Formation for Mission in Catholic Education: Transformation in an Ecological Space (SpringerBriefs in Education) 9811937699, 9789811937699

Citation preview

SpringerBriefs in Education William Sultmann · Janeen Lamb · David Hall

Formation for Mission in Catholic Education Transformation in an Ecological Space

SpringerBriefs in Education

We are delighted to announce SpringerBriefs in Education, an innovative product type that combines elements of both journals and books. Briefs present concise summaries of cutting-edge research and practical applications in education. Featuring compact volumes of 50 to 125 pages, the SpringerBriefs in Education allow authors to present their ideas and readers to absorb them with a minimal time investment. Briefs are published as part of Springer’s eBook Collection. In addition, Briefs are available for individual print and electronic purchase. SpringerBriefs in Education cover a broad range of educational fields such as: Science Education, Higher Education, Educational Psychology, Assessment & Evaluation, Language Education, Mathematics Education, Educational Technology, Medical Education and Educational Policy. SpringerBriefs typically offer an outlet for: • An introduction to a (sub)field in education summarizing and giving an overview of theories, issues, core concepts and/or key literature in a particular field • A timely report of state-of-the art analytical techniques and instruments in the field of educational research • A presentation of core educational concepts • An overview of a testing and evaluation method • A snapshot of a hot or emerging topic or policy change • An in-depth case study • A literature review • A report/review study of a survey • An elaborated thesis Both solicited and unsolicited manuscripts are considered for publication in the SpringerBriefs in Education series. Potential authors are warmly invited to complete and submit the Briefs Author Proposal form. All projects will be submitted to editorial review by editorial advisors. SpringerBriefs are characterized by expedited production schedules with the aim for publication 8 to 12 weeks after acceptance and fast, global electronic dissemination through our online platform SpringerLink. The standard concise author contracts guarantee that: • an individual ISBN is assigned to each manuscript • each manuscript is copyrighted in the name of the author • the author retains the right to post the pre-publication version on his/her website or that of his/her institution

William Sultmann · Janeen Lamb · David Hall

Formation for Mission in Catholic Education Transformation in an Ecological Space

William Sultmann La Salle Academy Australian Catholic University Sydney, NSW, Australia

Janeen Lamb La Salle Academy Australian Catholic University Sydney, NSW, Australia

David Hall La Salle Academy Australian Catholic University Sydney, NSW, Australia

ISSN 2211-1921 ISSN 2211-193X (electronic) SpringerBriefs in Education ISBN 978-981-19-3769-9 ISBN 978-981-19-3770-5 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-3770-5 © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721, Singapore

Foreword

The Morley Review (2021) conducted by the La Salle Academy at Australian Catholic University (ACU) engaged representatives from Catholic education offices across Australia to consider the future of leadership in Catholic education. Consensus from a broad group confirmed that the pre-eminent issue for attention was formation of staff in Catholic schools and education offices, the ordained and those who govern in Catholic education. Coincidentally, only a few weeks before the Morley Review Report was issued, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) announced its three priorities to guide its work into the future: Formation; Becoming More Missionary; and Fostering Collegiality. The emphasis on formation within the Morley Review and the ACBC priorities is not surprising. Literature on Catholic education leadership alerts us to the importance of formation, while formation participants frequently comment on the significance and impact of their experience. Moreover, we are acutely alert to the niggling concern that the future identity of our Catholic schools is precipitous without more confidently committed educators and leaders understanding and witnessing to faith within authentic educational practices. The plurality of our Catholic schools is and should be celebrated and yet our earnestness for inclusion presents as impacting our distinctiveness. How do we hold in creative tension two potentially juxtaposed attributes: diversity and distinctiveness? Pope Francis is emphatic in his insistence that the posture of Christianity to the world must be one of dialogue. Living compassionately in the world invites formation that is inclusive, respectful, authentic and dialogical where attention to the cognitive, affective and behavioural domains of our human identity are pursued personally and organisationally. As we undertake collectively the task of evangelisation, sharing the Gospel within the life of the Catholic school, we are challenged to become conscious of our co-responsibility for a shared mission underpinned by formation. Formation for Mission in Catholic Education: Transformation in an Ecological Space narrates and evaluates the richness of our formation vision, history of commitment and our contemporary practices. The work expands on the national framework through insights from transformational learning and system processes. In this context, the work of this text is to be valued for its identification of what is; and significantly, v

vi

Foreword

what might also be considered into the future. It is with joy and hope that I commend the work to governors, leaders, facilitators and pray that the same Spirit that inspired its conception continues to support its application and enhancement. Father Anthony Casamento, csma Vice President & Dir Identity and Mission Australian Catholic University Sydney, Australia

Dedication and Acknowledgments

This study only begins to identify the magnitude, comprehensiveness and generosity of the many people who pursue formation and its contribution to the mission of Catholic education and more particularly within the Catholic school. May these leaders and their inclusive, respectful, innovative and intentional practices continue to inspire and motivate the focus on formation as an ongoing priority for mission authenticity and effectiveness. The authors acknowledge the support of the National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) to publish an extended literature review with accompanying theoretical modelling and practice implications of the NCEC 2017 publication A Framework for Formation for Mission in Catholic Education, ‘The Framework.’ The writers also convey appreciation to Dr. Teresa Brown for a contribution to the literature and to Dr. Maeve Heaney, Dr. Jill Gowdie and Associate Professor Ormond Rush for their critique of drafted material.

vii

Introduction and Overview

Formation for Mission in Catholic Education: Transformation in an Ecological Space arose from commissioned research by the National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) on the alignment and effectiveness of A Framework for Formation for Mission in Catholic Education (NCEC, 2017). This national formation resource articulates contemporary best practice and traces the experience of the Catholic Church in pursuing formation as integral to mission. More particularly, this monograph reviews and reports on formation within the context of the Catholic school. The research validates ‘The Framework’ and provides a complementary narrative for enhancing formation alignment and effectiveness, specifically with a focus on the Catholic school but also with implications for formation in the wider context of ministry applications. Formation for Mission in Catholic Education: Transformation in an Ecological Space is a resource for formators, school and system leaders and Catholic school governors. It will also support postgraduate teaching and research. Catholic education is education for meaning and purpose derived from the dignity of the human person and the invitation to live fully and interdependently within community. Catholic education is education that is formative, developmental, integrated and aligned to the Gospel of Jesus, the Traditions of the Church and the experience of abundance in life and living. It is a process of transformation in a formative space. Formation in the broadest of terms is the process of shaping and guiding a person or group in the hope of going beyond the experience (trans) and being informed and engaged in ways that build from the process and signal the outcome of transformation. Formation for mission in the Catholic school engages the efforts of facilitators and supports transformation through the work of the Holy Spirit. The role of the formator is that of the ‘sower’ (Luke 11:5–15), characterising formation as a collaborative endeavour: ‘I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow’ (1 Corinthians 3:6) and the experience of God with and for us: ‘I came that they may have life and have it abundantly’ (John 10:10). It is a response to the great commission of Christ to ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations’ (Matthew 28:19) and to view the journey as supported, worthwhile and personal.

ix

x

Introduction and Overview

Formation for mission in Catholic education is transformation in a formative space: where ‘transformation’ is a continuous process of developing and integrating understanding, affect and behaviour; where formation facilitates transformation in accord with the mind of Christ; and where ‘space’ is the host of formal and informal encounters of Christ within the life and culture of the Catholic school. As a process of integration moved by the Spirit and manifested as the Soul of the person, formation experiences provide ongoing opportunities as the Soul encounters and engages with the richness and diversity of life within the community. Scripture, Church Tradition, Magisterium exhortations, applied research and the experience of Catholic schooling identify formation as foundational to mission. Moreover, inclusive, religiously diverse and culturally pluralistic Catholic school communities reinforce the critical role of formation in advancing experiences that align with mission and engage with aspiration and diversity. Catholic schools across two centuries have responded strategically to these imperatives and provided unique and multiple formation practices in support of mission. In light of this context, our overall research question is how does formation apply to mission within the Australian context? Three sub-questions develop this study. 1. 2. 3.

What is the context and culture in which formation occurs? How is formation presented and enacted within the Australian context? How can the understanding and practice of formation be advanced beyond its context and culture, policy, programmes and ‘The Framework’ principles?

The method employed in response to these questions engages a three-step iterative process termed as ‘first, second and third order interpretation’ developed by W. Lawrence Neuman (1950–) in his writing on social research methods (2007, p. 160). This process begins with a document analysis (Tight, 2019) and an examination of the context and culture of formation; second order interpretation reviews this culture and context within the Australian Church; and a third-order interpretation which explores how the narration of formation might be advanced through learning theory and system support. The summation of these perspectives identifying formation within an interdependent ecological paradigm. Three thematic chapters structure the narrative in terms of Neuman’s order of interpretation. Chapter 1, ‘Context and Culture: Establishing a Consciousness for Formation’ explores formation within a wide spectrum of interests which are suggestive theory and practice as being indicative of continuity and discontinuity. The discussion introduces formation as centred in the work of the Spirit, ‘Where you go, I will go’ (Ruth 1:6), and as integral to the Catholic school as a ministry within the life of the Church. It generates key principles that reflect contemporary understandings summarised as Faith Tradition, School Mission, Formation Practice and Service Wholeness. These understandings underpin a new consciousness for formation. Chapter 2, ‘Policy and Programs: Crystallising Framework Principles’ traces key influences on formation in Australia and examines these in relation to the National Catholic Education Commission position informed through programme delivery and reflection. Formation in this light is an experience of continuous renewal, ‘Come to the water’ (Isaiah 55:1) shaped by three fundamental principles: foundations in

Introduction and Overview

xi

faith (encounter Jesus, Gospel and Church Tradition within the experience of formation); practices (inclusivity, professional and witness); and outcomes (transformation, sacred awareness, relationships and missionary discipleship). Chapter 3, ‘Formation for Mission: An Ecological Model’ incorporates three interdependent perspectives: the educational (foundations, practices and outcomes); the psychological (an appreciation of the Zone of Transformation); and organisational enabling systems which align, engage, empower and integrate formation within the Catholic school. Formation for mission is an integrated and applied process for mission, in mission and as mission. The process empowers individuals, schools and systems: to ‘put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch’ (Luke 5:5). Formation in this view is an interdependent experience that can be mapped, understood and developed within a dynamic ecology that comprises the Catholic school as a community of learning informed by the Gospel, enriched by tradition and supportive of human flourishing.

Contents

1 Context and Culture: Establishing a Consciousness of Formation . . . . 1.1 Where You Go, I Will Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2 A New Age and a New Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2.1 The Contemporary Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2.2 The Church in Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2.3 Catholic Education Identity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2.4 A Distinctive Philosophy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2.5 An Inclusive Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.3 Mission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.3.1 Mission Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.3.2 Crossroads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.3.3 Formation Within the Catholic Christian Tradition . . . . . . . . . 1.3.4 Introducing Formation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4 Models and Principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4.1 Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4.2 Principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4.3 Conciliar and Post-conciliar Shifts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4.4 Continuity and Discontinuity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 Summation: A New Consciousness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1 1 2 3 5 6 9 10 11 11 12 13 15 17 17 18 20 21 23 24

2 Policy and Programs: Crystallising Framework Principles . . . . . . . . . . 2.1 Come to the Water: The Challenge of the Plenary Council . . . . . . . . . 2.2 Formation Research and Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2.1 Episcopal Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2.2 National Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2.3 Provincial Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2.4 Arch/Diocesan Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2.5 Religious Institute Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.3 The Framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.3.1 National Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

29 29 31 31 33 34 36 37 39 39

xiii

xiv

Contents

2.3.2 Formation Perspectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.3.3 Validation of ‘The Framework’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.4 Summation and Integration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

40 41 41 45

3 Formation for Mission: An Ecological Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1 Into the Deep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.2 Modelling Formation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.2.1 Formation: ‘What It Is’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.2.2 Formation: ‘Why It Works’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.2.3 Formation: ‘What Supports It’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.2.4 Understanding Formation from an Ecological Perspective . . . 3.3 Begin with the End in Mind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3.1 Call to Discipleship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3.2 The Joy of the Gospel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4 The Ecological Model in Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4.1 Formation Principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4.2 Formation as Transformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4.3 Formation Enabling Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4.4 Formation Through Informal Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4.5 Facilitating Life in the Spirit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.5 Summation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.5.1 What Do We Know for Sure? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.5.2 Where to from Here? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.5.3 A Final Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

47 47 48 48 50 52 55 58 58 59 60 61 61 63 64 65 66 66 69 70 71

Glossary of Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

List of Figures

Fig. 3.1 Fig. 3.2 Fig. 3.3 Fig. 3.4

An integrated model of formation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Transformation through the interaction of the individual with the experience being provided . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Advancing the zone of transformation through enabling sub-systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ecological perspective of formation as an interdependent process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

49 52 54 57

xv

List of Tables

Table 1.1 Table 1.2 Table 1.3 Table 2.1 Table 2.2 Table 2.3 Table 2.4 Table 2.5 Table 2.6 Table 2.7 Table 2.8 Table 2.9 Table 3.1 Table 3.2

A summary of formation models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Principles of formation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Traditional and contemporary formation emphases . . . . . . . . . . . . Defining features of Catholic schools for the twenty-first century . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Formation principles for staff in Queensland Catholic schools (2016) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nine principles of formation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Formation outcomes (QCEC, 1995) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A summary of leadership and practice strategies (QCEC, 1995) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Goals of the Catholic school . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Key principles and associated themes of formation . . . . . . . . . . . . Key formation principles within ‘The Framework’ . . . . . . . . . . . . Comparison of ‘The Framework’ with literature emphases . . . . . . Definitional components of formation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Enabling systems in advancing formation themes . . . . . . . . . . . . .

