This article was contributed by Annette Jones, NCEA Assistant Director of Leadership Development.
One of NCEA’s publications, Charism and Culture: Cultivating Catholic Identity in Catholic Schools by Dr. Timothy J. Cook, highlights the process of embedding Catholic Identity in Catholic institutions. Specifically, the publication explores Catholic identity and Catholic school culture through the lens of a school’s specific charism.
As stated on page three, the thesis of the book is two-fold:
- Each Catholic school has a charism that needs to be discerned and integrated throughout the school’s culture
- Charism is a spiritual asset which fosters Catholic school vitality.
The following questions provide the framework for the book’s chapters:
- How does the school identify an irresistible school charism?
- How does a school embed charism throughout its school culture?
- How does a school enculturate its members to be stewards of charism?
- How does a school assess its effectiveness in fulfilling its charism?
- How does a school sustain its charism for the future?
To obtain a copy of Charism and Culture: Cultivating Catholic Identity in Catholic Schools by Dr. Timothy J. Cook, please go to www.ncea.org and shop on the online store.
