Articles - Teaching en-us http://www.sces.uk.com N/A http://www.sces.uk.com director@sces.uk.com 20 http://www.sces.uk.com/articles/83/1/Virtuous-Leadership/Page1.html Leadership for Everyone Interview With Author Alexandre HavardLeaders are not born, they are trained. And leadership is not something reserved to the elite, but is the vocation of many. These are the ideas promoted by the director of the European Center for Leadership Development. Alexandre Havard further thinks that the more deeply we live the virtues, the more likely it is that we will change culture.  His centre's flagship executive programme "Virtuous Leadership" makes the classical virtues the basis for personal and professional excellence. Havard has just published "Virtuous Leadership: An Agenda for Personal Excellence" (Scepter, 2007). In this interview with ZENIT, he explains why leadership is accessible to so many. director@sces.uk.com (Michael McGrath) Thu, 20 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.sces.uk.com/articles/82/1/Doctrinal-note-on-some-aspects-of-Evangelization/Page1.html 1. The Doctrinal Note is devoted principally to an exposition of the Catholic Church's understanding of the Christian mission of evangelization, which is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ; the word "Gospel" translates "evangelion" in the Greek New Testament. "Jesus Christ was sent by the Father to proclaim the Gospel, calling all people to conversion and faith. ‘Go out into the whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature' (Mk 16,15)." [n. 1] 2. The Doctrinal Note cites Pope John Paul II's Encyclical Letter "The Mission of the Redeemer" in recalling that "‘Every person has the right to hear the Good News [Gospel] of the God who reveals and gives himself in Christ, so that each one can live out in its fullness his or her proper calling.' This right implies the corresponding duty to evangelize." [n. 2] 3. Today there is "a growing confusion" about the Church's missionary mandate. Some think "that any attempt to convince others on religious matters is a limitation of their freedom," suggesting that it is enough to invite people "to act according to their consciences", or to "become more human or more faithful to their own religion", or "to build communities which strive for justice, freedom, peace and solidarity", without aiming at their conversion to Christ and to the Catholic faith. Others have argued that conversion to Christ should not be promoted because it is possible for people to be saved without explicit faith in Christ or formal incorporation in the Church. Because "of these problems, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has judged it necessary to public the present Note." [n. 3] 4. While some forms of agnosticism and relativism deny the human capacity for truth, in fact human freedom cannot be separated from its reference to truth. Human beings are given intellect and will by God that they might come to know and love what is true and good. The ultimate fulfillment of the vocation of the human person is found in accepting the revelation of God in Christ as proclaimed by the Church. 5. This search for truth cannot be accomplished entirely on one's own, but inevitably involves help from others and trust in knowledge that one receives from others. Thus, teaching and entering into dialogue to lead someone in freedom to know and to love Christ is not inappropriate encroachment on human freedom, "but rather a legitimate endeavor and a service capable of making human relationships more fruitful." [n. 5] 6. The communication of truths so that they might be accepted by others is also in harmony with the natural human desire to have others share in one's own goods, which for Catholics includes the gift of faith in Jesus Christ. Members of the Church naturally desire to share with others the faith that has been freely given to them. 7. Through evangelization, cultures are positively affected by the truth of the Gospel. Likewise, through evangelization, members of the Catholic Church open themselves to receiving the gifts of other traditions and cultures, for "Every encounter with another person or culture is capable of revealing potentialities of the Gospel which hitherto may not have been fully explicit and which will enrich the life of Christians and the Church." [n. 6] 8. Any approach to dialogue such as coercion or improper enticement that fails to respect the dignity and religious freedom of the partners in that dialogue has no place in Christian evangelization. 