19 20 22 32 32 34 35 35 40 42 43 44 50 53

xvii

Chapter 1

Context and Culture: Establishing a Consciousness of Formation

Abstract This chapter, Context and culture: Establishing a consciousness for formation explores formation within a wide spectrum of interests which are suggestive of theory and practice as being indicative of continuity and discontinuity. The discussion introduces formation as centred in the work of the Spirit, ‘Where you go, I will go’ (Ruth 1:6), and as integral to the Catholic school as a ministry within the life of the Church. It generates key principles that reflect contemporary understandings summarised as Faith Tradition, School Mission, Formation Practice, and Service Wholeness. These understandings underpin a new consciousness for formation. Keywords Australia · Catholic · Identify · Church · Formation · Mission

1.1 Where You Go, I Will Go “Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people and your God, my God” (Ruth 1:16). The Catholic community and ministries within Australia are invited to respond to the overall question of the Plenary Council: “How is God calling us to be a Christcentred Church in Australia?” and the more focused reflective question: “How can our Church provide formation for members to enable all to encounter God and respond to the call to play their part in bringing God’s love to all people?” (O’Keeffe et al., 2020, p. 16). The challenge is made clear in terms of the relevance of formation, the uniqueness of the experience and the implications it has for ministry: Most adult members of our Church are on a faith journey that continually requires nourishment to develop deeper understanding of personal vocation and to enable people to respond more fully to God’s call to personal conversion. Formation that is more specific is also required to enable people to use their God-given gifts in ministry and outreach. How can our Church provide formation for members to enable all to encounter God and respond to the call to play their part in bringing God’s love to all people? (O’Keeffe et al., 2020, p. 16) That the Church in Australia prioritise formation for mission utilising the resources of existing institutes to advance the mission of evangelisation in our nation, with a particular focus on places where resources and expertise are scarce or where distance presents an obstacle to such activities taking place. (Grace, 2020, p. 14)

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022 W. Sultmann et al., Formation for Mission in Catholic Education, SpringerBriefs in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-3770-5_1

1

2

1 Context and Culture: Establishing a Consciousness of Formation

We could draw on many sources to explain this common agenda that is succinctly described in Sheridan’s (2021) book, Christians: The Urgent Case for Jesus in our World. This book follows his much-acclaimed work, God is Good for You (2018), and puts further flesh on his proposition of the gift of Christianity to a world desperately in need of hope. Pope Paul VI proclaimed this in 1975 in his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi, where he re-defined our understanding of evangelisation by inserting it in the context of society. Yes, evangelisation was an activity within the Church, but most particularly an activity of the Church in the world. The common agenda that all the baptised share, now more than ever, is a further renewal of our understanding of and commitment to evangelisation, proclaimed and realised in the person of Jesus Christ. This renewal is not a burden, but a pursuit in joy, and it is for everyone, as Pope Francis exhorts in Evangelii Gaudium: I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day. No one should think that this invitation is not meant for him or her, since no one is excluded from the joy brought by the Lord. (2013a, para. 3)

Jesus changed history by changing the lives of those closest to him. Jesus further revealed a God of presence and encounter—encounters with real people, in the real world, within the context of their lives. Jesus was, as it were, inserted into popular culture. We are invited to do the same. This is our common call. This chapter provides an introduction to formation and is followed by an examination of formation within the context and culture of the Catholic Christian tradition. Models and principles which define the practice are examined and reference is made to the conceptual shifts that have accompanied its theory and practice. The chapter concludes with a contemporary summation of formation understandings and implications for Catholic Education, and in particular, the Catholic school.

1.2 A New Age and a New Context The gap between secularism and faith which Pope Paul VI described has never seemed wider with secularism reigning triumphant but failing to achieve the flourishing and richness of life for which humanity yearns. We are plagued with concerns about wellbeing, resilience, anxiety and ultimately meaning. “We live in a clever world, but it lacks purpose, originality, meaning and grandeur.” (Sheridan, 2021, p. 172). Francis (2019a) speaks of change, not within the current era, but change in terms of a new era. In this light, the significance and challenge for formation become increasingly important; particularly in relation to an understanding of mission today, and creatively sharing the Gospel, the new evangelisation, through the life of the Spirit. It is to profile the contemporary Church and within it the mission and identity of Catholic Education that the wider discussion of the context for formation now turns.

1.2 A New Age and a New Context

3

Commentary on the identity of Catholic Education invariably gives attention to the nature of the Catholic school and the work of the Spirit. As a ministry within the Church, the Catholic school recognises, affirms and engages God’s mission already present. This mission entails the invitation, to be benefactor and beneficiary, acting as a sacrament of Christ’s love, acknowledging the gap between the ideal and the real, accepting difference and rejecting division, and offering an alternative to ‘win lose’ models. To this inspiring litany of aims, Lennan (2018, lecture) adds, “We embody the Spirit when we look like Jesus … a church in and for the world … a model of communion connected through the Word of God, the life of Jesus, and the gift of the Spirit.” This appreciation holds in relationship the traditions of the Church, the aspirations within the community in which it exists, and a commitment to continuing renewal that ultimately evolves into a new creation. By evolution, I mean simply that change is integral to life. We are becoming something that is not yet known. To live in evolution is to let go of structures that prevent convergence and deepening of consciousness and assume new structures that are consonant with creativity, inspiration, and development…Evolution requires trust in the process of life itself. There is a power at the heart of life that is divine and lovable. In a sense we are challenged to lean into life’s changing patterns and attend to the new patterns that are emerging in our midst. To live in openness to the future is to live with a sense of creativity and participation, to use our gifts for the sake of the whole by sharing them with others. (Delio, 2021, pp. 220–221)

1.2.1 The Contemporary Church There is no better illustration of the immense change going on in the Church than that which was brought about by the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965). The intention of the Council to be pastoral, non-condemnatory and open to new learning (Paul VI, 1965b, para. 44) gave it a style defined by horizontal as well as vertical relationships, service over control, openness to change, inclusiveness and active participation (Rush, 2009, 2019). It offered a vocabulary of inclusion and collegiality along with an emphasis on dialogue in relation to mission (Paul VI, 1965b, para. 92), and full, conscious and active participation (Paul VI, 1963, para. 14). Clearly, the Church evolving from Vatican II was to be sustained by its reliance on Tradition and Scripture, but equally awakened to its full and active life in the Spirit. The final form of the deliberations revealed the Council’s vision for the Church as being “A sacrament or instrumental sign of intimate union with God and the unity of all humanity” (Paul VI 1964b, para. 1). Some twenty years on from Vatican II, Pope John Paul II announced an extraordinary session of the Synod of Bishops to reflect on the ‘experience, meaning, implementation and effects of Vatican II’ (Dulles, 1985, p. 5). The Pope declared of the Council and its effects that it “remains the fundamental event in the life of the contemporary Church … the constant reference point for every pastoral action” (Dulles, 1985, p. 3). Pope John Paul II contended that the literature from Vatican II provides “a compass by which we can take our bearings in the century now beginning” (2001, para. 57). In this tradition, the Post Conciliar Church is visioned as more inclusive

4

1 Context and Culture: Establishing a Consciousness of Formation

in its outreach and broader in its emphasis as to where the presence of God can be found. It is a Church that concentrates on mission and communion while it journeys as a pilgrim people, engaged with the world in an endeavour to be ‘salt and light’ (Francis, 2013a, para. 81) in accord with the Reign of God and the mind of Christ. This emphasis at a personal level within the ministry of Catholic education is summarised as ‘the practice of being’ which brings into the educative process the whole person, the educator, engaging the whole person, the student. Educating is not a profession but an attitude, a way of being; in order to educate it is necessary to step out of ourselves and be among young people, to accompany them in the stages of their growth and to set ourselves beside them. Give them hope and optimism for their journey in the world. Teach them to see the beauty and goodness of creation and of man who always retains the Creator’s hallmark. But above all with your life be witnesses of what you communicate. Educators … pass on knowledge and values with their words; but their words will have an incisive effect on children and young people if they are accompanied by their witness, their consistent way of life. (Francis, 2013b)

The Council on the Synod determined that the central theme emerging from the Council was that of the Church, and that this should be examined in terms of itself and in relation to other realities. Significantly, the challenge of the Council was towards renewal, but equally it needed to be attentive to its own tradition in matters of the Word of God (Scriptures), as well as its Sacramental structure and dogmas (Dulles, 1985, p. 9). These themes of the Post Conciliar Extraordinary Synod are explicitly reinforced in the encyclical, Christifideles Laici (Christ’s Faithful People, John Paul II, 1988). Not only are the milestone statements of Vatican II reinforced, but an elevated consciousness is also sought. Baptism is argued as the basis of Christian vocation and is described as the ‘sacrament of faith’ with fundamental aspects of regeneration in Christ. This is a consciousness of not just belonging to the Church, but of being the Church (John Paul II, 1988, para. 26). Faggioli (2017) summarises the nature of the Church in terms of three macro trends: the movement of the Church from an institution to a Church in mission; from a predominantly European centred Church to a global body; and, from an exclusive to an inclusive outreach within and beyond its faithful. The vision for the contemporary Church espoused by Pope Francis is called to be a Church where all are welcome, where distinctiveness is respected and a common goal towards the good of all (the common good) is proposed. The image of Church as a polyhedron (Francis, 2013b, para. 236) depicts a Church with multiple relationships and is universal in character. It is a Church where Christ is at the centre and where the mercy of God is experienced through relationships and mission. It is a Church where experience is important, where all minister acts of mercy and where mercy is understood in sacramental terms by being a sign and an instrument of God with us. Moreover, it is a mission “embodied within human limits” (paras. 40–45). Ultimately, the evangelising mission of the Church is evidenced in the educator, viewed inclusively, who witnesses to “a way of life which awakens the assent of the heart” (Francis, 2013b, para. 42).

1.2 A New Age and a New Context

5

1.2.2 The Church in Australia The 2016 Australian census revealed that within the national population, the percentage of Christians reduced to 52.2% (down from 88% in 1966), whereas for three other religions (Hinduism, Islam, and Sikhism), growth was experienced. The Australian Catholic community now makes up 22.6% of the population; down from 25.3% in 2011. Moreover, while 60.3% of Australians report an association with religion, some 30.1% indicate ‘no religion’ and the remainder of respondents simply did not complete the optional question. The percentage of respondents in the ‘no religion’ category rose dramatically from 22.3% in 2011 (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2016). A demographic examination of the Church in Australia today against the expected Church of tomorrow (Dixon, 2017) identified that the dramatic changes within the Church will continue. The Catholic population of Australia is projected to grow in real terms however it is expected to fall in percentage terms. In addition, ethnic changes will be evident, together with a decline in Mass attendance. The reduction in the numbers of priests will be steady and argued to be augmented by overseas support. The presence of religious sisters and brothers will become negligible. Four significant cultural elements of changing Church life are cited by Dixon (2017) as: Mass attendance, marriage, beliefs and social attitudes. Mass attendance, which reached a high point within the Catholic population of up to 75% in the 1950s, is predicted to drop from its current 12% to approximately 5–6% by 2030. Migrant Catholics are said to constitute most attendees within an overall ageing population. Marriage is expected to become a less significant formal commitment with levels of co-habiting being high and variable, depending on geographic location: 61% (city), 77% (regional) and 81% (remote). Foundational beliefs are also identified as changing, while also revealing some level of stability. For example, belief in the virgin birth of Christ (75%), the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist (90%), a Trinitarian understanding of God (84%) and the bodily resurrection of Christ (71%) is said to remain strong. Similarly, amongst Catholics, moral attitudes against issues such as abortion remain high (85%), while engagement in premarital sexual activity is viewed by 59% of respondents as an acceptable part of a committed relationship. Clearly, the Church in Australia has changed and is predicted to experience further change. Coupled with demographic changes, the impact and revelations from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, together with the public debate on a range of social phenomena such as the legal status of same-sex relationships, leads commentators to ask the question within the public media: “What will it mean when God is dead?” (Sheridan, 2017). The position advanced is that Australia is becoming an atheistic nation; a phenomenon Sheridan describes in the public press as ‘the eclipse of Christianity.’ Sheridan discusses a culture without God; a radical change in the way the human person is understood and the way that social institutions and relationships are considered. Such a conclusion is also evidenced in the ABC’s Australia Talks National Survey (ABC, 2019). The survey

6

1 Context and Culture: Establishing a Consciousness of Formation

of 54,000 people found that only one in four Australians trusts religious leaders and just 15% of people think that Australia would be better off if more people were religious. Only 15% of people believe Australia needs more religion and 71% believe discrimination based on religion occurs occasionally or often. Especially interesting is that 60% believe people should keep their religious views to themselves. Notwithstanding what could be labelled as a downward spiral for beliefs and attitudes for religion and religion beliefs and attitudes, the McCrindle (2017) research which surveyed 1024 Australians, representative of the national population was more optimistic. Noteworthy in this instance was that the report drew on focus group comments comprising people from a non-Christian background. In the report it is recorded that: More than half of Australians (52%) are open, to some extent, to changing their religious views given the right circumstances and evidence. Younger generations are more likely than older generations to be open to changing their current religious views Conversations with people are the biggest prompt for Australians to think about spiritual or religious things (31% concur). (p. 9)

And The greatest attraction to investigating spirituality and religion is observing people who live out a genuine faith (61% are attracted by this). Second is experiencing a personal trauma or significant life change (59%).

While the position presented in the McCrindle report is promising, the less enthusiastic position presented by Sheridan (2017) and reflected in the views of a substantial large group of others potentially shocks and disorients those working in Catholic Education. This data invites reflection as to what might replace the dominant voice that has been the Catholic religious tradition. The perspective offered early on by Taylor (2007), together with the more recent data presented in the Australian Generation Z Study (Singleton et al., 2019), point to the importance and the opportunities to develop new understandings about the role and place of the Catholic tradition in the context of today. In addition, the emphasis given to witness reinforces the priority of Church and its ministries to both engage in arenas that strive towards a flourishing humanity, and in the process, exercise witness within these efforts. With this challenge as a backdrop, an understanding of mission and formation becomes important if not critical.

