Faith Based Education
Lumen Christi’s Vision of a Faith Based Education
The Catholic Church has identified five essential elements that characterize a Catholic school. Students at Lumen Christi are educated in an environment that strives to meet these five elements.
1. A View of the Human Person that is inspired by a Supernatural Vision
The specific purpose of a Catholic education is the formation of adults who understand that they have a natural and a supernatural destiny and who live their lives in accord with that understanding. Their destiny is a consequence of the creation of each human person in the image and likeness of God. A faith based education respects the god given dignity of each student (and each member of the school community) while educating students for a divine destiny which is their proper end. As a consequence a Catholic faith based education aims to form good citizens of this world, loving God and neighbor and enriching society with the leaven of the gospel who will also be citizens of the world to come. An emphasis on the inalienable dignity of the human person – above all on his or her spiritual dimension – is especially necessary.
2. Founded on a Christian Anthropology
A Catholic school must be founded on Jesus Christ, the Redeemer. It is he, who through his Incarnation, is united with each Christian student. Christ is the center of the entire school, the light enlightening every person who comes into a Catholic school. The gospel of Jesus Christ inspires and guides the Catholic school in every dimension of its life and activity – its philosophy of education, its curriculum, its community life, its selection of teachers, and even its physical environment.
3. Animated by Communion and Community
The Church describes the school as a community in four areas. The first area is teamwork among all those involved especially family, staff and students. Those responsible for the school need to promote the same spirit of trust and warmth found in family life. The second area is the cooperation between educators and bishops. The third component is the interaction of students with teachers. Special attention is paid to the quality of the interpersonal relationship between teachers and students to ensure that the student is seen as a person whose intellectual growth is harmonized with spiritual, religious, emotional, and social growth. The fourth area of community is the school’s physical environment. Since the school is considered an extension of the home, it should contain some of the amenities that promote a family atmosphere. Additionally, a Catholic school should have external signs of Catholic tradition including images, symbols, icons, crucifixes in every classroom, liturgical celebrations, and other sacramental reminders of Catholic life.
4. Imbued with a Catholic Worldview Throughout its Curriculum
Catholic education is directed towards the growth of the whole person. The curriculum aims to develop the intellect, the physical capacity, as well as the psychological, moral and religious capacities of every student. In the pursuit of educating the whole person Catholic schooling is constantly inspired and guided by the gospel. Catholic teachers are to cultivate in themselves and develop in others a passion for truth. Such an education will emphasize the integral nature of truth.
5. Sustained by Gospel Witness
Catholic education pays a great deal of attention to the vocation of teachers and their participation in the Church’s evangelizing mission. Teachers and staff, students and parents – who are integral to the school community in the role proper to each – are called to imitate Christ and live the Christian message through their words and actions. All in the school community but particularly professional educators are expected to be models for their students by bearing transparent witness to Christ and to the beauty of the gospel.