Written by Cristina M. Hiddleston, assistant director, Schlegel Center for Service and Justice, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, [email protected] and Jennifer Reed-Bouley, Ph.D., professor and program director of theology, College of Saint Mary, Omaha, NE, [email protected]
As educators in Catholic schools, our Catholic faith offers a foundation to create a loving environment that supports all students, families and staff and to navigate and heal fractures in our society. The Catholic worldview expressed in the teachings of Christ as recorded in the gospels, in our Catholic tradition, and in Catholic Social Teaching (CST) can prepare our students to thrive in a racially diverse society.
Catholic Social Teaching on Racism
In CST, popes and bishops apply the Catholic faith tradition to contemporary social challenges, including racism. In Brothers and Sisters to Us, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) affirmed that “racism is a sin: a sin that divides the human family, blots out the image of God among specific members of that family, and violates the fundamental human dignity of those called to be children of the same Father” (para. 7). They state that racism is contrary to foundational Catholic beliefs: the Incarnation that affirms the goodness of being human; Christ’s command that we love one another; and our responsibility to create communities in which each individual can thrive to her or his God-given potential. As a serious sin, racism even threatens our salvation.
One of the trickiest dimensions of the sin of racism is that it not only occurs in individuals but even in legal, educational, financial and other institutions led by good people. Hence, the US Bishops stress in Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love that “all of us are in need of personal, ongoing conversion. Our churches and our civic and social institutions are in need of ongoing reform. If racism is confronted by addressing its causes and the injustice it produces, then healing can occur” (para. 11). They stress that both individuals’ actions and our schools’ policies and practices can contribute to a flourishing society.
The Essential Role of Catholic Education
In Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis highlights the essential contribution Catholic education plays. He writes, “Education and upbringing, concern for others, a well-integrated view of life and spiritual growth: all these are essential for quality human relationships and for enabling society itself to react against injustices…” (para. 167). For Catholic schools, working against racism is not a matter of partisan politics but fundamental to our calling as followers of Christ, who welcomed all—especially those marginalized by his society—into his circle of belonging and care. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (para. 1267) affirms that in Baptism, we become members of the Body of Christ and thus “members one of another” (Ephesians 4:25), and our diversity is an expression of our unity in Christ.
School Practices and Curriculum
How can we embody the love of God for all people in our schools? We know that our students learn both from the formal curriculum and from their observations of the ways our schools operate. Thus, our response to racism can include both curricular and operational dimensions.
Examples of curricular decisions that promote students’ ability to thrive in a racially diverse society include deliberate planning and assessment regarding how all disciplines—including literature, theology and history courses—depict the contributions of peoples of color to the academic disciplines, to the Church and to society. Some schools use an all-school summer reading project that addresses racism to kick off their infusion of CST in the curriculum. Then, during the school year, the summer reading project can be integrated into several courses for students at all levels, as well as into discussions among parents and staff.
Additionally, faculty development can include instruction in how to grade equitably, which goes a long way toward creating an inclusive community for all students. Also, faculty engaged in community service-learning can assist students with analyzing (especially through social studies and history) the root causes of the conditions that negatively affect human persons.
The U.S. Bishops offer many resources for integrating consistent formation in racial inclusion through regular liturgical celebrations. Other practical ways Catholic school educators can exemplify the Gospel’s call to create racially inclusive communities include crafting inclusive pipelines for hiring and retention; funding a designated director of inclusion and belonging; and crafting athletic programs to teach athletes how to prevent and attend to racism that can show up in athletics.
This is the second in a series of two blogs on integrating Catholic Social Teaching in school curriculum. Read the first post here: Integrating Sustainability Education in Catholic Schools.