9. "Since the day of Pentecost ... the Gospel, in the power of the Holy Spirit, is proclaimed to all people so that they might believe and become disciples of Christ and members of his Church." "Conversion" is a "change in thinking and of acting," expressing our new life in Christ; it is an ongoing dimension of Christian life. 10. For Christian evangelization, "the incorporation of new members into the Church is not the expansion of a power-group, but rather entrance into the network of friendship with Christ which connects heaven and earth, different continents and ages." In this sense, then, "the Church is the bearer of the presence of God and thus the instrument of the true humanization of man and the world." (n. 9) 11. The Doctrinal Note cites the Second Vatican Council's "Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World" (Gaudium et Spes) to say that respect for religious freedom and its promotion "must not in any way make us indifferent towards truth and goodness. Indeed, love impels the followers of Christ to proclaim to all the truth which saves." [n.10] This mission of love must be accomplished by both proclamation of the word and witness of life. "Above all, the witness of holiness is necessary, if the light of truth is to reach all human beings. If the word is contradicted by behavior, its acceptance will be difficult." On the other hand, citing Pope Paul VI's Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii nuntiandi, the Note says that "even the finest witness will prove ineffective in the long run, if it is not explained, justified... and made explicit by a clear und unequivocal proclamation of the Lord Jesus." [n. 11] 12. The CDF document points out the important role of ecumenism in the Church's mission of evangelization. Christian divisions can seriously compromise the credibility of the Church's evangelizing mission. The more ecumenism brings about greater unity among Christians, the more effective evangelization will be. 13. When Catholic evangelization takes place in a country where other Christians live, Catholics must take care to carry out their mission with "both true respect for the tradition and spiritual riches of such countries as well as a sincere spirit of cooperation." Evangelization proceeds by dialogue, not proselytism. With non-Catholic Christians, Catholics must enter into a respectful dialogue of charity and truth, a dialogue which is not only an exchange of ideals, but also of gifts, in order that the fullness of the means of salvation can be offered to one's partners in dialogue. In this way, they are led to an ever deeper conversion to Christ. "In this connection, it needs also to be recalled that if a non-Catholic Christian, for reasons of conscience and having been convinced of Catholic truth, asks to enter into the full communion of the Catholic Church, this is to be respected as the work of the Holy Spirit and as an expression of freedom of conscience and of religion. In such a case, it would not be question of proselytism in the negative sense that has been attributed to this term." [n. 12] 14. The Doctrinal Note recalls that the missionary mandate belongs to the very nature of the Church. In this regard it cites Pope Benedict XVI: "The proclamation of and witness to the Gospel are the first service that Christians can render to every person and the entire human race, called as they are to communicate to all God's love, which was fully manifested in Jesus Christ, the one Redeemer of the world." Its concluding sentence contains a quotation from Pope Benedict's first Encyclical Letter "Deus caritas est": "The love which comes from God unites us to him and ‘makes us a we which transcends our divisions and makes us one, until in the end God is all in all (1 Cor 15:28)'." director@sces.uk.com (Michael McGrath) Sun, 16 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.sces.uk.com/articles/59/1/Teaching-Values-for-Living/Page1.html VALUES FOR LIVING Michael McGrath (Director, Scottish Catholic Education Service) The Church’s recent commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Papal visit to Scotland caused me to reflect upon Pope John Paul II’s visit to St Andrew’s College of Education in Bearsden, then Scotland’s Catholic teacher training college.  Reading the words he spoke to staff and students in 1982, I was struck by the sharp insights he offered into the challenges facing Catholic schools at that time.  He recalled his own earlier remarks on the role of the Family: “It is necessary to recover an awareness of the primacy of moral values, which are the values of the human person.”  He also reminded his audience that the Catholic school should be “a community whose aim is the transmission of values for living.” Last year, the Catholic Education Commission asked a working group to develop a resource which would help teachers to consider the importance of values in the lives of young people.  The outcome of their efforts is an attractive new resource - ‘Values for Life: nurturing values and virtues’.  This has been designed as a publication which will develop teachers’ understanding of values today, of how they are acquired by young people and of how they can be learned in school.  In particular, it explores a Catholic understanding of “Gospel values”, based on Christ’s teaching as expressed in the Beatitudes.  The values contained in the Beatitudes are unconventional; they run counter to the trends of society.  Jesus uses them to challenge our priorities, to help us to learn that, in order to be happy - “Blessed”- we must be peace-loving, merciful, pure of heart and meek.  Pope Benedict XVI, in his recent publication ‘Jesus of Nazareth’, summarises the paradoxical nature of the Beatitudes: “When man begins to see and live from God’s perspective . . . then he lives by new standards. . . Jesus brings joy in the midst of affliction.” Values for Life not only unpacks Gospel values for teachers; it also teaches about the meaning of virtues - the personal habits which each of us can develop to live moral lives, doing good for ourselves and for others.  