Catholic education and the theology of communio
For more on communio and education, look out for the soon to be published revised edition of Shared Mission: Religious Education in the Catholic Tradition:
An appropriate image of the Church for its important educational mission is the ancient notion of the Church as communio.
The educational life of the Church, which requires vibrant forward-thinking institutions as embodiments of the call to teach, can find in communio the spiritual bonds that bring unity to the diversity of its many institutions and related functions. The worldwide network of parishes, schools, colleges, universities and seminaries has in common a commitment to an authentically critical study of the how the Catholic worldview can speak in fluent tones to all people.
For the Italian theologian and educator, Luigi Giussani, to be critical is not to embrace a contrarian mindset that finds delight in ‘scandalizing” but, “on the contrary, critique is, first of all, the expression of the human genius that is in all of us – a genius that strains to discover being, to discover values.”[1]
Let us remember that our freedom is an invitation and opportunity to draw from and contribute positively to the Church and society. Study of the theology of communio can help us in this mission.
[1] Luigi Giussani, The Risk of Education: Discovering our Ultimate Destiny, trans. Mariangela Sullivan (Montreal & Kingston: McGill-Queens University Press, 2019), 70.