1.2.3 Catholic Education Identity Catholic Education within the Church is expressed in a multiplicity of environments across a wide spectrum of needs in support of young people, parish communities and those most vulnerable. It is carried out in families, parish, health, welfare and educational settings across Australia and is supported and resourced by Church, government and community. Notwithstanding the expanse of Catholic Education,

1.2 A New Age and a New Context

7

the role of Catholic schools and the place of formation for mission in this ministry is a particular focus and one to which most attention is now offered. The experience of formation in the Catholic school is an invitation into building a civilisation of love, a fraternal humanism, to share in the mission of the Gospel (CCE, 2017). The process entails the discernment of a Gospel imagination within the totality of life and culture in the Catholic school. It is premised on openness and dialogue where personal and communal reflection nurture life within the Spirit. It unfolds in a context of freedom, privileging the Catholic faith perspective as a source of meaning within a context of multiple world views and promoting mutually interpretative dialogue with those of other faith perspectives (Boeve, 2016). Key to this dialogue is not only an openness to converse respectfully, but to do so from an appreciation of one’s own identity. Identity is that which constitutes a ‘set of constants in context’ (Bevans & Schroeder, 2004), or that of a ‘worldview’ (D’Orsa & D’Orsa, 2010). Extending this overarching concept, specific to a contemporary situation, Hirst et al. (2009) define identity as the attribution of characteristics to an organisation that provide ‘expressions of its being’. With such a definition, the notion that identity might be subject to variation becomes significant, specifically as personnel changes or the organisation takes on new expressions in response to changing times and needs. In this way, dialogue moves from beyond a position of sharing and equally draws from wider interpretations in the hope of collective enrichment. Notwithstanding, the challenge is significant. The gap between secularism and faith which Pope Paul VI described has never seemed wider with secularism reigning triumphant but failing to achieve the flourishing and richness of life for which humanity yearns. We are plagued with concerns about wellbeing, resilience, anxiety and ultimately meaning. “We live in a clever world, but it lacks purpose, originality, meaning and grandeur.” (Sheridan, 2021, p. 172). The more connected we feel to our family, friends, and community (belonging), the more we are motivated by positive long-term goals (purpose), the more skillfully we can weave a narrative from the threads of our lives (storytelling), and the more we focus our energies on something larger than ourselves (transcendence), the more meaningful our lives are. “We are, whether we like it or not in a situation where transcendence has been reduced to a rumour.” (Berger, 1969, p. 171) The gift our faith has for our world is that it proclaims a God who became human in Jesus Christ and he shows us how to have life in abundance and to live it to the full (Jn 10:10). In a world desperately yearning for signs of hope, Christianity is a gift, a way of realising the flourishing of life innate to the human spirit. Groome (1996) nominates five defining perspectives to the identity of the Catholic school that signify its foundations in Catholicism. These offer a basis for a reflection on identity within a diverse and inclusive community. They include: a positive anthropology of the person; the sacramentality of life; a communal emphasis; a commitment to Tradition as a source of story and vision, and an appreciation of rationality and learning as epitomised in education. Groome goes on to add an additional three other ‘cardinal’ characteristics that define Catholic school identity in its

8

1 Context and Culture: Establishing a Consciousness of Formation

relationship to Church: a commitment to individual personhood; action for social justice, and inclusion. The propositions of Groome reinforce the position that, at the deepest philosophical level, the identity of the Catholic school encompasses the identity of the Church as a whole. The implications of this for the school and the place of formation within it are three-fold. First, learning experiences and outcomes connect rather than divorce knowledge from ‘being’. That is, the individual student and staff member are invited to value knowledge along with other dimensions that constitute a whole person, an expression of God, a kingdom view of development that the Church proclaims. The second implication is that of educating for a sense of justice, whereby people see themselves in relationship with God and their neighbour and thereby develop a commitment to those who experience and possess less. This is a focus on equality based on the dignity and human rights of all. A third challenge is for Catholic schools to be inclusive in the way that Catholicism attempts to be inclusive. This is a call for hospitality and welcome, a manifestation of unity among the totality of God’s family. The concept of the Catholic school as an image of Church is one of continuing renewal as mission informs identity and in turn identity shapes an understanding of mission. “We are shaped by what we do … concern about identity must give way to concern about mission” (Ranson, 2008, p. 84). Ranson argues that in a time of considerable change, both within society and the Church, an opportunity exists for the generation of a new consciousness as to mission and identity. He summarises the concept of a new evangelisation as arising from “the memory of originating mythologies of Catholic institutions and the imagination of those who now join those institutions with their own sense of professional vocation, passion and spirituality. In that conversation, a new story is set to be told” (Ranson, 2008, p. 86). Such a story is to be shaped by religious imagination, social commitment, ecclesial tension and apostolic strategy, all of which are believed to underpin identity while at the same time constituting elements of mission. The identity of institutions generally, and the identity of Catholic institutions, in particular, must be thought of as something caught in a dialectic of continuity and discontinuity – constantly growing, constantly changing, and being engaged with, and challenged by, variable circumstances – whilst at the same time, capable of recognizing self as an uninterrupted narrative of meaning. (Ranson, 2008, p. 85)

The integral relationship of the Catholic school to the mission of a dynamic and engaging Church raises the question as to the static nature of identity, particularly within the life of the Catholic school. The concept of identity, however, as constituting a worldview while also exhibiting expressions of being aligned to its belief system, permits the identity of the school to reflect its deeper level of meaning while ministering in the prevailing community culture of the time. The response of the Catholic school is one of recognising the full reality of the culture in which it exercises its mission while pursuing its mission in authentic ways that promote conversation, openness and truth. Identity is a reflective outcome which integrates Tradition within the reality of community.

1.2 A New Age and a New Context

9

1.2.4 A Distinctive Philosophy Education, drawn from the Latin word educare meaning ‘to lead out of or lead forward’, is foundational to human community and continuity. Education in this light begins with a view of what it is to be human and to what it is that humans are being led. Moreover, the education process involves the totality of experiences by which a community clarifies and communicates the values, knowledge, skills and commitments considered to be fundamental. The ‘far goal’ for education, therefore, is to discover what constitutes authentic human growth. This is an integrated philosophy whereby education is intimately tied to the liberation of self and community, but equally dependent upon experiences that offer maximum liberation for personal and communal development. The philosophy underpinning the Catholic school is seen in its vision of the person and the ‘how’ of formation. Formation in this sense goes beyond the nature of human development or education for social participation. Formation in the Catholic school is Education, but it is Education characterised by a view of what it means to be fully human and how to give expression to life within community. For Catholic educators, the answers to these questions are found in the person of Christ and the goals and processes evoked from a kingdom view of the world. Catholic Education has a longstanding focus as a ‘synthesis between culture and faith’ (CCE, 1997, p. 14) and the importance of the ‘unique Christian school climate’ (para. 19) where ‘faith, culture and life are brought into harmony’ (para. 11). In short, the culture of the Catholic school is a Gospel culture; a culture that animates the totality of life within the school. The ‘principles of the Gospel become [the school’s] internal motivation and final goal’ (CCE, 1997, para. 34). This imperative, however, is not without commentary, particularly with respect to the priority of faith and the observation of multiple agendas. On the one hand, they [schools] tell potential students and parents that the purpose of Catholic schools is to educate the whole person, promote faith, provide pastoral care and achieve the prescribed learning outcomes. On the other hand, their engagements with government are likely to focus on matters such as core purpose, parent choice, legislative compliance, good governance, accountability and meeting formal agreements. (Gleeson, 2020, p. 70)

Gleeson goes on to make the point that Catholic schools seek to provide a holistic, integrated education in a context where ‘contemporary educators have a renewed mission, which has the ambitious aim of offering young people an integral education as well as assistance in discovering their personal freedom, which is a gift from God’ (CCE, 2014, p. 10). In a clear reaction to neoliberal values, the warning is offered against simply responding to ‘the demands deriving from the ever-changing economic situation’. “Catholic schools think out their curricula to place centre-stage both individuals and their search for meaning” (Gleeson, 2020, p. 12). The response of the Catholic school to integrate mission with culture and curriculum is described as addressing a new environment through recontextualisation (Pollefeyt & Bouwens, 2020) where the traditional modes of evangelisation and the heterogeneity of the student and staff profile are now called to take on a

10

1 Context and Culture: Establishing a Consciousness of Formation

new approach. The challenge is one of reinterpreting Catholic education within a new cultural context (Gleeson, 2020); a response which seeks to construct Catholic school identity in a pluralist culture while not abandoning the Tradition. It was against this background that Gleeson et al. (2020) reviewed the opinions of teachers in Queensland Catholic schools regarding the identity, purpose and characteristics of these schools; findings of which correlated with the commitment of teachers to Catholic school mission and identity within the United States (Convey, 2012).

1.2.5 An Inclusive Community The Catholic school in Australia has emerged from humble beginnings to become an established community service. To know the story is to understand its culture and to appreciate what warrants continuing, what no longer is required, and what might still be developed. Its story is a history in three stages across three centuries. It is a story as colourful as the colonial history that nurtured it. It emerged from a fledgling community’s desire for identity and meaning informed by the Catholic faith; was strengthened through the generosity and commitment of parents, clergy and religious; and today is evidenced in a multiplicity of educational services grounded in a living tradition in service of a wider community (Sultmann & Hall, 2021). Sector profile: There are currently 4 million students enrolled in Australian schools across all sectors. The government sector has the most enrolments (2.6 million or 66%), followed by the Catholic sector (0.7 million or 18%) and the Independent sector (0.6 million or 16%) (Independent Schools Australia [ISA], 2021, p. 6). The overall student population grew 1.5% from 2019 and has grown by 1.4% per annum over the last five years. The Independent sector has increased its enrolment share every year since 2000, starting at 12.5% and climbing steadily to a high of 16.2% in 2020. Catholic sector enrolments peaked in 2013 with a high of 19.3%. However, since then there has been a slow decline, with enrolment share currently 18.2% (ISA, 2021, p. 6). ISA projections show that overall school enrolments in Australia could increase by 1.3% per year to 2030, with the Independent sector growing by 2.0% per year, government sector 1.4% per year and Catholic sector 0.4% per year. Staff profile: Staff in Australian Catholic schools numbered approximately 91,000 in 2016 with the clear majority being lay staff (NCEC, 2016a, 2016b). The NCEC report of 2016 states that of these, 80% of primary school teachers and 61% of secondary school teachers identify as Catholic. Moreover, the report adds of those staff who identify as Catholics, 25% are engaged in regular worship and parish leadership activities; “for most staff, the Catholic school is their only regular experience of Catholicism” (NCEC, 2016a, p. 11). Student profile: Enrolments in Catholic schools are growing, albeit small, within an increasing national population. Notably, within this growth, the composition of students has changed. Students with disabilities moved from 4% in 2011 to 4.5% in 2015, and Indigenous students from 2.2 to 2.7% across the same period. In contrast, full fee-paying students and boarding students decreased to 0.2% and 0.8%

1.3 Mission

11

respectively. The National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) Report (2016a), reveals that 69% of students are Catholic and that 31% are other than Catholic. The percentage of other than Catholic in secondary schools is 33% compared with 29% in primary schools. This new and continuously changing reality for the Catholic school demonstrates that Catholic schools are by nature open to all who would engage its distinctive educational philosophy (CCE, 1997). Parent and caregiver priorities: A survey of over 5000 Catholic, State and Independent school parents (Sultmann & Brown, 2013) yielded consistent educational priorities for parents: student care, quality teaching, discipline, consultation, moral development, and school vision and values. These priorities were reinforced by Kennedy et al. (2010, p. iv) who confirmed school choice was influenced by “positive relationships within safe, caring, concerned school communities”. Similar conclusions were reached by McKay (2018) who noted that while Catholic and Christian populations are comparatively in decline, confidence exists in faith-based schools to nurture values and provide a safe environment for students. Surprisingly, within the Sultmann & Brown, 2013 study; parents who elected Catholic schooling and responded to the question as to “What is absolutely essential?” revealed less than average support for faith development (46%), pastoral care and concern (47%), and religious education (39%).

1.3 Mission An historical appreciation of mission focused on going out and bringing individuals, groups and communities into a community named as Church and intimately connected to tradition and the Gospel. A more contemporary approach to mission is to view it as a deeper realisation of the Spirit of God already present and active, sharing perspectives on life and living revealed by Christ, and lived out within the Church, albeit not exclusively (Connolly & Lucas, 2019).

1.3.1 Mission Today Mission today is evidenced in a heightened understanding that recognises and engages the Spirit of God already present and active in the world. From a Christian perspective, mission is a complex concept, one that develops in a variety of ways: centred on discipleship and operationalised through at least three principles: engagement with the experience of the current reality; development of understanding and the alignment of purpose that resonates with the needs and aspirations of the community; and, empowering the community in ways that provide for advancement of purpose and mutual transformation. Mission is more akin to an inside-out approach which seeks to be awakened to and celebrate God’s presence within, in contrast to an

12

1 Context and Culture: Establishing a Consciousness of Formation

outside-in orientation where the presumption entails bringing God into a community thought to be deficient of the spiritual. The Church’s agenda for the third millennium is challenging and comprehensive as it recognises the current social reality while proclaiming the fundamental imperative to focus on Christ and the Gospel (John Paul II, 1996). Within this context John Paul II introduced the concept of a New Evangelisation, a means for interpreting the Gospel with new vigour and ardour, recognising the status of humanity, the culture of our times and analysing human needs. The position was aligned to the Second Vatican Council’s view of the whole Church as “missionary and the work of evangelisation as a basic duty of the people of God” (Paul VI, 1965a, para. 35). Subsequently, and more precisely, Pope Paul VI spoke of evangelisation as the Church’s deepest identity: “Evangelisation is in fact the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her deepest identity; she exists in order to evangelise” (Paul VI, 1975, para. 14). All within the Church are called to share and continue the mission of God in the world (Francis, 2013a). The invitation is to understand, experience and be open to liberation inspired by the Gospel. This implies that the Church does not exist to expand or perpetuate itself. Rather, it acts not so much as an answer, but as a response to God’s call to continue God’s loving, redeeming, healing, reconciling, liberating, forgiving, and challenging mission. Jesus called this outcome the Kingdom of God and envisioned it as a community of those who were forgiven and forgiving, a community which includes everyone, a community whose vision reflects the abundance of God’s grace and presence (Bevans, 2009, p. 5). In this light, all Christians are invited to evangelise, “all are missionary disciples” (Francis, 2013a, para. 120), and all are challenged to operate in ways that reveal oneness with what already exists and with what might be in terms of a Kingdom view of life and living. Drawing from the Emmaus story, the journey of those who are seeking meaning and purpose in communion with the risen Christ, Pope Francis concludes: We need a Church unafraid of going forth into the night. We need a Church capable of meeting them on their way. We need a Church capable of entering into their conversation. We need a Church able to dialogue with those disciples who, having left Jerusalem behind, are wandering aimlessly, alone, with their own disappointment, disillusioned by a Christianity now considered barren, fruitless soil, incapable of generating meaning. (Francis, 2019b, Sec 11)

1.3.2 Crossroads An interpretation of the New Evangelisation within Catholic Education is evidenced in the ‘crossroads’ statement which calls for “proclaiming the Gospel anew [and] nurturing ‘seeds of faith’ in a context of freedom” (Bishops of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, 2007, p. 12). The position signals witness, formation of the heart and service. Along with the impact on the person, the influence of the New Evangelisation on culture is equally significant as the Gospel seeks to convert the collective consciences of people, the activities in which they engage, and the lives and concrete milieu in which they live.

