Community formation resources on the Instruction
Since education is a right for everyone, the [Second Vatican] Council called for the responsibility of all. (The Identity of the Catholic School for a Culture of Dialogue (ICS) #12).
Lumen Gentium considers the school not so much as an institution but as a community.
The whole school community is responsible for implementing the school’s Catholic educational project as an expression of its ecclesiality and its being a part of the community of the Church. (#38).
Formation for mission is a process for all the community. Open to “all peoples [to promote] the complete perfection of the human person, the good of earthly society and the building of a world that is more human” (Gravissimum educationis, #3).
As such community formation needs to be systematic, collaborative, graduated and ongoing.
It is necessary for parents to co-operate closely with teachers, getting involved in decision-making processes concerning the school community and their children, and participating in school meetings or associations. (#44).
All those involved in Catholic education
…need a “formation of the heart”: they need to be led to that encounter with God in Christ which awakens their love and opens their spirits to others, so that their educational commitment becomes a consequence deriving from their faith, a faith which becomes active through love (cf. Gal 5:6) (Educating Together in Catholic Schools, #25).
Formation for mission in Catholic education:
- Is “formation of the heart” that is characterised by prayerfulness and reflection
- Is respectful, experiential and relevant, building on participants’ personal story and everyday reality
- Is explicitly Christological, scripturally rich and ecclesially grounded
- Has an affective focus on a person’s faith journey and discipleship
- Has substantive theological content
- Sets out to build communal Catholic religious identity and culture
- Is differentiated according to individual and community needs
- Promotes personal vocation, connection with the Catholic tradition and responsiveness to mission
- Develops the willingness, confidence and capacities of participants in their roles to serve the evangelising mission of Catholic school education.
(A Framework for Formation for Mission in Catholic Education, p14)
Resources
