Links to Church Documents

Major Church Documents Relating to Catholic Schools

The Church has the great mission to preach the Gospel. In her role as Mother and Teacher, she gives guidance and support to those ministries which serve this mission. The following list is comprised of those major documents issued, beginning with Vatican Council II, which impact the nature and mission of Catholic education in general and Catholic schools particularly. Each link takes you to that document on the Vatican website. The documents are listed chronologically.

Documents impacting Catholic Schools

•  Vatican Council II. (1965). Declaration on Christian Education (Gravissimum Educationis).
•  Sacred Congregation for the Clergy. (1971). General Catechetical Directory.
•  Pope Paul VI (1975). On Evangelization in the Modern World (Evangelii Nuntiandi).
•  Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education. (1977). The Catholic School.
•  Pope John Paul II. (1979).On Catechesis in Our Time (Catechesi Tradendae).
•  Congregation for Catholic Education. (1982). Lay Catholics in Schools: Witnesses to Faith.
•  Congregation for Catholic Education. (1982). The Religious Dimension of Education in a Catholic School: Guidelines for Reflection and Renewal.
•  Pope John Paul II. (1990). Apostolic Constitution on Catholic Universities (Ex Corde Ecclesiae).
•  Congregation for the Clergy. (1997). General Directory for Catechesis.
•  Congregation for Catholic Education. (1997). The Catholic School on the Threshold of the Third Millennium.
•  Congregation for Catholic Education. (2003). Consecrated Persons and their Mission in Schools: Reflections and Guidelines.
•  Congregation for Catholic Education. (2007). Educating Together in Catholic in Catholic Schools: A Shared Mission between Consecrated Persons and the Lay Faithful. 
•  Congregation for Catholic Education. (2013). Educating to Intercultural Dialogue in Catholic Schools: Living in Harmony for a Civilization of Love.
•  Pope Francis. (2013).Apostolic Exhortation The Joy of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium).
• Congregation for Catholic Education. (2014). Educating Today and Tomorrow: A Renewing Passion.
• Congregation for Catholic Education. (2017). Educating to Fraternal Humanism: Building a “Civilization of Love” 50 Years After Populorum Progressio.

Other Links of Interest

• The Holy See
• The Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia (The Nashville Dominicans)
• The Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia, Evangelization and Catechesis
• Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
• Catechism of the Catholic Church
• United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
• Daily Mass Readings
• United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: Catholic Education
  

Helpful References

Behold the Heritage is an anthology of major Church documents on education from Vatican II until 2012 when the volume was published.  Edited by Sister Matthew Marie Cummings, O.P., Professor of Education at Aquinas College; and Sister Elizabeth Anne Allen, O. P., Director for the Aquinas College Center of Catholic Education, this is a beneficial, at-your-fingertips resource for all involved in Catholic education. For a review, read the Aquinas College Magazine article about Behold the Heritage.

To order Behold the Heritage, visit Amazon.com.

The Holy See’s Teaching on Catholic Schools is a synthesis of Church documents written by Archbishop J. Michael Miller during his service as Secretary for the Congregation for Catholic Education.  First delivered at a conference in 2005, the talk has since been published by Sophia Institute Press.

The Virtues in Practice Series is a program for children in grades pre-kindergarten-eight developed by the Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia Congregation.  Program components include a virtue of the month, a saint of the month, workbooks and parent-teacher guides at the various grade levels and suggested activities. This program, suitable for home and school use, is free and is available for download.