the circumstances of our times. For men, as they become more conscious of their own dignity and responsibility, are eager to take an ever more active role in social life and especially in the economic and political spheres. The wonderful progress in technical skill and scientific enquiry and the new means of social communication give men the opportunity of enjoying more leisure – and many of them take advantage of it – and of availing themselves of their birthright of culture of mind and spirit and of finding fulfilment in closer relations both with other groups and even other nations. Accordingly, efforts are being made everywhere to ensure an ever increasing development of education. The fundamental rights in regard to the education of men, and especially of children and of parents, are being enunciated and made a matter of public record. As the number of pupils is rapidly increasing, schools are being established far and wide, and other scholastic institutions are being opened. Methods of education and instruction are being developed by new experiments, and great efforts are being made to provide these services for all men, although many children and young people are still without even elementary education, and many others are deprived of a suitable education – one inculcating simultaneously truth and charity.
For her part Holy Mother Church, in order to fulfil the mandate she received from her divine funder to announce the mystery of salvation to all men and to renew all things in Christ, is under an obligation to promote the welfare of the whole life of man, including his life in this world insofar as it is related to his heavenly vocation; she has therefore a part to play in the development and extension of education. Accordingly the sacred Synod hereby promulgates some fundamental principles concerning Christian education, especially in regard to schools. These principles should be more fully developed by a special postconciliar commission and should be adapted to the different local circumstances by Episcopal conferences.
All men of whatever race, condition or age, in virtue of their dignity as human persons, have an inalienable right to education. This education should be suitable to the particular destiny of the individuals, adapted to their ability, sex and national cultural traditions, and should be conducive to fraternal relations with other nations in order to promote true unity and peace in the world. True education is directed towards the formation of the human person in view of his final end and the good of that society to which he belongs and in the duties of which he will, as an adult, have a share.
Due weight being given to the advances in psychological, pedagogical and intellectual sciences, children and young people should be helped to develop harmoniously their physical, moral and intellectual qualities. They should be trained to acquire gradually a more perfect sense of responsibility in the proper development of their own live by constant effort and in the pursuit of liberty, overcoming obstacles with unwavering courage and perseverance. As they grow older, they should receive a positive and prudent education in matter relating to sex. Moreover, they should be so prepared to take their part in the life of society that, they may be able to participate actively in the life of society that, having been duly trained in the necessary and useful skills, that they may be able to participate actively in the life of society in its various aspects. They should be open to dialogue with others and should willingly devote themselves to the promotion of the common good.
Similarly the sacred Synod affirms that children and young people have the right to be stimulated to make sound moral judgments based on a well-formed conscience and to put them into practice with a sense of personal commitment, and to know and love God more perfectly. Accordingly, it earnestly requests all those who are in charge of civil administration or in control of education to make it their care to ensure that young people are never deprived of this sacred right. It therefore exhorts the sons of the Church to assist in a spirit of generosity in the whole field of education, especially with the aim of extending more rapidly the benefits of suitable education and instruction throughout the world.
All Christians – that is, all those who having been born in water and the Holy Spirit are called and in fact are children of God – have a right to a Christian education. Such an education not only develops the maturity of the human person in the way we have described, but is especially directed towards ensuring those who have been baptized, as they are gradually introduced to a knowledge of the mystery of salvation, become daily more appreciative of the gift of faith which they have received. They should learn to adore God the Father in spirit and in truth (Jn. 4:23), especially through the liturgy. They should be trained to live their own lives in the new self, justified and sanctified through the truth (Eph. 4:22-24). Thus they should come to true manhood, which is proportioned to the completed growth of Christ (cf. Eph. 4:13), and make their contribution to the growth of the Mystical Body. Moreover, conscious of their vocation they should learn to give witness to the hope that is in them (cf. 1 Pet. 3:15) and to promote the Christian concept of the world whereby the natural values, assimilated into the full understanding of man redeemed by Christ, may contribute to the good of society as a whole. Accordingly the sacred Synod directs the attention of pastors of souls to their very grave obligation to do all in their power to ensure that this Christian education is enjoyed by all the faithful and especially by the young who are the hope of the church.
