The following paper gives an abbreviated account of the argument in the recent book 'Challenges for Religious Education: is there a disconnection between faith and reason?' In paying particular attention to the perceived opposition between the systematic development of religious faith, on the one hand, and, on the other, the central educational…

Gerald Grace (2002. "Catholic Schools: Mission, Markets and Morality." London: Routledge), borrowing from the sociological constructs of Pierre Bourdieu, speaks of the significance of the spiritual and cultural capital of religious orders in providing a substantial catalyst in the development of Catholic education in England and Wales.…

This article will focus on the perennial impact of the Salesian education vision in in Salesian schools in the UK. Following an introduction outlining the history of the Salesian presence in the UK, the Salesian education vision will be explored, focused on its classical characteristics, reason, religion and loving kindness. The decline in the…

This study explored the perceptions of ongoing participants in the Galilee Spiritual and Faith Formation programme on the development of their personal and faith formation. The study used a constructivist paradigm, specifically that of interpretivism and employed a symbolic interactionist perspective to explore participant perceptions. The…

There is clear evidence of increasing secularisation across Europe; nevertheless, the authority of the Christian tradition persists. This study focuses on the case of Spain, a well-founded Catholic origin country, which, in just a few decades has become from being one of the most religious to one of the least among Catholics. This investigation…

US Catholic schools have been known to educate the whole child. However, the Catholic sector has not widely embraced a shared understanding of whole child education or how it is operationalised, nor have researchers interested in this sector effectively measured the impact of approaches in any or all domains. This conceptual paper presents a…

This paper explores the current challenges of Catholic popular education in Latin America, with a focus on Ecuador. It identifies the current economic and political context -- threats to democracy and economic crises -- that affects the social fabric as well as challenging educational outcomes exacerbated by the pandemic. It focuses on Fe y…

The question: 'Education: Commodity or Public Good?' (Grace, G. 1989. "Education: Commodity or Public Good?" "British Journal of Educational Studies" 37 (3): 207-221. doi:10.1080/00071005.1989.9973812) is more prescient than ever, and this paper probes the ways in which Catholic school teachers experience market-oriented…

This paper draws on the findings of a small-scale research study based on interviews with twenty serving Catholic headteachers from the primary and secondary phases and from the maintained and independent sectors. The focus of the study was to explore the concept of 'spiritual capital' among the headteachers and to evaluate the impact of two major…

Philip Phenix's (1964) book "Realms of meaning: A philosophy of the curriculum for general education" started the ever growing movement concerned with how school education might help young people in their search for meaning, purpose and values in times of rapid cultural change. Today, in globalised, digital, secularised culture, the…

Research by Grace, G. R. (2002. "Catholic Schools: Mission, Markets, and Morality." London: Routledge/Falmer) and Wilkin, R. 2014. ("'Interpreting the Tradition': A Research Report." "International Studies in Catholic Education" 6 (2): 164-177) has drawn attention to the importance of spiritual capital amongst…

It has been contended by various authors that the Catholic school is confessional in the sense of being indoctrinatory and so there has been an attempt to provide a non-confessional programme. On the contrary, this article argues that the Catholic Church sees its schools as "confessional" but not "indoctrinatory." However, to…

The effects of secularisation on society demand a rethinking of the identity and mission of Catholic schools in France. In 2013, the French bishops published a new directory which offers new approaches, described here, based on the three challenges facing Catholic education in France: linking social responsibility and evangelisation, setting up…

This case study account reviews issues related to seminary formation and education at the Beda College, Rome, including Fundamentals of Formation, Community Life, Organizing Formation, Intellectual Formation, Spiritual Formation, Pastoral Formation, and the challenges arising in these fields.

Paulo Freire's educational theory is world widely acclaimed and recognised for its intrinsic humanism. Here I will present a lesser known face of Freire that I claim is as important as his humanist inspiration: his Catholic background. As a first step, I will present some aspects of Freire's religious experience. Then, I will highlight two aspects…