99+Reading+9

^Braniff, J. (2007). Charism and the concept of a Catholic education. //The Australasian Record, V84(1), January.// “For almost the whole of the century between 1872 and 1972 the Catholic character and identity of Australian Catholic Schools were guaranteed, at least in the popular mind, by the presence and supervision of the religious teaching orders” (Braniff, 2007, p.22).
 * Six to seven key quotes summarising the article: **

//During this time period, Catholic schools were inundated with religious teaching orders dedicated to teaching their own charism. (A. McCoy)//

“From the early sixties onwards – the various Diocesan Catholic Education Offices (CEOs) which, until then, had been very skeletal and low profile organizations, expanded rapidly to assume the role of guarantor.” (Braniff, 2007, p.22).

//However, the 60's started to see a downturn in religious teaching orders and an increase in lay teaching staff. Because of this sharp increase, Catholic Education Offices throughout Australia started to grow and assume the position of guaranteeing the authenticity of Catholic values within their schools. (A. McCoy)// “Despite numerous post-Vatican II Roman statements, this situation has not greatly improved and it has much exacerbated by the (western) world decline in religious teaching vocations which has forced up the cost of Catholic education even where – as in Britain and Australia – there are very considerable sums of government sums available” (Braniff, 2007,p.23).

//Catholic schooling is becoming less and less affordable for the poor and marginalised, defeating the intentional purpose of Catholic schooling. These intentions were originally established by St Jean Baptiste and Marcellin Champagnat. (A. McCoy)// I strongly agree with this statement. Even though we are making concerted efforts to include the poor (Reduced fees for those with health care cards), it does make me wonder if all we have done is make it easy for administration purposes. It takes heart out of the pastoral responsibility of a catholic school (Mary Mudge)

“And I do believe that for these orders to be confusing their founders’ charism with some tenuous re-construction of a De la Salle, Marist or Christian Brothers’ ‘Philosophy of Education’ is a service neither to the lay teachers they are seeking to induct and inspire, nor to the cause of Catholic Education as a whole.” (Braniff, 2007, p.26)

//Modern day schools are 're-constructing' the original intentions of their founders' 'philosophy of education'. These changes fail to inspire the lay members of staff and not reaching out into the broader cocmmunity. (A. McCoy)//

“St Jean Baptiste made a number of other practical decisions which, though not innovations when taken individually, when taken together, do give him a credible claim to be one of the founders of modern mass education. He aimed his educational efforts at the children of the poor, for one thing, not at the future leaders of society whom the Jesuits had targeted. He decided that the pupils would be taught to read in their own language, French rather than in Latin as had been more commonly the case, till that time” (Braniff, 2007, p.26)

//The original intentions of Catholic schooling were to://
 * Educate the poor
 * To teach students in their own language (authentic, meaningful curriculum)
 * Inclusive environments (A.McCoy)

“St Jean-Baptist, St Marcellin and all of the post-Vatican II documents on Catholic Education are quite unanimous in asserting that teachers in Catholic schools must be role models for their students” (Braniff, 2007, p.33)

//In order for a charism to be effective in a school, all staff must embrace that charism and model it to their students. (A. McCoy)//

“As a former Catholic School Prinicpal, with many years experience, I am painfully aware of the difficulties in attracting and retaining competent, much less committed Catholic teaching staff, but I do believe that a ‘whole Church’ rather than an Order or charism-based approach will be needed, if the Catholic identity of Australian Catholic schools is to be maintained” (Braniff, 2007, p.34).

//The charism of a school must reach out beyond its means to the wider community and be centred on Christ rather than its founding order or charismic beliefs to ensure its 'true' Catholic identity. (A. McCoy)//