1.3 Mission

13

The National Catholic Education Commission’s Framework for Formation for Mission in Catholic Education (2017) and the ACBC (2021) comments above are consistent in their identification of the importance of differentiated formation for various vocations and ministries within the Church. We should remain attentive to this and yet the heightened attention to formation for all the baptised that is life-long is driven by an agenda common to all vocations and ministries. Within the ministry of the Catholic school, the emphases of the New Evangelisation can take hold. However, no longer can it be assumed that religious traditions are being passed on automatically and easily from one generation to the next, and no longer can it be expected that all educators and students in Catholic schools are engaged in or will engage in the formation of their organisational identity as Catholic. Today, teachers and students engage with multiple worldviews and traditions, constituting a virtual ‘market-place’ from which they construct (rather than inherit) their identity (Boeve, 1999). Catholic schools therefore have a responsibility and opportunity to witness to and reflect the teaching of Christ as a plausible, authentic and dynamic means by which the construction of identity can take place. A vision for the Catholic school as a formative place is captured in the CCE document Educating to Fraternal Humanism (CCE, 2017). Humanising education involves putting the person at the centre of education, within a framework of relationships that make up a living community, interdependent and bound to a common purpose. Process authenticity is seen in valuing spontaneity, freedom, equality, consistency, peace and the common good, and dialogue is said to offer hope and be a sign of the saving grace of Christ in what it means to share love. Moreover, connection with the ‘story’ of generations past allows for kinship to be fostered in a climate of continuing solidarity. This is the goal of identifying and valuing the history of cooperative networks and highlighting the importance of a community of learning at the local level.

1.3.3 Formation Within the Catholic Christian Tradition The international, national and integrative nature of formation within Catholic education is abundantly clear from multiple sources. Exhortations from the Congregation for Catholic Education identify formation as a constant in the life of the Church (Hall et al., 2019); the Directory of Catechesis draws attention to the spectrum of professional engagement that formation is asked to address (Fisichella & Arenas, 2020); a National colloquia on Religious Education highlighted formation as a priority for religious educators (Hall & Sultmann, 2020); and, most recently, Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP, Chair, Bishops Commission for Catholic Education, wrote of formation as being an immediate and future priority for mission in the Catholic school (Fisher, 2022). Formation is central to the life and mission of Catholic schools. The school’s task is fundamentally “a synthesis of culture and faith, and a synthesis of faith and life”. (Congregation for Catholic Education, 1977, n. 37)

14

1 Context and Culture: Establishing a Consciousness of Formation …it [formation] is required that teachers be believers committed to personal growth in faith, incorporated into a Christian community, desirous of giving the reason for their faith through their professional expertise as well. (Fisichella & Arenas, 2020, n. 318) Formation - centred in Christ, tradition, mission and faith journey. (RE teachers need to be supported in their intrinsic spirituality and their self-efficacy; and, it’s not good enough to have well meaning, ‘generally spiritual’ people in the Religious Education space when we are trying to draw secondary school students into experiences where they can encounter Christ). (Hall & Sultmann, 2020, p. 19) As we step forward into the next 200 years of Catholic education [Australia], I invite all of those involved to embrace formation for mission. ‘It is essential that leaders and staff understand and are solidly committed to the Catholic identity of the school’. (Fisher, 2022, p. 4)

The essence of formation within a Catholic faith tradition is that it is an experience of invitation, welcome and opportunity. It is the invitation to ‘drink [from?] the cup’ and so be nurtured in what Nouwen (1996) argues as the basic postures of the spiritual life. Formation facilitates holding, lifting and drinking; symbolising life in the Spirit, paschal living; where life, death and resurrection constitute the dynamic nature of the life of a follower of Christ (Rolheiser, 1995). The call to a believing system is a universal call; an invitation, encounter, privilege and responsibility that has appeared continuously throughout history. It is seen in the call to the chosen people of Israel, in the call to the patriarchs and the prophets, in Christ’s call to the disciples, and is evident in the 2000 years since the Church has responded in Christian faith to the person and message of Christ. It is a call to a way of being in the world that challenges conventional expectations and promises a life of relationship with God and signals wholeness and happiness. Within the Biblical tradition the words from Isaiah (55) establish the platform as coming to the water when thirsty and experiencing fully the gifts of God and being refreshed. This is the hallmark of hospitality, evidenced in formation which is simultaneously welcoming and formative. The intention is made clear in Leading formation for mission: A practical guide (NCEC, 2022) a complement to A Framework for Formation for Mission in Catholic Education (NCEC, 2017). In this instance hospitality is identified as a pillar on which formation practice is built. The pillar of hospitality for all people in formation is founded on the dignity of each person and provides for respectful engagement through welcome and hospitality. The wisdom of the Framework is that it is simultaneously invitational and potentially transformative, offering inclusivity and wholeness to the formation experience for all. In this way, formation is for mission (it advances mission understanding and engagement); formation is in mission (it utilises processes that draw from the richness of the tradition) and formation serves mission (empowers mission service and witness within and beyond the formation experience).

Christian Scripture interprets Jesus as the full embodiment and incarnation of divine wisdom. Jesus is identified as the ‘power and wisdom of God’ (1 Corinthians 1:23), the perfect revelation of the Father, God in human form (Colossians 1:15–29). Jesus is the ultimate disclosure of God in human history, and it is in his life that Christians come to believe in and understand the essence of what it means to be authentically human. As with the woman at the well (John 4:10–14) it is Christ who

1.3 Mission

15

offers the world a new form of life-giving ‘water,’ a form of spiritual sustenance that is at the core of human life and lasts forever. It is his imagination that provides vision and it is his invitation to proclaim and share his story (Matthew 28:19) that shapes mission and ministry and informs formation for mission. The far goal of formation for mission is connecting with the person of Christ and a sacred story pursued and enhanced by His Spirit. Pope John Paul II described this fundamental objective as a progressive appreciation; “an ever-clearer discovery of one’s vocation and the ever-greater willingness to live so as to fulfil one’s mission” (1988, para. 58). Formation in this regard is the integration of experiences that connect with the Spirit of Christ and influences life in its totality. It entails reflection, community and sharing in a climate of respect for personal dignity and freedom. In its essence, Catholic Christian formation is the development of spirituality emanating from the Gospel, and in relation to the world, making a response through discipleship. Catholic Christian formation is being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ for the glory of God and for the sake of others (II Corinthians 3:17–18). The life of the early Church with its diverse geographical, ethnic, social and cultural characteristics, united by the common denominator of an exclusive allegiance to Jesus, provides a recognisable context for the experience and significance of formation in contemporary times (Adna, 2005). Pope Francis in his address to participants at the plenary session of the Congregation for Catholic Education identified the subtlety and similarity of first century followers and people today: Jesus began to preach the Good News in the ‘Galilee of the Gentiles,’ a crossroads for people of different races, cultures and religions. In some ways this context is similar to today’s world. The profound changes that have led to the ever-spreading multicultural societies requires those who work in schools and universities to become involved in the educational programmes of exchange and dialogue, with a bold and innovative fidelity able to bring together the Catholic identity to meet the different ‘souls’ existing in a multicultural society. (Francis, 2014, para. 4)

Disciples in the early Church devoted themselves to the teaching of the Apostles, were committed to prayer, shared resources in common, broke bread and praised God, experiencing joy, growing in number and finding favour in the community (Acts 2:43–47). These longstanding manifestations of the Church; of being teachers and witnesses to the faith (kerygma and martyria), exercising a service for the good of all (diakonia), being and building community (koinonia) and engaging in celebration of prayer and worship (leitourgia) define the fullness of life for Christians (Benedict XVI, 2007, para. 25) and the traditions in the faith to which formation for mission in Catholic Education applies.

1.3.4 Introducing Formation An intuitive view of formation brings forth an array of perspectives; so much so that it is difficult to find a starting point. Moreover, conversations with colleagues reveal that formation means different things for different people, and, even for those

16

1 Context and Culture: Establishing a Consciousness of Formation

of similar interests, formation understandings and emphases vary across time, place, personal experience and community priorities. To say the least, formation is complex, sensitive and unique for many and holds challenges in understanding, application and expectation. It is in this light that the literature review commences with the caveat: formation is a construct that is diverse in its representation, variable in its delivery, and potentially not fully accessible and knowable. The search for a formal definition of formation, specifically using the ‘one-word’, formation, reveals varied interpretations. Dictionary definitions speak of formation as: the way something is naturally made or the way it has been arranged; an act of giving form or shape to something or of taking form; the action of forming or process of being formed; and the act or process of something. What typifies these definitions is that formation can be a description of something (a noun), can entail doing something (a verb) and can be a descriptor of something other (an adjective). In general terms the concept of formation relates to naming a process, involves shaping an orientation, and can identify outcomes. Beyond a definition of formation is its significance. The broadest interpretation of formation, however it might be applied, is that it is experienced within a unique time in history. The contemporary era possesses such a significant story that it is expected to be ‘big news in a million years’ (Swimme, 2008); an era which is demonstrating a ‘great leap in being’ (Swimme, 2019), and the emergence of a new and flourishing consciousness (Tolle, 2005). The contemporary world demonstrates a movement away from frameworks that once provided a sense of certainty, even security, into what, at first glance, appear to be ‘turbulent waters’. Moral, ethical, economic, organisational, religious and political issues appear so complex and difficult that they present as being beyond control. What was once regarded as ‘cut and dried’ is now open-ended, challenging and near impossible to manage. Meaningful engagement with the present can be bewildering, if not daunting and potentially frightening. It is in the human domain of existence—one’s self, relationships, family, school, workplace, Church and wider community—that the effects of a new socio-political and cultural context are being experienced. The Congregation for Catholic Education (CCE, 1997) argues that the effects of unprecedented turbulence can be seen in a crisis of values with results observed in subjectivism, moral relativism and nihilism. It might also be said, specifically in the developed world, that values of consumerism, materialism and secularism are pervasive. The effect is not independent of the Church or Catholic Education. The Congregation adds: Rather than prospects of development for all, we witness the widening of the gap between the rich and the poor, as well as massive migration from underdeveloped to highly developed countries. The phenomenon of multiculturalism and the increasingly multi-ethnic and multireligious society is at the same time enrichment and a source of problems. To this we must add, in countries of longstanding evangelization, a growing marginalization of the Christian faith as a reference point and a source of light for an effective and convincing interpretation of existence. (CCE, 1997, para. 1)

The role of formation in preparing and supporting individuals and groups to thrive in what some authors describe as the ‘new normal’ (Braden, 2017a) is no longer a ‘good thing to do when time allows.’ Rather, it presents as fundamental to

1.4 Models and Principles

17

understanding, integrating and responding to experience as people of faith looking for fullness in life. The world of the past, the one that offered security, predictability and stability, is now changed and there is ‘no going back’ (Coleridge, 2017). Rather, the invitation is to go forward in a time of “graceful urgency to do what we need to do to respond to the crises of our time” (Braden, 2017b, DVD). A Catholic Christian understanding of formation is that it engages the radical and fundamental work of the Spirit. It is organic (it happens where it happens); it is dynamic (develops and expands in unpredictable ways); it interacts (each of its parts influences the other parts); and it is a work of the Spirit (it is an experience within the Providence and Mystery of God). A summative perspective would suggest that it is about starting where you are, and continually moving forward and being transformed (being and becoming); engaging the whole self (head, heart and hand); recognising connectedness in relation to the whole (personal, social, professional and communal); being influenced by context and tradition (community and story); and Paschal in nature (living, dying and rising) which unfolds formally and informally in the ordinary and the every-day Mystery and mission of God at work in the world.

1.4 Models and Principles The invitation into Christian discipleship is centred on an encounter and a noncoercive relationship with a master teacher, a Rabbi, and an associated way of living that reflects integration and commitment. It is a way that is taught and witnessed in practices that give meaning, purpose and direction to life and living. Within a myriad of literature, two recent comprehensive texts, Stirring the Soul of Catholic Education: Formation for Mission (Gowdie, 2017) together with Governing in Faith: Foundations for Formation (Thornber & Gaffney, 2014) permit an examination of models and principles underpinning the spectrum and quality of formation. The texts detail models of formation and highlight key principles for Catholic Education, specifically for Catholic school leaders, facilitators and governors.

1.4.1 Models The models critiqued by Gowdie (2017) are divided into two groups: those that relate to spiritual formation, and, approaches specific to Catholic Education which underscore formation as a process in support of mission. Spiritual formation models include The Religious Life Model, Staged Development Models, Spiral Models, Narrative Models and Formation Models in Ministry. Formation approaches relevant to Catholic Education mission include Teacher Formation for Evangelisation Small Group Model, Spirituality/Virtues Seminars Model, and Courage to Teach Reflective Retreat Formation Model. In the process of ‘mining the learnings’ from the spectrum of practices Gowdie identifies five levers of common significance in the provision

18

1 Context and Culture: Establishing a Consciousness of Formation

of overall quality formation: Calling, Community, Service, Individual Entry Points and Reflective Praxis (pp. 49–55). These five levers for quality formation are argued to be mediated by adult spirituality, educational culture and the faith tradition. The research by Thornber and Gaffney (2014) recognised the particular implications of formation for governance within Church ministries. These researchers were conscious of an emerging reality that lay personnel are increasingly being called to governance responsibilities within the “complexities of the ecclesial world” (p. x). Drawing from Church documents used in formation for the priesthood (Pastores Dabo Vobis, John Paul II, 1992) and for ecclesial workers (Co-workers in the Vineyard of the Lord, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2005) the researchers generated survey instruments to identify levels of agreement or otherwise on characteristics to canonical governance. Outcomes reinforced that formation for canonical governance, and by implication those leaders who participate in such practices, would ideally entail the interrelated dimensions: the human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral. A detailed narration of formation models is not pursued in this monograph. However, what is presented are summary characteristics of the faith formation models discussed by Gowdie (2017, pp. 27–56) and (Thornber & Gaffney, 2014, pp. 33–68). See Table 1.1. As such, this presentation does not seek to be expansive of any one model. Rather, the spectrum of formation theory is introduced as a basis for consideration and potential wider investigation and for the identification of common key principles that inform ongoing formation provision. The structure applied in support of the analysis identifies and describes the model (description); indicates agencies and authorities typically engaged with the model (proponent); and, goes on to nominate the three educational characteristics central to quality practices (foundations, process and outcomes). The models identified by Gowdie (2017) and Thornber and Gaffney (2014) address formation for ministry at a generic level through the identification of faith perspectives anticipated to be the basis for such ministries. Gowdie also explores further the models specifically relevant within the Catholic school which contribute insights into formation processes such as: formation being delivered at a local level; engaging teacher backgrounds and strategies for the classroom based on a theological foundation, and, emphasising virtue and good teaching as coming from identity and the integrity of the teacher. Notwithstanding, these insights for a school context, the authors point to generic principles as foundational to quality formation within Catholic Education.

1.4.2 Principles Formation principles summarise key formation elements, both theoretical and practical, and introduce new and/or reinforce strengths in formation provision. The presentation of principles (Table 1.2) is not sequenced nor are principles prioritised. Rather, the principles identify elements of quality formation generated from

1.4 Models and Principles

19

Table 1.1 A summary of formation models

tradition and experience with particular relevance to formation for mission practices within Catholic education. A summary of the principles and associated themes that characterise formation for mission provides glimpses into its sophistication and permits a deeper and accessible appreciation of an otherwise overly complex and challenging process. The principles and characteristics aim to identify the hallmarks of formation for Catholic Education; concepts which characterise quality and authenticity in formation.