3. As it is the parents who have given life to their children, on them lies the gravest obligation of educating their family. They must therefore be recognized as being primarily and principally responsible for their education. The role of parents in education is of such importance that it is almost impossible to provide an adequate substitute. It is therefore the duty of parents to create a family atmosphere inspired by love and devotion to God and their fellow-men which will promote an integrated, personal and social education of their children. The family is therefore the principal school of the social virtues which are necessary to every society. It is therefore above all in the Christian family, inspired by the grace and the responsibility of the sacrament of matrimony, that children should be taught to know and worship God and to love their neighbour, in accordance with the faith which they have received in earliest infancy in the sacrament of Baptism. In it, also, they will have their first experience of a well-balanced human society and of the Church. Finally it is through the family that they are gradually initiated into association with their fellow-men in civil life and as members of the people of God. Parents should, therefore, appreciate how important a role of the whole people of God.
The task of imparting education belongs primarily to the family, but it requires the help of society as a whole. As well as the rights of parents, and of those others to whom the parents entrust some share in their duty to educate, there are certain duties and rights vested in civil society inasmuch as it is nits function to provide for the common good in temporal matters. It is its duty to promote the education, and provide them with the requisite assistance. In accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, when the efforts of the parents and of other organizations are inadequate it should itself undertake the duty of education, with due consideration, however, for the wishes of the parents. Finally, insofar as the common good requires it, it should establish its own schools and institutes.
Education is, in a very special way, the concern of the Church, not only because the Church must be recognized as a human society capable of imparting education, but especially it has the duty of proclaiming the way of salvation to all men, of revealing the life of Christ to those who believe, and of assisting them with unremitting care so that they may be able to attain to the fullness of that life.
The Church as a mother is under an obligation, therefore, to provide for its children an education by virtue of which their whole lives may be inspired by the spirit of Christ. At the same time it will offer its assistance to all peoples for the promotion of a well-balanced perfection of the human personality, for the good of society in this world and for the development of a world more worthy of man.
In the exercise of its functions in education, the Church is appreciative of every means that may be of service, but it relies especially on those which are essentially its own. Chief among these is catechetical instruction, which illumines and strengthens the faith, develops a life in harmony with the spirit of Christ, stimulates a conscious and fervent participation in the liturgical mystery and encourages men to take an active part in the apostolate. The Church values highly those other educational media which belong to the common patrimony of men and which make a valuable contribution to the development of character and to the formation of men. These it seeks to ennoble by imbuing them with its own spirit. Such are the media of social communication, different groups devoted to the training of mind and body, youth associations, and especially schools.
Among the various organs of education the school is of outstanding importance. In nurturing the intellectual faculties which is its special mission, it develops a capacity for sound judgement and introduces the pupils to the cultural heritage bequeathed to them by former generations. It fosters a sense of values and prepares them for professional life. By providing for friendly contacts between pupils of different character and backgrounds it encourages mutual understanding. Furthermore it constitutes a center in whose activity and growth not only the families and teachers but also the various associations for the promotion of cultural, civil and religious life, civic society, and the entire community should take part.
Splendid, therefore, and of the highest importance is the vocation of those who help parents in carrying out their duties and act in the name of the community by undertaking a teaching career. This vocation requires special qualities of mind and heart, most careful preparation and a constant readiness to accept new ideas and to adapt the old.
Parents, who have a primary and inalienable duty and right in regard to the education of their children, should enjoy the fullest liberty in their choice of school. The public authority, therefore, whose duty it is to protect and defend the liberty of the citizens, is bound according to the principles if distributive justice to ensure that public subsidies to schools are so allocated that parents are truly free to select schools for their children in accordance with their conscience.
But it is the duty of the state to ensure that all its citizens have access to an adequate education and are prepared for the proper exercise of their civic rights and duties. The state itself, therefore, should safeguard the rights of children to an adequate education in school. It should be vigilant about the ability of the teachers and the standard of teaching. It should watch over the health of the pupils and in general promote the work of the schools in its entirety. In this, however, the principle of subsidiarity must be borne in mind, and therefore there must be no monopoly of schools which would militate against the progress and extension of education, and the peaceful coexistence of citizens. It would, moreover, be inconsistent with the pluralism which exists today in many societies.
