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^Charism in Catholic Schools Towards a Shared Understanding – A Collage. //Catholic School Studies, V72 (1), May 1999.// (Summary by Kathleen McCarthy)

Charism : · “is communicated through a particular person” (p. 20) · “ a gift of the Spirit to the whole Church” (p. 20) · “Is not genuine unless it leads to proclaiming that Jesus Christ is Lord” (p.20) · “concept of charism is associated with the concept of the ‘culture’ of a school” (p. 20) – culture defines the purpose, meaning and life of the school · 5 considerations for the present and future context of Australian Catholic school: o Key goal is orientation to Jesus; o Need to identify and integrate the charism; o Can create spiritual traditions from several charisma; o Need to remain open to new charisma; o Need to create a distinct spiritual tradition for a new school;  · “charism draws people, moves them on, fires them up to face the challenges of the day, and allows the gospel to be the explosive force it is meant to be” (p. 21)

//This statement is of interest to me because it reminds us that charism should be a dynamic and powerful force in the life of a school. (KMcCarthy)//  · “traditional spiritualities will need to be expressed anew to respond to today’s challenges” (p. 22)  · Greatest challenge for Catholic schools - “people need to re-imagine and re-image the gifts of the Spirit within this extraordinary mission of the Church in education” (p. 22)

//This statement appeals to me because it is important not to become blase about one's charism - we need to be constantly revisiting and reimagining what it means in the current context. (KMcCarthy)//


 * Summary:** This article expresses the challenges for Catholic school in continuing to articulate and foster charism. It defines charism as a gift that is communicated through members of the Church. It reminds us that the fundamental goal of charism is to orientate us to Jesus and that in the 21st century, it is necessary for us to view traditional spiritualities in light of today’s challenges in school and society and to be open to new expressions of our charism. (KMcCarthy)