20

1 Context and Culture: Establishing a Consciousness of Formation

Table 1.2 Principles of formation

1.4.3 Conciliar and Post-conciliar Shifts It has been argued that the second Vatican Council is a compass for the new millennium (John Paul II, 2001), clarifying and signifying insights from the tradition that serve to provide a basis for being and building Church into the twenty-first century. Significant to the imperatives for Catholic Education in the Conciliar and Post Conciliar period is the Council’s perspective on Divine Revelation, Dei Verbum (DV) (Paul VI, 1965c). The God revealed in Christ is affirmed as personal and relational: “the invisible God out of the abundance of God’s love speaks to men and women as friends and lives among them” (para. 2). While Christ is affirmed as the “mediator and fullness of all revelation” (para. 2), the Council affirms that God witnesses to Godself ‘in created realities’ (para. 3) and through the Holy Spirit, moves people towards an ever-deepening understanding of revelation in Christ.

1.4 Models and Principles

21

The document on Divine Revelation [Dei Verbum (DV)] (Paul VI, 1965c) reinforces the Church’s understanding of revelation as not only a communication of information; but an invitation into a loving relationship of friendship, in Christ through the Spirit (para. 2). The final sentence of Dei Verbum talks of the Holy Spirit as the one who keeps teaching believers how to read the signs of God’s presence throughout history and as such the Council proclaims that, “We may hope for a new stimulus for the life of the Spirit” (para. 26). These insights reinforce that Catholic Education is called to be profoundly relational and dialogical, to recognise the movement of the Spirit in the realities of the context and to provide the processes and conditions by which staff and students are enabled to engage in the task of making sense of faith in new and emerging contexts. Such a position complements the Church’s decree on ecumenism [Paul VI, 1964a, Unitatis Redintegratio (UR)] and Nostra Aetate (NA) (Paul VI, 1965a) on other religions. Scripture, Church Tradition, Magisterium exhortations, applied research and the experience of Catholic Education identify formation as foundational to mission. Moreover, changing Catholic school community profiles reinforce the critical role of formation in advancing experiences that align with mission and interact with community differences and aspirations. Catholic Education has responded strategically to these imperatives and provided unique and multiple formation practices in support of mission. For purposes of this discussion, these overall dimensions to formation include Faith Tradition, School Mission, Formation Practice and Service Wholeness (Table 1.3). Moreover, the four principles and associated themes are presented in Table 1.3 as traditional and contemporary understandings, each of which seeks to demonstrate the practice of formation as arising from theological and ecclesial understandings summarised as Faith Tradition; educational summarised as School Mission; formation experiences summarised as Formation Practice; and, formation as a continuing and integrated priority summarised Service Wholeness.

1.4.4 Continuity and Discontinuity The context and culture for formation within the Church (internationally and nationally) reflects continuing priorities steeped in understandings of vision and mission and at the same time looks outward within community for insights and wisdom as to future emphases. This is the process of bringing into balance continuity and discontinuity within a perspective that reflects Tradition and the ongoing engagement with the Spirit. The challenge of formation in Catholic Education is not so much a decision about what to keep and what to remove when considering the mission of the Church and the centrality of formation. Rather, the challenge is to consider how we might witness to the depth of the Catholic Tradition in ways that are open to new and emerging contexts. This task is echoed in the words of Pope Francis in his endorsement of a Global Compact on Education where he calls for an “open and inclusive education,

22

1 Context and Culture: Establishing a Consciousness of Formation

Table 1.3 Traditional and contemporary formation emphases

[which includes] patient listening, constructive dialogue and better mutual understanding” (Congregation for Catholic Education, 2020 (video); see also Cattaro, 2021). The premise is “Education must pay regard to the formation of the whole person so that all may attain their eternal destiny and at the same time promote the common good of society” (Code of Canon Law, 795). The challenge of the Global Compact of Education is argued to create a significant paradigm shift for educators, a shift that is understandably also registered within the field of formation. Overall, this perspective is recorded by Cattaro (2021) as

1.5 Summation: A New Consciousness

23

the task of journeying towards a common good. “The educational process requires repair: Consequently, a global educational compact will provide to educate for a new humanism, in education which invites us to universal solidarity in assisting young people in their struggles to overcome divisions and conflicts. Such education promotes hospitality, justice, and peace to create ecological citizenship grounded on sustainability and weighty responsibility” (p. 42). Within formation, the implication is that a global impact emerges from and involves Catholic educators working together “to form mature individuals capable of overcoming division and antagonism, and to restore the fabric of relationships for the sake of a more fraternal humanity”. Pope Francis outlines three important steps forward: “the courage to place the human person at the centre”; “the courage to capitalise on our best energies, creatively and responsibly”, and “the courage to train individuals who are ready to offer themselves in service to the community” [Congregation for Catholic Education, 2020 (video)].

1.5 Summation: A New Consciousness A summation of the context and culture underpinning formation is that formation is for all engaged in the ministries of Catholic Education. It is designed for individuals, schools and system authorities that support the ongoing development of active, informed and authentic educators. Given the current context in which Catholic education is provided, formation is integral to mission, and it cannot presume Baptism into a Christian community nor the practice of a Catholic Faith Tradition. Rather, formation provides access and invites participation in processes that support an understanding of what is happening in the school, Church and in the world. It is centred in a commitment to a shared moral purpose and an understanding of participant openness to the movement of the Spirit through meaningful encounters. This is formation into a new consciousness, integrated with heart and witness experiences that are life-giving, life-skilling, life-long and life-encompassing. In short, a new consciousness about formation requires the integration of the new with the old recorded as meaning, context, service, and process. The foundation of formation within the Christian Tradition recognises the invitation of the Gospel, and its interpretation within an engaged Church in support of fraternal humanism (meaning); the changing profile of Catholic school communities (context); Catholic education experiences which are formative and wholistic (service); and, formation experiences that draw from and are expressed within a distinctive meaning system, a new context, wholistic and inclusive educational practices. The challenge of this formation consciousness is for the Catholic school to engage with its immediate and wider community, operate in harmony with the Church’s mission, and nurture informed, committed, professional and engaged personnel in support of a distinctive philosophy. Moreover, the Catholic school in Australia is also to exercise a prophetic role by contributing to the Church’s aspiration to ‘shine like stars in the sky’ (Philippians 2:15) in a contemporary world. In this context, the formation of teachers and leaders can be understood as an essential task in the

24

1 Context and Culture: Establishing a Consciousness of Formation

development of the mission, life and culture of Catholic education. Formation is said to involve the invitation not only to participate in mission but also to be caught up and moved by its intentions. Schools can and must be a catalyst … a place of encounter and convergence of the entire educating community, with the sole objective of training and helping to develop mature people who are simple, competent and honest, who know how to love with fidelity, who can live life as a response to God’s call, and their future profession as a service to society. (Francis, 2013b)

This chapter began with an appreciation of formation as widely interpreted and yet incredibly significant to the mission of Catholic Education. The chapter has explored this expansive canvas informed by Church teaching, living traditions and experience. The identification of key principles and their subsequent categorisation into Faith Tradition, School Mission, Formation Practice and Service Wholeness provide a basis for understanding, applying and evaluating formation for mission in ways that offer continuity and discontinuity as to how formation might be considered within contemporary times. The integrated reflection on the history of formation within the Australian context is recorded in the National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) publication, A Framework for Formation for Mission in Catholic Education (‘The Framework’) (NCEC, 2017). The development and analysis of this contemporary consciousness is the subject of Chap. 2 as formation is practically examined in terms of its alignment and effectiveness in reflecting meaning, context, service and process.

References Adna, J. (Ed.) (2005). The formation of the early Church. Mohr Siebeck. Australian Broadcasting Commission. (2019). Australia talks national survey. Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-05/australia-attitudes-climate-change-action-morris-ongovernment/11878510 Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2016). Census population and housing, 1996, 1991, 2016. Retrieved from https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Lookup/by%20Subject/2071.0~201 6~Main%20Features~Snapshot%20of%20Australia,%202016~2 Australian Catholic Bishops Conference. (2021). Continuing the journey. Retrieved from https:// plenarycouncil.catholic.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/IL-document-single-pages.pdf Benedict XVI. (2007). Spe Salvi: Encyclical letter on Christian hope [SS]. Retrieved from http:// www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20071130_ spe-salvi.html Berger, P. (1969). A rumour of angels: Modern society and the rediscovery of the supernatural. Double Bay. Bevans, S. (2009). The mission has a church: Thinking missiologically about ministry and the shortage of priests. Compass, 3–15. Bevans, S. B., & Schroeder, R. P. (2004). Constants in context: A theology of mission for today. Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books. Bishops of NSW & ACT. (2007). Catholic schools at a crossroads: Pastoral letter of the Bishops of NSW and the ACT. Bishops of NSW and the ACT with assistance from the Catholic Education Office.

References

25

Boeve, L. (1999). Market and religion in postmodern culture. Theology: Journal of History of Christianity, 102(805), 28–36. Boeve, L. (2016). Theology at the crossroads of university, church and society: Dialogue, difference and Catholic identity. Bloomsbury. Braden, G. (2017a). Human by design: From evolution by chance to transformation by choice. Hay House. Braden, G. (2017b). Interview. In K. Noonan Gores (Ed.), Heal: Change your mind, change your body, change your life (DVD). Beyond Words. Cattaro, G. M. (2021). Compact on global education: Leading toward the common good. Congregation for Catholic Education: Education Leadership (3–4), 41–51. Coleridge, M. (2017). Claiming the call to prophetic leadership. In Catholic mission and identity symposium: Honouring the call to prophetic leadership in Catholic education. Broken Bay Institute, The Australian Institute of Theological Education. Congregation for Catholic Education. (1977). The Catholic school [CS]. Retrieved from http:// www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccatheduc/documents/rc_con_ccatheduc_doc_197 70319_catholic-school_en.html Congregation for Catholic Education. (1997). The Catholic school on the threshold of the third millennium [CSTTM]. Retrieved from http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccathe duc/documents/rc_con_ccatheduc_doc_27041998_school2000_en.html Congregation for Catholic Education. (2014). Educating today and tomorrow: A renewing passion [ETT]. Retrieved from http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccatheduc/documents/ rc_con_ccatheduc_doc_20140407_educare-oggi-e-domani_en.html Congregation for Catholic Education. (2017). Educating to fraternal humanism: Building a civilization of love 50 years after Populorum Progressio [EFH]. Retrieved from http://www.vat ican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccatheduc/documents/rc_con_ccatheduc_doc_20170416_ educare-umanesimo-solidale_en.html Congregation for Catholic Education. (2020). World observatory on Catholic education [Promotional Video]. Congregation for Catholic Education. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/ acucampusministry/videos/acu-instrumental-in-world-observatory-on-catholic-education/868 934310216185/?so=permalink&rv=related_videos Connolly, N., & Lucas, B. (2019). A theological reflection on the missio and gentes (online). Australasian Catholic Record, 96(4), 411–420. Availability: https://search.informit.com.au/doc umentSummary;dn=859190642037785;res=IELHSS. ISSN: 0727-3215 [cited 13 May 20]. Convey, J. J. (2012). Perceptions of Catholic identity: Views of Catholic school administrators and teachers. Catholic Education: A Journal of Inquiry and Practice, 16(1), 187–214. Delio, I. (2021). The hours of the universe: Reflections on god, science, and the human journey. Orbis Books. Dixon, R. (2017). The Australian Church in 2030: What the research predicts. St. Thomas More Forum. Catholica. Retrieved from https://www.catholica.com.au/gc2/occ4/152_occ4_0305 17.php D’Orsa, J., & D’Orsa, T. (2010). Explorers, guides and meaning-makers: Mission theology for Catholic educators. The Broken Bay Institute Mission and Education Series. Mulgrave, Victoria: John Garratt Publishing. Dulles, A. (1985). Vatican II and the extraordinary synod. The Liturgical Press. Faggioli, M. (2017). From Vatican II to post Vatican Catholicism. In Lecture Series. Leading for mission and catholic identity: Insights from Vatican II. Broken Bay Institute, The Australian Institute of Theological Education. Fisher, A. (2022) Foreword. In Leading formation for mission: A practical guide (p. 4). NCEC. Fisichella, S., & Arenas O. R. (2020). Directory for catechesis. Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelisation. Catholic Truth Society. Francis. (2013a). The joy of the Gospel: Evangelii Gaudium [EG]. Veritas Publications.

26

1 Context and Culture: Establishing a Consciousness of Formation

Francis. (2013b). Address to the students of the Jesuit Schools of Italy and Albania. Retrieved from http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2013a/june/documents/pap afrancesco2013a0607_scuole-gesuiti.html Francis. (2014). Address to participants in the plenary session of the Congregation for Catholic Education. Retrieved from http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2014/february/ documents/papa-francesco_20140213_congregazione-educazione-cattolica.html Francis. (2019a). Pope Francis, the change of an era. Retrieved from http://www.mondayvatican. com/vatican/pope-francis-the-change-of-an-era Francis. (2019b). Go forth: Towards a community of missionary disciples. Orbis Books. Gleeson, J. (2020). Critical challenges and dilemmas for Catholic education leadership internationally. In J. Gleeson & P. Goldburg (Eds.), Faith-based identity and curriculum in Catholic schools. Routledge. Gleeson, J., O’Gorman, J., & O’Neill, M. (2020). The identity of Catholic schools as seen by teachers in Catholic schools in Queensland. In J. Gleeson & P. Goldburg (Eds.), Faith-based identity and curriculum in Catholic schools. Routledge. Grace, G. (2020). Catholic social teaching should permeate the Catholic secondary school curriculum: An agenda for reform. In J. Gleeson & P. Goldburg (2020). (Eds.), Faith-based identity and curriculum in Catholic schools. New York: Routledge: Groome, T. (1996). What Makes a School Catholic? In T. McLaughlin, J. O’Keefe, & B. O’Keefe (Eds.), The Contemporary Catholic School: Context, Identity and Diversity. London: The Falmer Press. Gowdie, J. (2017). Stirring the soul of Catholic education: Formation for mission. Vaughan Publishing. Hall, D., & Sultmann, W. F. (2020). Ways forward in religious education: Reflections of an Australian colloquium. eJournal of Catholic Education in Australasia, 4(1), 1–23. Hall, D., Sultmann, W. F., & Townend, G. (2019). Constants in context: An exploration of conciliar and post-conciliar documents on the Catholic school. Journal of Religious Education. http://doi. org/10.1007/s40839-019-00074-6 Hirst, E., Renshaw, P., & Brown, R. (2009). A teacher’s repertoire of practice in a multi-ethnic classroom: The physicality and politics of difference. In M. Cesar & K. Kumpulainen (Eds.), Social interactions in multicultural settings (pp. 329–348). Sense Publishers. Independent Schools Australia. (2021). School enrolment trends and projections. Independent Schools Association (ISA). John Paul II. (1988). Post-synodal apostolic exhortation Christifideles Laici on the vocation and the mission of the lay faithful in the church and in the world [CL]. Retrieved from http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_exhortations/documents/ hf_jp-ii_exh_30121988_christifideles-laici.html John Paul II. (1992). Post-synodal apostolic exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis to the bishops, clergy and faithful on the formation of priests in the circumstances of the present day. Retrieved from: http://www.vatican.va/content/johnaulii/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_ jpii_exh_25031992_pastores-dabo-vobis.html John Paul II. (1996). Agenda for the third millennium. Harper Collins. John Paul II. (2001). Novo Millennio Ineunte. Apostolic letter to the bishops clergy and lay faithful at the close of the great jubilee of the year 2000. Retrieved from http://www.vatican.va/content/ john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/2001a/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_2001a0106_novo-millennio%20i neunte.html Kennedy, J., Mulholland, J., & Dorman, J. (2010). Queensland Catholic Education Commission consultancy project. An investigation of the issues that affect the decisions of Catholic families in low socio-economic circumstances in Queensland when choosing schools for their children. Banyo, Brisbane: Australian Catholic University. Lennan, R. (2018). Locating the church. In Lecture Series. Leading ecclesial communities. Broken Bay Institute, The Australian Institute of Theological Education. McCrindle Research Report. (2017). Faith and belief in Australia. McCrindle Research Pty Ltd.