Accordingly the sacred Synod urges the faithful to cooperate readily in the development of suitable methods of education and systems of study and in the training of teachers competent to give a good education to their pupils. They are urged also to further by their efforts, and especially by associations of parents, the entire activity of the schools and in particular the moral education given in them.
Acknowledging its grave obligation to see to the moral and religious education of all its children, the Church should give special attention and help to the great number of them who are being taught in non-Catholic schools. This will be done by the living example of those who teach and have charge of these children and by the apostolic action of their fellow-students, but especially by the efforts of those priests and layman who teach them Christian doctrine in a manner suited to their age and background and who provide them with spiritual help by means of various activities adapted to the requirements of time and circumstance.
Parents are reminded of their grave obligation to make all necessary arrangements and even to insist that their children may be able to take advantage of these services and thus enjoy a balanced progress in their preparation for life in the world. For this reason the Church is deeply grateful to those public authorities and associations which, taking into consideration the plural of their children in all schools is given in accordance with the moral and religious principles of the family.
The Church’s role especially evident in Catholic schools. These are no less zealous than other schools in the promotion of culture and in the human formation of young people. It is, however, the special function of the Catholic school to develop in the school community an atmosphere animated by a spirit of liberty and charity based on the Gospel. It enables young people, while developing their own personality to grow at the same time in that new life which has been given them in baptism. Finally it so orients the whole of human culture to the message of salvation that the knowledge which the pupils acquire of the world, of life and of men is illumined by faith. Thus the Catholic school, taking into consideration as it should the conditions of an age of progress, prepares its pupils to contribute effectively to the welfare of the world of men and to work for the extension of the kingdom of God, so that by living an exemplary and apostolic life they may be, as it were, a saving leaven in the community.
Accordingly, since the Catholic school can be of such service in developing the mission of the People of God and in promoting dialogue between the Church and the community at large to the advantage of both, it is still of vital importance even in our times. The sacred Synod therefore affirms once more the right of the Church freely to establish and conduct schools of all kinds and grades, a right which has already been asserted time and again in many documents of the Magisterium. It emphasizes that the exercise of this right is of the utmost importance for the preservation of liberty of conscience, for the protection of the rights of parents, and for the advancement of culture itself.
Teachers must remember that it depends chiefly on them whether the Catholic school achieves it purpose. They should therefore be prepared for their work with special care, having the appropriate qualifications and adequate learning both religious and secular. They should also be skilled in the art of education in accordance with the discoveries of modern times. Possessed by charity both to an apostolic spirit, they should bear testimony by their lives and their teaching to the one Teacher, who is Christ. Above al they should work in close cooperation with the parents. In the entire educational program they should, together with the parent, make full allowance for the difference of sex and for the particular role which providence has appointed to each sex in the family and in society. They should strive to awaken in their pupils a spirit of personal initiative and, even after they have left school, they should continue to help them with their advice and friendship and by the organization of special groups imbued with the true spirit of the Church, the sacred Synod declares that the services of such teachers constitute an active apostolate, one which admirably suited to our times and indeed is very necessary. At the same time they render a valuable service to society. Catholic parents are reminded of their duty to send their children to Catholic schools wherever this is possible, to give Catholic schools all the support in their power and to cooperate with their work for the good of their children.
Although Catholic schools may assume various forms according to local circumstances, all schools which are in any way independent on the Church should conform as far as possible to this prototype. Furthermore the Church attaches particular importance to those schools, especially in the territories of newly founded Churches, which include non-Catholic among their pupils.
Moreover, in establishing and conducting Catholic schools one must keep modern developments in mind. Accordingly, while one may not neglect primary and intermediate schools, which provide the basis of education, one should attach considerable importance to those establishment which are particularly necessary nowadays, such as professional and technical colleges, institutes for adult education and for the promotion of social work, institutions for those who require special care on account of some natural handicap, and training colleges for teachers, of religion and of other branches of education.
The sacred Synod earnestly exhorts the pastors of the Church and all the faithful to spare no sacrifice in helping Catholic schools to become increasingly effective, especially in caring for the poor, for those who are without the help and affection of family, and those who do not have the Faith.