It helps teachers to understand the teaching of the Catechism on virtues such as faith, hope, love, prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance and to connect these to current educational priorities. Values for Life will help school managers to plan appropriately for Curriculum for Excellence, the new framework being developed for the teaching of all subjects in primary and secondary schools.  It takes each of the values engraved on the Scottish Parliament Mace - Wisdom Justice, Compassion, Integrity - and defines them in Christian terms.  It provides detailed examples of how schools can make provision for the development of these values in the lives of young people.  It helps schools to consider how to express their values in important school documents and policies. In addition to the Values for Life textbook which is aimed at teachers, complementary resources have been provided for other purposes.  A CD provides, among other materials, three attractive presentations with images and music on different aspects of values and how they are expressed in real lives. There is also a set of attractive posters which illustrate each of the Beatitudes and the Gospel values contained within them. These can be used in schools and parishes to stimulate reflection and discussion on this important issue. The development of this Values for Life resource is important for all Catholic schools.  It offers particular support on an issue which can be difficult for teachers and for parents today.  We live in an age when our values are often determined by convenience rather than by conscience, when the autonomy of the individual is paramount, when the wisdom of faith is unknown to so many. To counter a pic’n’mix approach to moral decision-making, young people need help to understand the core values and beliefs upon which to build good, healthy lives, with Jesus at the centre.  Values for Life will certainly help teachers who are committed to nurturing young people in values and virtues.  This is why information on this resource has been provided to every Catholic primary and secondary school in Scotland. For this reason also, the theme of this year’s Catholic Education Week (26th January to 1st February 2008) will be ‘Teaching Values for Life’.  At this time, resources will be available to schools and parishes to encourage parents, teachers and young people to focus on the issue which Pope John Paul II had identified as vital for the wellbeing of society some 25 years ago.   Further details of Values for Life are available from: Scottish Catholic Education Service, 75 Craigpark, Glasgow G31 2HD Tel: 0141 556 4727  Email: mail:sces.uk.com  Web: www.sces.uk.com   director@sces.uk.com (Michael McGrath) Sun, 30 Sep 2007 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.sces.uk.com/articles/1/1/The-Calling-of-the-Teacher/Page1.html Teaching is both vocation and profession." Teaching has an extraordinary moral depth and is one of humanity's excellent and creative activities, for the teacher does not write on inanimate material, but on the very spirits of human beings.”(The Catholic School on the Threshold of the Third Millennium)Teachers are: agents of transformation;inspirers of wonder;encouragers of potential;messengers of meaning;nurturers of witnesses;healers of fear,prophets to the nation,co-creators with GodThe Experience of Teaching an opportunity to serve in the liberating, challenging mission of the Church in education a life giving professional career with the chance to make a difference, to touch lives and inspire imagination and creativity an understanding of the power of education to draw out the God-given potential of others a sense of belonging to a community rooted in faith with high quality continuing professional development and pastoral care an experience of a learning community founded on love, co-operation, solidarity, truth, justice and the common good a community of colleagues who offer each other support and share learningThe Challenge for you to acknowledge that the person you teach is more important than the subject you teach to draw out the full human potential of every pupil in an environment of love as a co-creator with God and parents to be realistic in your expectations of yourself and others and to seek to develop a balanced lifestyle to live a life that reflects the values and simplicity of the Gospel as proclaimed by the Catholic Church to engage in continuous professional development to develop yourself and the pupils you teach towards full human potential.Do you wish to be a part of this philosophy and vision? contribute to holistic education and the search for excellence? belong to a vibrant community and recognise the presence of God?And are you an aspiring or serving teacher? in sympathy with the vision of Catholic education? able to be approved by the Church in terms of “religious belief and character”? director@sces.uk.com (Patrick Connor) Mon, 25 Sep 2006 00:00:00 +0100