References

27

McKay, H. (2018). Beyond belief: How we find meaning, with or without religion. Keynote address presented at the Dialogue Australia Network Conference, April (pp. 13–15). Sydney: Australia. National Catholic Education Commission. (2016a). Annual report. Retrieved from http://www.ncec. catholic.edu.au/resources/publications National Catholic Education Commission. (2016b). Australian Catholic Schools 2016. Retrieved from https://www.ncec.catholic.edu.au/resources/publications/401-catholic-schoolsin-australia-2016a/file National Catholic Education Commission. (2017). A framework for formation for mission in Catholic education. Retrieved from https://www.ncec.catholic.edu.au/images/AFramework4F ormationMission.pdf National Catholic Education Commission. (2022). Leading formation for mission: A practical guide. NCEC. Nouwen, H. J. M. (1996). Can you drink the cup? Ave Maria Press. O’Keeffe, S., Edwards, M., Fitzgerald, D., Gur, F., Gomez., A., Macbeth-Green, C., Mclaughlin, D., O’Donnell, M., Price, D., Rabbat, R., Restifo, V. & Smith, B. (2020). How is God calling us to be a Christ-centred church in Australia that is a joyful, hope-filled and servant community?: Continuing the journey of discernment toward the plenary council. Sydney, NSW: Plenary Council 2020. Paul, V. I. (1963). Constitution on the sacred liturgy: Sacrosanctum Concilium [SC]. Retrieved from https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vatii_const_ 19631204_sacrosanctumconcilium_en.html. Paul VI. (1964a). Decree on Ecumenism Unitatis Redintegratio. Retrieved from https://www.vat ican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_1964a1121_unitatisredintegratio_en.html Paul VI. (1964b). Lumen Gentium: Dogmatic constitution on the Church [LG]. Retrieved from https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vatii_const_196 41121_lumen-gentium_en.html Paul VI. (1965a). Dei Verbum: Dogmatic constitution on divine revelation [DV]. Retrieved from https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vatii_const_1965a1 118_dei-verbum_en.html Paul VI. (1965b). Declaration on the relation of the church to non-Christian religions: Nostra Aetate. Retrieved from https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/docume nts/vat-ii_decl_1965a1028_nostra-aetate_en.html Paul VI. (1965c). Ad Gentes: Decree on the missionary activity of the Church [AG]. Retrieved from http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vatii_decree_ 1965b1207_ad-gentes_en.html Paul VI. (1975). Evangelii Nuntiandi: Apostolic exhortation on evangelisation in the modern world [EN]. St Paul Publications. Pollefeyt, D., & Richards, M. (2020). Catholic dialogue schools: Enhancing Catholic school identity in contemporary contexts of religious pluralisation and social and individual secularisation. Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses, 91(1), 77–113. Ranson, D. (2008). A service shaped by Catholic identity. In Neil Ormerod (Ed.), Identity and Mission in Catholic Agencies. Strathfield, Sydney: St Paul Publications. Rolheiser, R. (1995). Against an infinite horizon (CD). www.Franciscanmedia.org. Rush, O. (2009). The wisdom of God. Presentation at Diocesan Synod: Diocese of Cairns, Australia. Rush, O. (2019). The vision of Vatican II: It’s fundamental principles. Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press. Sheridan, G. (2017). Is God dead? The west has much to lose in banishing Christianity. The Australian, 26 August 2017. Sheridan, G. (2018). God is good for you. Allen and Unwin. Sheridan, G. (2021) Christians: The urgent case for Jesus in our world. Allen and Unwin. Singleton, A., Rasmussen, M. L., Halafoff, A., & Bouma, G. D. (2019). Australia’s generation Z study: Project report. ANU, Deakin and Monash Universities.

28

1 Context and Culture: Establishing a Consciousness of Formation

Sultmann, W. F., & Brown, R. (2013). Magisterium perspectives on Catholic school identity. Journal of Religious Education, 61(1), 4–14. Sultmann, W. F., & Hall, D. (2021). Beyond the gates: The distinctiveness of the Catholic school in an increasingly pluralist world. La Salle Academy Publications, No. 7. Australian Catholic University. Swimme, B. (2008). The current moment. In A guided meditation. Retrieved from http://www.you tube.com/watch?v=Jw0RS2Tfk74 Swimme, B. (2019). A great leap in being. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXT JD3So2LQ Taylor, C. (2007). A secular age. Cambridge, MA/London: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. Thornber, J. H., & Gaffney, M. (2014). Governing in faith: Foundations for formation. Connor Court Publishing. Tolle, E. (2005). A new earth: Awakening to your life’s purpose. Penguin. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2005). Co-workers in the vineyard of the Lord. USCCB.

Chapter 2

Policy and Programs: Crystallising Framework Principles

Abstract This chapter, Policy and programs: Crystallising Framework principles traces key influences on formation in Australia and examines these in relation to the National Catholic Education Commission position informed through program delivery and reflection. Formation in this light is an experience of continuous renewal, ‘Come to the water’ (Isaiah 55:1) shaped by three fundamental principles: foundations in faith (encounter Jesus, Gospel, and Church Tradition within the experience of formation); practices (inclusivity, professional and witness); and, outcomes (transformation, sacred awareness, relationships, and missionary discipleship). Keywords Australia · Catholic · Policy · Research · Foundations · Practices · Outcomes This chapter examines the National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) document, A Framework for formation for mission in Catholic education (NCEC, 2017) hereafter named ‘The Framework’. The study is guided by the sub-question: How is formation presented and enacted within the Australian context? Guided by this research question this chapter commences with an exploration of formation within the context of Catholic Education within Australia. Then follows a presentation of the key principles and themes within ‘The Framework’ and their alignment with the Australian literature. Modelling ‘The Framework’ is then advanced at three levels. 1. 2. 3.

Mapping key constituents of formation. Modelling the interaction of the formation experience with the uniqueness of the individual. Identifying systems which support the transformational outcomes of formation.

2.1 Come to the Water: The Challenge of the Plenary Council Formal and informal formation encounters can be imaged as ‘coming to the water’ (Isaiah 55:1). It is the invitation to enter formation with an openness of mind and © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022 W. Sultmann et al., Formation for Mission in Catholic Education, SpringerBriefs in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-3770-5_2

29

30

2 Policy and Programs: Crystallising Framework Principles

heart, an acknowledgment of a continuing and deeper reliance on the Spirit and being refreshed in understanding, commitment and behaviour. Formation for mission in Catholic Education goes beyond the reading of a good book, attending a relevant course, digesting a scholarly article, discussing ethical issues, engaging in good works, an open heart to sacramental life and the Sacraments, availing of processes of spiritual accompaniment, watching a values-based video or engaging with a blog from a learned presenter. Formation into fullness of life holds a deeper integration where life is first encountered, viewed and lived as a gracious gift and connected whole. It is formation that involves each and all the above experiences but goes beyond these to incorporate integration and commitment manifested in authentic Christian living. It is a process that entails making space and allowing the Spirit to do the work. It invites creative reflection and can involve shifts in emphases as a new imagination emerges as traditional and contemporary processes become integrated and applied in new and creative ways. Formation is emphasised in the documentation for the Plenary Council of the Church in Australia, and as a priority for the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) (Coleridge, 2021). The working paper informing the deliberations of the Council, Continuing the Journey (Australian Bishops Conference, 2021) provides the focus on renewing a Christ-centred Church that heals wounds and warms hearts. To this end, formation is identified 37 times in the working document which emphasises “strengthening practices of discernment and synodality; the call to co-responsibility in mission and governance; promoting discipleship in parishes, families and young people; forming prayerful and Eucharistic communities that are eager to engage in society for the service of all; proclaiming the Gospel in a change of era; renewing the Church’s solidarity with First Australians and those on the margins of society; and, promoting an integral ecology of life for all persons, societies and our common home, the Earth” (Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, 2021). Within this context of overall renewal, formation facilitates personal and organisational support: There is a crucial need, therefore, for vocational discernment and ongoing formation, particularly in key areas of Catholic belief, sacraments, the Church and Christian living. Numerous positive efforts exist to support Catholics’ knowledge of scripture. However, many people desire more spiritual direction and formation in prayer so that they can live as Christ’s disciples, experiencing the renewal of ongoing conversion. This is needed more in rural areas where people lack access to Mass and sacraments. Preaching is another area that many see as needing renewal to enhance openness to conversion and formation for Christian living.

And, in relation to agencies: Lack of formation can have detrimental effects for Catholic agencies who run the risk of operating like non-profit organisations rather than genuine agencies of mission. Formation for advisory bodies and Catholic boards is recognised as being crucial to ensure leaders’ ability to support the ongoing formation of their employees to live the Catholic identity and mission proper to their institution. (Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, 2021, paras. 48–49)

2.2 Formation Research and Practice

31

The central role of formation in the life of individuals and ministries within the Church is the substance of discussion over millennia (Burridge, 2020). What becomes important is identifying purpose and process connections amidst a breadth of goals and agendas; a priority which Lane (2015) describes as the most significant challenge for Catholic Education in the post-Conciliar era. Clearly, and by implication, the task of formation is to support mission. Moreover, a comprehensive analysis of collective scholarship proposes that formation “is a matter of urgency for the success and sustainability of the Catholic school” (Neidhart & Lamb, 2016, p. 50); an opportunity through dialogue, “to provide a privileged environment for the complete formation of her members” (CCE, 1977, p. 16).

2.2 Formation Research and Practice The commitment to formation in Catholic Education is evidenced in the multiple models and exemplary case studies (Gowdie, 2017; Thornber & Gaffney, 2014) which demonstrate that formation practice is longstanding in its history, collaborative in its development and delivery, and sensitive to the needs of its people and community. Formation in this light is demonstrated within and informed by a range of studies attributable to the Episcopacy; national inquiries; provincial commissions, Arch/Diocesan authorities, and, Religious Institutes. In combination this array of reflection and delivery has provided a basis for personal and organisational experience of coming to the water and being refreshed through the process.

2.2.1 Episcopal Studies Episcopal statements such as the Queensland Bishops’ Project, Catholic Schools for the 21st Century (2001); the New South Wales (NSW) and Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Bishops’ Pastoral Letter, Catholic Schools at a Crossroads (2007), and the more recent Enhancing Catholic School Identity Project (2015–2019) (ECSIP) (Catholic Education Melbourne, 2020) all demonstrate engagement with a new and diverse community and the associated challenge of faithfully aligning the mission of the Catholic school with the circumstances and expectations of the community it serves. Such a process demands an appreciation of identity and the continuing role of formation of personnel in support of mission. The Bishops within Queensland have advanced that Catholic schools “will have a strong Catholic identity and give witness to Christian values; be open and accessible to those who seek its values; have a holistic curriculum; and be staffed by qualified, competent people who give witness to Gospel values” (Queensland Bishops’ Project, 2001). Two key emphases were endorsed in support of this intention: that staff of Catholic schools will have appropriate professional qualifications and ongoing formation, and, all Catholic school authorities will ensure that all staff members

32

2 Policy and Programs: Crystallising Framework Principles

participate in formation experiences to assist them to grow in understanding of their ministry as part of the mission of the Catholic Church. Complementing the emphasis on formation as integral to mission the Bishops of Queensland confirmed five defining features of Catholic schools as outlined in Table 2.1. In addition, the emphases in formation developed within the Queensland Catholic Education Commission (QCEC, 2016) document, Formation for Staff Members in Catholic Schools in Queensland, are summarised and listed in Table 2.2. The position statement from the Bishops of NSW and the ACT (2007) also gives significance to the cultural identity of the Catholic school while drawing attention to the changes in enrolment patterns and staff profiles. The statement offers a detailed expression of this new context and provides a challenge for Catholic schools to be Table 2.1 Defining features of Catholic schools for the twenty-first century

Table 2.2 Formation principles for staff in Queensland Catholic schools (2016)

2.2 Formation Research and Practice

33

responsive without compromising Tradition. This challenge entails Catholic schools being centres of the new evangelisation and enabling students to achieve high levels of ‘Catholic religious literacy’ within an identity that is centred in Christ and attentive to Tradition through life in the Spirit. The ‘Crossroads’ document is a proclamation of the Catholic school as open to all while centred in a clear philosophy. The choice of ‘crossroads’ as an image highlighted a sense of journey and the need to make decisions about direction setting founded on a distinctive mission. This same emphasis is offered by Francis (2013). We are not government organisations, we are not the funded sector, we are not (or should not be) big businesses making strategic decisions about whom we engage with and what we do based solely on market principles. We are faith-based mission-driven organisations. Our work is always and everywhere to uphold the human dignity of each person, to believe ‘in the revolutionary nature of love and forgiveness’ and to remain faithful to those who are, in fact, evidence of failure of the market economy. (2013, para. 288)

2.2.2 National Studies A benchmark study (Holohan, 1999) conducted under the auspices of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference identified a growing set of challenges for formation, specifically in terms of Religious Education. Issues of curriculum relevance, developmental differences, variable faith situations, financial resourcing, enculturation and the diverse nature of student learning experiences all suggested that Catholic schools were being challenged to be more responsive as the new millennium dawned. Holohan argued that addressing these complex and diverse challenges lay in the integration of Christian witness and ministry of the Word. The research confirmed the ‘seeds of the Gospel’ (p. 58) already present in schools and identified the significant role of educators within places and cultures where change is significant and formation a priority. A review of formation programmes in Australia by Bracken et al. (2016) highlighted the limitations of approaches which are solely directed at spiritual formation and not adequately sensitive to community needs and educational aspirations, particularly considering the changing cultural and religious landscape of Catholic schools and the increased significance being accorded to the national goals of education. The authors discuss the impact of fragmentation of the self, the social setting and the differentiation of spiritual formation with formation which is integrated within mission. Similar to the conclusions of Holohan (1999) the researchers note that: “loyalty, community, commitment and spiritual seeking continue to flourish in postmodern Australia, though they are rather expressed in distinctly different ways than in the past” (p. 9). In addition, the research confirms processes that are both continuous and discontinuous. To this end, the researchers present nine principles for effective spiritual formation (Bracken et al., 2016, p. 11) (Table 2.3). Noticeably, the conclusions demonstrate the development in conceptualising formation from being primarily a spiritual experience, informed by a meaning system and applied within

34

2 Policy and Programs: Crystallising Framework Principles

Table 2.3 Nine principles of formation

a supportive workplace setting, to one that is more integrated with mission, mindful of inclusion and diversity and intentional in its practice.