The Church likewise devotes considerable care to higher-level education, especially in universities and faculties. Indeed, in the institutions under its control the Church endeavours systematically to ensure that the treatment of the individual disciplines is consonant with their own principles, for their own methods, and with a true liberty of scientific enquiry. Its object is that a progressively deeper understanding of them may be achieved, and by a careful attention to the current problems of these changing times and to the research being undertaken, the convergence of faith and reason in the one truth may be seen more clearly. This method follows the tradition of the doctors of the Church and especially St. Thomas Aquinas. Thus the Christian outlook should acquire, as it were, a public, stable and universal influence in the whole process of the promotion of higher culture. The graduates of these institutes should be outstanding in learning, ready to undertake the more responsible duties of society, and to be witnesses in the world to the true faith.
In Catholic universities in which there is no faculty of Sacred Theology there should be an institute or course of theology in which lecturers may be given suited also to the needs of lay students. Since the advance of knowledge is secured especially by research into matters of major scientific importance, every effort should be made in Catholic universities and faculties to develop departments for the advancement of scientific research.
The sacred Synod earnestly recommends the establishment of Catholic universities and faculties strategically distributed throughout the world, but they should be noteworthy not so much for their numbers as for their high standards. Entry to them should be made easy for students of great promise but of modest resources, and especially for those from newly develop countries.
Since indeed the well-being of society and of the Church herself is intimately related to the development of students pursuing higher studies, the pastors of the Church should not only be assiduous in their care for the spiritual life of students attending Catholic universities but, in their solicitude for the spiritual formation of all their flock, they should provide by joint Episcopal action the establishment of Catholic residences and centres even in the non-Catholic universities. In these, priests, religious and laymen, carefully chosen and prepared for the task, should provide permanent centres of guidance, spiritual and intellectual, for the students. Special interest should be taken in young men of outstanding ability, whether they be students of Catholic or other universities, who seem to be suited to teaching or research, and they should be encouraged to adopt an academic career.
The Church anticipates great benefits from the activities of the faculties of the sacred sciences. For to them, she confides the very grave responsibility of preparing her own students, not only for the priestly ministry, but especially either for teaching in the institutes of higher ecclesiastical study, or for the advancement of learning by their own investigations, or finally by undertaking the even more exacting duties of the intellectual apostolate. It is the function also of these faculties to promote research in the different fields of sacred learning. Their object will be to ensure that an ever-growing understanding of sacred revelation be achieved, that the inheritance of Christian wisdom handed down by former generation be more fully appreciated that dialogue with our separated brethren and with non-Christians be promoted, and that questions arising from the development of thought be duly solved.
Therefore the ecclesiastical faculties, having made such revision of their own statutes as seems opportune, should do all in their power to promote the sacred sciences and related branches of learning, and by the employment of modern methods and aids they should train their students for higher research.
As cooperation, which is becoming daily more important and more effective at diocesan, national and international levels, is very necessary also in the educational sphere, every care should be taken to encourage suitable coordination between Catholic schools. Such collaboration between these and other schools as the welfare of the whole community requires should also be developed.
A greater measure of coordination and the undertaking of joint activities will be especially fruitful in the sphere of academic institutes. In every university, therefore, the various faculties should assist each other insofar as their particular provinces permit. The universities also should combine for purposes of joint enterprises, such as organizing international congress and allotting scientific research among themselves. They should also communicate the results of their research to each other, interchange professors on a temporary basis, and in general promote all measures which may be mutually helpful.
CONCLUSION
The sacred Synod earnestly exhorts the students themselves to appreciate the excellence of the teaching vocation and to show a readiness to undertake it generously, especially in those countries where education of young people is at risk because of a shortage of teachers.
The sacred Synod furthermore affirms its deep gratitude to those priests, religious, nuns and laity who in a spirit of evangelical dedication have devoted themselves to the all-important work of education and schools of all kinds and grades. It exhorts them to preserves generously in the work they have undertaken, and to strive so to excel in inspiring their pupils with the spirit of Christ, in their mastery of the art of teaching, and in their zeal for learning that they may not only promote the internal renewal of the Church but also maintain and augment its beneficial presence in the world today and especially in the intellectual sphere.
