Volume 4, Number 2
December, 2000
Table of Contents
Editors' Comments (p. 137)
Thomas C. Hunt, Ronald J. Nuzzi
Articles
Education on the Threshold of the Third Millennium: Challenge, Mission, and Adventure
Guiseppe Pittau, SJ
Congregation for Catholic Education
(pp. 139-152)
On May 18, 1999, the newly appointed Secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education, the Vatican office for Catholic schools, universities, and seminaries, addressed a gathering of Catholic school administrators at Fordham University. The Most Reverend Giuseppe Pittau, S.J., was invited to deliver an address to the Fifth Annual School Executive Leadership Dinner. Archbishop Pittau brings a wealth of experience to his new position at the Vatican. In his role as Secretary, he shares responsibility for some 900 Catholic colleges and universities, over 3550 seminaries, and tens of thousands of Catholic schools. In his address, Pittau offers a synthesis of current challenges facing Catholic schools and highlights the critical role of parents, teachers, administrators, and the community in the education of children.
Religion and U.S. Culture
James L. Heft, SM
University of Dayton
(pp. 153-169)
After reviewing the history of the interplay between religion and culture in the U.S., this article explores important facets of contemporary American society that color the experience and meaning of religious faith. Among these are excessive individualism, a heightened awareness of the need for personal integrity, and the desire for personal religious experience. While religion is often treated as a “classroom pariah” at universities, the author argues that there are numerous possibilities for a more full integration of religion into university life and overall American culture.
Focus Section
Communicating Identity and the Challenge of Ex Corde Ecclesiae
Anthony J. Dosen
DePaul University
(pp. 170-204)
Arguing that the current challenge in Catholic higher education to implement the norms of Ex Corde Ecclesiae is largely a conflict of different world views, the author describes three competing visions of Church—pistic, charismatic, and mystical—and offers three “lenses” to clarify each vision: functional, interpretive, and post-modern. A textual analysis of Ex Corde Ecclesiae and the 1993 and 1999 drafts of ordinances of the National Catholic Conference of Bishops (NCCB) reveals a world view at odds with most Catholic universities.
The Catholic Mind: Culture, Philosophy, and Responsibility in Higher Education
William A. Frank
University of Dallas
(pp. 205-217)
This article argues that any quest to establish or strengthen Catholic identity in educational institutions is ultimately a question of philosophical foundations. The author discusses the importance and fragility of culture as it applies to Catholic though and analyzes the philosophical components necessary for sustaining a dominant cultural ethos. This article concludes with a tentative formulation of four responsibilities of professors in Catholic institutions of higher learning.
University as Church: Fides et Ratio as a Source for Ecclesiology
M.J. Iozzio
Barry University
(pp. 218-226)
John Paul II’s Fides et Ratio has taken a back seat in scholarly literature due to the attention given the juridical norms surrounding Ex Corde Ecclesiae. This article dissects the message of Fides et Ratio, calling for a new relationship between the disciplines of theology and philosophy. Collegiality is discussed not as a characteristic of persons but as the quality that should animate university departments in order to sustain cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary pursuits. The article concludes by articulating a functional ecclesiology: university as church.
Hiring to Maintain Mission
Richard D. Breslin
Saint Louis University
(pp. 227-238)
This article is a direct outgrowth of the appearance of Ex Corde Ecclesiae and the need for Catholic colleges and universities to address their hiring practices in order to maintain their identity as Catholic institutions of higher learning. The author draws a parallel between the personal philosophy of individuals within the community and the perceived, if not real, institutional philosophy of the college or university as Catholic. Catholic institutions can lose their souls while climbing the ladder of success and prestige simply because they have paid insufficient attention to the question of the philosophical fit between their employees and their espoused Catholic mission and philosophy. Hiring the right people will determine, in the long run, whether a Catholic college retains its Catholic identity in fact or in theory.
Ex Corde Ecclesiae: Promises and Challenges
Francis George
Archbishop of Chicago
(pp. 239-253)
How does the mission of the university relate to the mission that Christ gave his Church? This article explores the presuppositions that preceded Ex Corde Ecclesiae and offers an analysis of the recently approved ordinances for its implementation. Candid discussion of the challenges that remain in the implementation process concludes the article. Calling the 1967 Land O’ Lakes Statement by the presidents of the major American Catholic universities “not the path to follow,” the author explains how a successful implementation of Ex Corde Ecclesiae might look.
Review of Research
Catholic School Research
Joseph M. O’Keefe, SJ
Boston College
(pp. 254-258)
Book Review
Interview with Thomas Lickona (pp. 259-271)
Mary Peter Traviss, OP