2.2.3 Provincial Studies Research undertaken by the Queensland Catholic Education Commission (QCEC, 1995, 2006) provides insights into formation at a provincial level. Comprehensive research in 1995 included eight focus groups with 67 participants examining ‘personal journey’ narratives in relation to three outcomes: faith development, characteristics of a faith-filled teacher, and formation enabling strategies at micro and macro levels. Participants identified approximately 100 different attributes and six major outcomes that characterise a faith-filled teacher and strategies that facilitated formation that was applicable to mission (see Table 2.4). The initial group of strategies considered to support faith leadership included: time out or time release; meeting individual needs and offering freedom of choice; spiritual directors and mentors; community-based activities, and varied formation experiences. The overall findings were subsequently reviewed by formation leaders who developed macro strategies (leadership strategies for supporting faith formation) and micro strategies (supportive practice strategies within local contexts) (see Table 2.5).

2.2 Formation Research and Practice

35

Table 2.4 Formation outcomes (QCEC, 1995)

Table 2.5 A summary of leadership and practice strategies (QCEC, 1995)

Significantly, the directions associated with the QCEC research on formation gave attention to the faith dimensions of formation but equally sought to underscore their relationship within applied settings. The platform for an integrated approach for formation, one which brings together the influence of faith on educational practice had become more explicit. A further provincial study focused on leadership succession and explored “What kinds of personal and spiritual formation are most likely to contribute towards the development of effective Christian leaders within Catholic Education?” (QCEC, 2006). Courses, innovative programmes, leadership initiatives, spirituality centres and related programmes of interest were tabulated and presented with principles conceptualised as six ‘signposts’ for future directions: (1) Formation as a relational/communal experience; (2) The value of a significant other or experience in the process; (3) Mentoring; (4) Experiential awareness of God’s presence and action; (5) Continuity and connection of transformation/conversion experience, and (6) Spirituality and faith formation being bound to a religious tradition. Overall, the findings

36

2 Policy and Programs: Crystallising Framework Principles

reinforced earlier research on outcomes and strategies and confirmed best practice formation as open to all (inclusive), delivered within a local community (local), supported as a priority (integral to mission) and occurring in the formal and informal circumstances of life and learning in the school environment (continuous). Notably, within the QCEC (2006) project was the associated elaboration of spiritual and faith formation opportunities as a basis for establishing best practice in formation through the sharing of insights and demonstratable outcomes. In this light formation explored the gathering of process information that was found successful and audited relevant resources. Clearly, formation as integral to mission and as a formal process which is accompanied by resource provision and accountability were being indexed.

2.2.4 Arch/Diocesan Studies A review of Faith formation of staff in Australian Catholic schooling: A preliminary stimulus paper (NCEC, 2016) reports several practices supporting the formation of educators in Australian Catholic schools. What follows is a more developed presentation of some of these initiatives; specifically approaches developed by Brisbane Catholic Education, Catholic Education Melbourne, and the Dioceses of Lismore and Wollongong. Viewed collectively these case study examples reflect the patterns in formation provision and participant responses commonly experienced across the national landscape. Brisbane Catholic Education’s Catching Fire programme mirrors the NCEC Faith Formation stimulus paper (2016) which emphasises dialogical relationships incorporating the personal circumstances of participants and their relationship with the Christian narrative, and the strategic intentions of the school community. The programme involves staff from the same school (leaders, teachers and support personnel) in three formative experiences over three consecutive years. The goal is to build shared experiences, understanding and practice and to establish authentic cultural trends. Within this approach, the three central themes—Jesus, communion and mission—reflect “three dimensions of living in the light of the Catholic Christian tradition” (BCE, 2009, p. 9). These dimensions are considered foundational to the practice of quality formation, the expression of which is summarised by experiences that are: personally meaningful, ecclesially faithful, and strategically effective (Gowdie, 2017). The integrated experience of formation with school culture is evidenced in the Enhancing Catholic School Identity Project (2015–2019) (ECSIP) (Catholic Education Melbourne, 2020). Findings from the project provide theoretical frameworks and typologies for understanding options in the contemporary context and for proposing an ideal for contemporary Catholic schools. The Project has established a strategy for engaging community in respectful dialogue through drawing “the resources of Theology, Sociology and Religious Education” (Sharkey, 2018). There was evidence of re-contextualisation in terms of ‘Approaches to Scripture, prayer, sacred spaces

2.2 Formation Research and Practice

37

and ritual’ with goals of making Religious Education ‘more explicit, more dialogical and more connected to the current context’ (Larkins & Weatherill, 2018). An organic approach to formation in the Diocese of Lismore is traced by Graham (2011) for the period 1980–2010. Initially, formation involved annual spirituality days and retreat programmes which were subsequently supported by renewal teams working in deaneries and some schools. More recent initiatives comprising Ignatian spirituality pursued formation around the purpose of Catholic schools. Core elements of formation entailed formation as being Christ centred, personal, communio (relational and significantly influenced by the community), invitational, integral (engaging the whole person), vocational, lifelong and developmental. The experience of formation history in the diocese was to integrate formation within the life and mission of the Catholic school and expressed explicitly within the curriculum domain of Religious Education. The experience of the diocese reflects the overall shift in formation from a relatively singular focus on faith to a wider appreciation of the relationship of faith to educational practice. A second diocesan initiative, Lighting the Way, Diocese of Wollongong, forms part of a suite of programmes based on the spiritual formation framework with experiences tailored to participants’ readiness. The successful framework consists of four movements—making sense; gaining access; celebrating, and responding, each of which is based on the Emmaus paradigm of a spiritual journey. Like the BCE framework, Lighting the Way recognises that formation is ongoing and transformative. Moreover, formation is promoted as relational, with participants being encouraged “to develop their personal relationship with God, with themselves, with one another and with all of creation” (p. 11). The invitation to respond to this new learning takes on personal and communal dimensions and affirms again the centrality of witness. As with other formation programs diocesan initiatives reflect the progression towards formation as integral and a basis for educational practice with both faith and practice arising from personal integration and communal shared purpose.

2.2.5 Religious Institute Studies The combined contributions of Religious Institutes to Catholic Education is pioneering in its genesis, expansive in outreach, heroic in character and sustained by faithfulness to charism in mission (Sultmann & Hall, 2021). Green’s (2018) work, Now with Enthusiasm, recognised the diversity and importance of Religious Institutes to Catholic Education and concluded that contemporary efforts are now undertaken within a new context and underpinned by deep discernment as to the role and priority of formation. Among a myriad of programs, the following selection is offered as representative of the wider Religious Institute endeavour. Formation in the Australian Jesuit tradition aims to prepare staff and students in schools “to share more effectively in the mission of Jesus” (para. 1) by studying ‘all reality’ in the pursuit of wisdom (Australian Jesuits, 2020). Based on the spiritual life of St Ignatius of Loyola, Jesuit education affirms a recognition of the presence

38

2 Policy and Programs: Crystallising Framework Principles

of God in the world and the goal ‘to find God in all things’. Jesuit formation entails ‘the internalisation of these values, attitudes and ways of seeing’ and guides participants through the development of a mature faith which connects to clear educational projects. De La Salle Education formation is based on five core principles: faith in the presence of God; concern for the poor and social justice; quality education; respect for all persons and the building of inclusive communities. Formation programmes aligned with these principles aim to form adults who are engaged in the mission and heritage of their schools. Programmes include engagement with the spiritual writings of St John Baptist de La Salle, and as educators, being encouraged to participate in “a constructive conversation between past and present” (La Salle District of Australia, 2020) so that participants are equipped to respond to the educational needs of young people today. Formation within Catholic schools in the Edmund Rice tradition is documented in the framework, The Good Seed Will Grow (Edmund Rice Education Australia, 2014). Formation “inspires imagination and invites us to live creatively with life’s questions in a spirit of openness and discovery” (p. 10). It recognises the centrality of relationships: “We are called to form meaning from diverse stories and realities in our communities and in the world. This invites a shift in our worldview, opening us to a deeper level of relationship with God and neighbour” (p. 10). Finally, it engages a call to liberation: a challenge to speak “as a prophetic voice in the Church and in the world” and to be “present to others in a way that respects their dignity, worldview, hopes and dreams” (p. 11). Good Samaritan Education (GSE) across schools and indigenous communities within Australia, offers immersion experiences for leaders and teachers, nationally and internationally. Formation programs are established on three pillars: prayer, community, and mission, each of which is centred on Christ. The programs draw together knowledge, experience and application (a praxis approach, and make the connection between Catholic identity and witness). Catholic Education mission, in Marist Schools Australia (MSA), is characterised as a call to evangelisation: “sharing in Mary’s work of bringing Christ’s life to birth in young people, and of nurturing its growth in them” (MSA, 2020). Marist schools carry the intention of harmonising faith with culture and life through active discipleship modelled on Mary. The formation of leaders and teachers in Marist schools is emphasised as central to mission and experienced in a range of studies incorporating Scripture, Theology and Doctrine, Christian spirituality, liturgy and prayer, retreats and opportunities for service, and studies in the Marist story, spirituality and pedagogy (MSA, 2020). The formative programmes of Religious Institutes provided here are examples of the wide canvas of Religious Institute educational provision and formation within Australia. Programmes reflect an understanding of the changing and dynamic context within which Catholic Education is undertaken and seek to inspire staff and students in accord with charisms responsive to the Gospel and faithful to Church traditions. As with Arch/Diocesan initiatives, a demonstrable relationship of formation with mission is established and the foundational philosophy and characteristics of the

2.3 The Framework

39

Catholic school represented in formation philosophy. In addition, the wisdom of the Gospel, as enunciated through an engagement with Charism, provide multiple and unique lenses in establishing the relationship of faith with life.

2.3 The Framework A Framework for Formation for Mission in Catholic Education (NCEC, 2017) serves to conceptualise and integrate understandings and applications in formation generated from experienced practitioners. The Framework was developed by the Standing Committee of the Commission, The Faith Formation and Religious Education Committee, the resource is responsive to national goals, formation perspectives and has been reviewed through commissioned research (Sultmann & Lamb, 2020).

2.3.1 National Goals The CCE reminds educators that “the young people we are educating today will become the leaders of the 2050s” (CCE, 2014, n. III). To this end, the Congregation asks, “what will religion’s contribution be to educating younger generations to peace, development, fraternity in the universal human community? How are we going to educate them to faith and in faith? How will we establish the preliminary conditions to accept this gift, to educate them to gratitude, to a sense of awe, to asking themselves questions, to develop a sense of justice and consistency? How will we educate them to prayer?” (n. III). The response to these questions draws attention to the goals of Catholic Education in Australia and invites a renewed passion for the responsibilities and preparation of staff towards these ends within the context of the national education agenda. Education in Australia is centred on a ‘democratic, equitable and just society’ (Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs [MCEETYA], 2008, p. 4). Principles of equity and excellence drive the educational agenda with the goals for students of becoming ‘confident and creative individuals, successful lifelong learners, and active and informed members of the community’ (Education Council, 2019, p. 6). Within this understanding, the National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) advances Catholic schools as facilitating these outcomes through being centred on the person and message of Christ and the application of an anthropology of the person that encourages students towards meaning, commitment and behaviour evidenced holistically. The Catholic school … tries to relate all of human culture to the Good News of salvation so that the light of faith will illumine everything that the students will gradually come to learn about the world, about life and about the human person. (CCE, 1982, para. 1)

40

2 Policy and Programs: Crystallising Framework Principles

Table 2.6 Goals of the Catholic school

The Catholic school focuses on the wholistic development of the individual and the good of the society by “inviting students to find meaning in their lives through forming a mature relationship with their God, for developing communal obligations and aspirations … [within] the multicultural and pluralistic faith dimensions of modern Australian society” (NCEC, 2000). Drawing from these goals, the NCEC outlines the distinctive contribution that Catholic schools make in the development of young people who learn, and will ultimately live and engage, in contexts defined by diversity. These distinctive educational goals (see Table 2.6) are underscored by the Magisterium position that the Catholic school “fulfils a service of public usefulness and, although clearly and decidedly configured in the perspective of the Catholic faith, is not reserved to Catholics only, but is open to all those who appreciate and share its qualified educational project” (CCE, 1997, para. 16). Notwithstanding the diversity of cultures and faith perspectives of staff and students, the goals and culture of the Catholic school are clear: From the first moment that a student sets foot in a Catholic school, he or she ought to have the impression of entering a new environment, one illumined by the light of faith and having its own unique characteristics. (CCE, 1988, para. 25)

2.3.2 Formation Perspectives The primary support for the expression of mission in Catholic Education lies in the formation of personnel who comprise the ministry. The National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) Formation for Mission Framework (NCEC, 2017) is a timely and welcome expression of the continuing importance of formation for mission and representative of explicit perspectives contemporary formation may include.

2.4 Summation and Integration

41

The understanding and applications of formation within the national arena have grown out of continuous reflection and professional networking among those practitioners who have engaged formation research and delivery within the multiple agencies and authorities nominated above. For example, the Formation for Australian Catholic Educators (FACE), network has provided a basis for exchange on quality practice and advanced the development of frameworks in the past. This movement towards enhanced collaboration and the identification of Frameworks, as distinct from programmatic exchanges, is summarised by Gowdie 2020 in personal communication. One of the key shifts across systems in the last 15 years, is the shift from the provision of a smorgasbord of opportunities/programs to the development of strategic frameworks – out of which those programs or opportunities are developed. This has been a really important shift. The gift of the NCEC framework is that for those who do not yet have a framework, it provides one – against which programs and opportunities can be developed.

