As my holy namesake proclaimed, “It is good for us to be here” (Mt 17:4). So, what are we facing in our upcoming Catholic school year? Our Catholic Education Foundation has received consistent input from teachers, administrators, parents, an … [Read more...]
Liberating Catholic Adolescents
August 16, 2021 by E. Tyler Graham
Freedom is a prominent theme of the Second Vatican Council and the teachings of the Church in the modern world; it thus plays a significant role in the contemporary Church’s reflection on education. The Church does not merely wish to r … [Read more...]
A “Modest Proposal” for a Pastoral Year Apostolate
April 9, 2021 by Fr. Peter Stravinskas
As the academic year winds down, administrators go into overdrive in planning for the next year, hence, the rationale for my present musings. Since it appears that most seminaries/dioceses are now moving (or have moved) to a mandatory … [Read more...]
Homeschooling Is Not the Ideal
[N.B: Essays appearing on Homiletic & Pastoral Review have been deemed to be compatible with the teaching of the Church, but do not necessarily reflect the opinions of HPR. Fr. Meconi and his staff have always been grateful for the hard … [Read more...]
Book Reviews — September 2020
September 22, 2020 by Book Reviews
U.S.-Vatican Relations, 1975-1980: A Diplomatic Study. By P. Peter Sarros. Reviewed by Christopher Siuzdak. (skip to review) A Man, a Mission, a Miracle: Brother James Gaffney, F.S.C., and the Transformation of Lewis University. By … [Read more...]
Classical Education Is the Answer to De-Hellenization
February 12, 2019 by Mo Woltering
It seems that the notion of “Hellenization” in various ways is catching people’s imagination more and more. A few years ago I was listening to a radio program where a Dominican priest named Fr. Gabriel Gillen said, “Before we can have a New … [Read more...]
Teaching Desire: Mimetic Pedagogy in Catholic Schools
April 28, 2018 by E. Tyler Graham
Three important documents have emerged in the last decade of the American Catholic educational scene: Archbishop (now Cardinal) Dolan’s clarion cry to resurrect the dying “Catholic Schools We Need,” the Diocese of Lansing’s proclamation to m … [Read more...]
Praise or Pretense for Catholic Schools?
May 16, 2017 by Denise L. Donohue, Ed.D.
It’s always nice to know the hard-earned reputation of Catholic schools—from the early struggles of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton to the 1950s, when our schools were bursting at the seams with record enrollments—still lingers today. But if we’re … [Read more...]
Questions Answered
December 14, 2015 by Fr. Brian Mullady, OP
Question: I would like to study the problem of universal ideas in Thomas Aquinas. Can you give me some insight into understanding this problem, and some sources on how to research this problem in Catholic authors? Answer: Pope Benedict i … [Read more...]
The Rights of Conscience
How English Catholic Schools Secured State Grants in an Age of Popular Anti-Catholicism
November 29, 2015 by Richard J. Janet, PhD
The United Kingdom was anything but united in the early years of the long reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). The ongoing process of industrialization created deep economic dislocation, with a growing gap between rich and poor. Urban … [Read more...]
Twelve Lessons about the Financial Future of Catholic Schools
September 29, 2015 by Jim Lundholm-Eades
I have spoken with several bishops recently about the Catholic schools in their dioceses. The conversations brought home to me that what I recently heard from these bishops are the same questions, and the same challenges, that I have been … [Read more...]
What a Catholic Education Owes Its Students
August 30, 2015 by David Vincent Meconi
As our students—big and small—begin to return to school, it is good to be reminded of what a truly Catholic education owes its students. For most of human history, education was a private affair between (usually) a young boy and his tutor. I … [Read more...]
Summer Reading for August 2015
August 30, 2015 by Book Reviews
Soul-Centered: Spirituality for People on the Go. Jim Clarke. (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2015) 144 pages; $14.95. (Reviewed by Melinda Selmys) _____________ Make the Words Your Own: An Early Christian Guide to the Psalms. Benjamin … [Read more...]
Home and School in American Catholic Life
July 10, 2014 by Joseph T. Stuart
This essay argues that understanding the historical reasons why Catholic schools and homeschooling arose can help one to see how both may contribute to the revitalization of a Catholic subculture and American society in complementary w … [Read more...]
The Need for Liturgy Within Parish Catechetical Programs
November 11, 2013 by Brandon Harvey
Some pastors have experienced people who register in the parish, and go to Mass for a short period of time, but leave once they get what they want: their wedding at their dream church, parish assistance with tuition, renting parish … [Read more...]
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