The efforts of national collaboration in formation are evidenced in the work of the Standing Committee of the NCEC, Faith Formation and Religious Education (FFRE) which developed documentation for review and endorsement by the national commission. The NCEC’s (2017) Formation for Mission Framework represents significant and interdependent insights which define formation and develop eight key principles and associated themes as a basis for understanding and application of formation in Catholic Education. These are summarised and displayed in Table 2.7.

2.3.3 Validation of ‘The Framework’ ‘The Framework’ (NCEC, 2017) summarises Catholic formation emphases as explicitly Christological, scripturally rich and ecclesially grounded. Individual differences in faith and service are recognised, and formation of the heart is characterised by prayerfulness, reflection and celebration of the Eucharist. In this context, formation engages personal story and everyday realities (professional and other), focuses on a faith journey encouraging discipleship and includes substantive theological content. These shifts can be summarised in three major dimensions: Foundations, Practices and Outcomes, each demonstrating substantial depth of appreciation and identifiable within ‘The Framework’ (see Table 2.8). In combination these principles capture the essence of faith as integrated within the professional practice of formation in support of Catholic education mission.

2.4 Summation and Integration The review of formation literature in this chapter, together with an appreciation of the context and culture of formation within a Catholic Christian tradition discussed in

42

2 Policy and Programs: Crystallising Framework Principles

Table 2.7 Key principles and associated themes of formation

Chap. 1, confirms a focus of formation on the whole person and the development of the whole community. It involves the continuous integration of faith, life and culture initiated ‘within and without’ as the journey for meaning and relationship in God unfolds. It is a process that entails making space, exercises inclusive, professional and respectful processes and allowing the Spirit to be encountered and act as the agent of transformation. A close inspection of ‘The Framework’ identifies a contemporary understanding of formation, particularly in the context of the changing profile of the Catholic school and the dynamic nature of its mission. ‘The Framework’ can be seen through the

2.4 Summation and Integration

43

Table 2.8 Key formation principles within ‘The Framework’

lenses of Foundations, Practices and Outcomes (see Table 2.8). Moreover, as evident in Table 2.9, the context and culture literature from Chap. 1 and the policy and programs within the Australian context and synthesised within ‘The Framework’ agree substantially as to what underpins formation (Foundations), what constitutes quality experiences (Practices) and what might be desired (Outcomes). Inspection of Table 2.9 indicates substantial congruence of themes between formation literature and ‘The Framework’. It can therefore be claimed that ‘The Framework’ is a comprehensive, insightful and a practical expression of what the selected literature identifies as significant to formation within the context of Catholic Education and mission specific to the Catholic school in Australia. Significantly, ‘The Framework’ offers an evolving shift in its presentation of formation as it articulates formation is for mission, is responsive to a changing context, and is understood, enacted and reviewed through the narration of Foundations, Practices and Outcomes. The excellence of ‘The Framework’ is that it is simultaneously invitational and potentially transformative, offering inclusivity and wholeness to the educational experience for all staff. In this way, formation is for mission (outcomes that serve purpose); formation is in mission (processes that engage the richness of mission practice) and formation is mission (foundations that facilitate mission witness).

44

2 Policy and Programs: Crystallising Framework Principles

Table 2.9 Comparison of ‘The Framework’ with literature emphases

References

45

References Australian Catholic Bishops Conference. (2021). Continuing the journey. Retrieved from https:// plenarycouncil.catholic.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/IL-document-single-pages.pdf Australian Jesuits. (2020). Education, and Ignatian formation. Retrieved from https://jesuit.org.au/ ministries/ignatian-formation/ Bishops of NSW & ACT. (2007). Catholic schools at a crossroads: Pastoral letter of the Bishops of NSW and the ACT. Bishops of NSW and the ACT with assistance from the Catholic Education Office. Bracken, T., Dean, A., & Gowdie, J. (2016). Critical leadership challenge: Spiritual formation in the contemporary context. Compass, 50(3), 7–13. Brisbane Catholic Education. (2009). Catching fire, staff with spirit: Spiritual formation framework for the mission of Catholic education (2nd ed.). Retrieved from https://www.bne.catholic.edu. au/formationandleadership/Mission%20and%20Formation%20docs/Spiritual%20Formation% 20Framework%20-%202nd%20Ed.pdf Burridge, N. (2020). Teaching for a just world: Social justice and human rights perspectives across the curriculum. In J. Gleeson & P. Goldburg (Eds.), Faith-based identity and curriculum in Catholic schools. Routledge. Catholic Education Melbourne. (2020). Enhancing Catholic school identity project (2015–2019). Retrieved from https://www.cem.edu.au/About-Us/2015%E2%80%932019-Strategic-Plan/Enh ancing-Catholic-School-Identity.aspx Coleridge, M. (2021). Bishops name three priorities for work of Bishops conference. Media Release. Australian Catholic Bishops Conference. Congregation for Catholic Education. (1977). The Catholic school [CS]. Retrieved from http:// www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccatheduc/documents/rc_con_ccatheduc_doc_197 70319_catholic-school_en.html Congregation for Catholic Education. (1982). Lay Catholics in schools: Witnesses to faith [LCS]. Retrieved from http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccatheduc/documents/ rc_con_ccatheduc_doc_19821015_lay-catholics_en.html Congregation for Catholic Education. (1988). The religious dimension of education in a Catholic school: Guidelines for reflection and renewal [RDE]. Retrieved from http://www.vatican.va/ roman_curia/congregations/ccatheduc/documents/rc_con_ccatheduc_doc_19880407_catholicschool_en.html Congregation for Catholic Education. (1997). The Catholic school on the threshold of the third millennium [CSTTM]. Retrieved from http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccathe duc/documents/rc_con_ccatheduc_doc_27041998_school2000_en.html Congregation for Catholic Education. (2014). Educating today and tomorrow: A renewing passion [ETT]. Retrieved from http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccatheduc/documents/ rc_con_ccatheduc_doc_20140407_educare-oggi-e-domani_en.html Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA). (2014). The good seed will grow: A formation framework for Edmund Rice communities in Oceania. Retrieved from https://www.erea.edu.au/docs/def ault-source/about-erea/publications/erea---formation-framework--014.pdf?sfvrsn=fbba6268_2 Education Council. (2019). Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration. Australian Government, Department of Education. Francis. (2013). Address to the students of the Jesuit Schools of Italy and Albania. Retrieved from http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2013/june/documents/papafr ancesco20130607_scuole-gesuiti.html Gowdie, J. (2017). Stirring the soul of Catholic education: Formation for mission. Vaughan Publishing. Graham, J. (2011). Daring to engage: Religious and spiritual formation of lay Catholic educators in Australia. International Studies in Catholic Education, 3(1), 25–39. Green, M. (2018). Now with enthusiasm: Charism, God’s mission and Catholic schools today. Vaughan Publishing.

46

2 Policy and Programs: Crystallising Framework Principles

Holohan, G. (1999). Religious education in Catholic schools. National Catholic Education Commission. La Salle District of Australia. (2020). Formation. Retrieved from https://www.delasalle.org.au/ Lane, D. A. (2015). Catholic education in the light of Vatican II and Laudato Si. Veritas. Larkins, G., & Weatherill, M. (2018). An examination of how the Enhancing Catholic School Identity Project (ECSIP) is impacting on religious education, curriculum and pedagogy in the Catholic diocese of Sandhurst. In M. T. Buchanan & A. M. Gellel (Eds.), Global perspectives on Catholic religious education volume II: Learning and leading in a pluralist world. Springer Press. Marist Schools Australia. (2020). About. Retrieved from http://msa.edu.au/about Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA). (2008). Melbourne declaration on educational goals for young Australians. Retrieved from http:// www.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/National_Declaration_on_the_Educational_Goals_ for_Young_Australians.pdf National Catholic Education Commission. (2000). Australian Catholic schools why we have them? What they aim to do. National Catholic Education Commission. National Catholic Education Commission. (2016). Faith formation of staff in Australian Catholic schooling: A preliminary stimulus paper. Retrieved from http://www.ncec.catholic.edu.au/ima ges/stories/documents/FF_Stimulus_Paper.pdf National Catholic Education Commission. (2017). A framework for formation for mission in Catholic education. Retrieved from https://www.ncec.catholic.edu.au/images/AFramework4F ormationMission.pdf Neidhart, H., & Lamb, J. (2016). Australian Catholic schools today: School identity and leadership formation. Journal of Catholic Education, 19(3), 49–65. Queensland Catholic Education Commission. (1995). Strategies and models that best support the faith development of teachers. Queensland Catholic Education Commission. Queensland Catholic Education Commission. (2001). The Queensland Bishops project—Catholic schools for the 21st century. A report to the Queensland Bishops. Queensland Catholic Education Commission. Queensland Catholic Education Commission. (2006). Spiritual and faith formation opportunities. Queensland Catholic Education Commission. Queensland Catholic Education Commission. (2016). Formation for staff members in Catholic schools in Queensland. Retrieved from https://qcec.catholic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/ 11/Formation-for-staff-members-in-Catholic-schools-in-Queensland%20endorsed.pdf Sharkey, P. (2018). Profiling and enhancing religious education in Catholic schools. In M. T. Buchanan & A. M. Gellel (Eds.), Global perspectives on Catholic religious education volume II: Learning and leading in a pluralist world. Springer Press. Sultmann, W. F., & Hall, D. (2021). Beyond the gates: The distinctiveness of the Catholic school in an increasingly pluralist world. La Salle Academy Publications, No. 7. Australian Catholic University. Sultmann, W. F., & Lamb, J. (2020). Learning in a formative space: A review of a framework for formation for mission in Catholic education. A confidential report to the National Catholic Education Commission. La Salle Academy, ACU. Thornber, J. H., & Gaffney, M. (2014). Governing in faith: Foundations for formation. Connor Court Publishing.

Chapter 3

Formation for Mission: An Ecological Model

Abstract This chapter, Formation for mission: An ecological model incorporates three interdependent perspectives: practice principles; an appreciation of transformation; and organisational enabling systems which align, engage, empower and integrate formation within the Catholic school. Formation for mission is an integrated and applied process for mission, in mission and as mission. The process empowers individuals, schools and systems: to ‘put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch’ (Luke 5:5). Formation in this view is an interdependent experience that can be mapped, understood, and developed within a dynamic ecology that comprises the Catholic school as a community of learning informed by the Gospel, enriched by Tradition and supportive of human flourishing. Keywords Australia · Catholic · Ecological · Formation · Principles · Transformation · Modelling · Systems

3.1 Into the Deep Scriptural images offer a gracious wholeness (Kelly, 1993) to the integration of the Gospel within a contemporary age. Pope Francis invites the Church to break through the ‘dull categories’ of the Christian message and recover the freshness that the Gospel elicits through ‘new paths of creativity’ with ‘more eloquent signs and words with new meaning for today’s world’ (Francis, 2013a, para. 11). When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them and they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. (Luke 5:4–7)

The invitation of Christ to ‘put out into the deep’ (duc in altum) is the invitation to ‘try again’, to ‘have another go’, and even when weary, to trust and labour once more. Within the context of formation, it is the invitation to re-examine familiar paths, dialogue about new possibilities, explore and implement different practices enlivened by the Spirit of Christ. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022 W. Sultmann et al., Formation for Mission in Catholic Education, SpringerBriefs in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-3770-5_3

47

48

3 Formation for Mission: An Ecological Model

The narration of culture and context of formation in Chap. 1 ended with an appreciation of a new consciousness about formation. Chapter 2 explored this consciousness in light of policy and programs and the wisdom of the national framework on formation (NCEC, 2017). Both chapters register an appreciation for the integration of faith within formation, and formation as integral to the mission of Catholic education. These directions invite the theme of continuity with discontinuity, and thereby bring to the fore courage with anticipation imaged as putting out into the deep in relation to a better understanding and application of formation. This chapter continues to build on this imperative through theorising formation using an ecological model, one that is integrative of culture and context, supported by process principles, challenged by the goal of transformation and cognisant of enabling systems, that value add to the overall formative experience. Within the discussion of the elements comprising an ecological model for understanding formation some implications for formation practice are introduced.

3.2 Modelling Formation Formation for mission is a complex adaptive system (Shaduri, 2008); one that invites an appreciation of its component elements (what it is); the transformative aspects associated with the experience (why it works), and the particular ways it can be advanced (how it might be supported). Modelling formation facilitates understanding and quality implementation and aids sustainability. These outcomes are powerful for places of learning. Learning organisations are places where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning to see the whole together. Moreover, the power of an approach to transformation that is centred in a unifying and integrating paradigm holds considerable advantages. (Senge, 1990, p. 3)

Modelling the system of formation for mission is pursued across three levels. First, recapping the principles and themes of formation, ‘what it is,’ based on the themes from the literature and ‘The Framework’; second, exploring the process of transformation within the formation experience and thereby probing ‘why it works’; and third, generating enabling systems, ‘what supports it’, within the overall organisation within which formation takes place.

3.2.1 Formation: ‘What It Is’ Christian formation is a continuous process of transformation. It is the call to personal and community wholeness (holiness), a process that the Congregation for Catholic Education advances “as the key initiative to the maintenance of authentic Catholic

3.2 Modelling Formation

49

schools” (CCE, 2007, para. 21). It is the provision of learning experiences which nurture personal transformation in advancing the Mission of God in the world. As educational discourse in contemporary society becomes increasingly dominated by language of ‘training’, a Catholic educational discourse which emphasises ‘formation of the person’ is not only counter-cultural, but more human. It insists that the ultimate goal of the educational process is the formation of good persons equipped with knowledge and skills to serve the common good motivated by faith and a Catholic social conscience. (Grace, 2013, p. 114)

The centrality and integration of formation policy and programs within Australia is evidenced in the National Catholic Education Commission document, A Framework for Formation for Mission in Catholic Education (NCEC, 2017). In this instance, formation within Catholic Education is nominated as: … an intentional, ongoing and reflective process that focuses on the growth of individuals and communities from their lived experiences, in spiritual awareness, theological understanding, vocational motivation and capabilities for mission and service in the Church and the world. (NCEC, 2017, p. 9)

The definition is a summation of the why, what and how of formation. The emphasis of faith as providing meaning centred on Christ provides the basis for beliefs and values while sound educational practice is reflected in intentionality, individuality and lived experiences. Outcomes are broad and interdependent with an emphasis on making a difference within the ministry of Catholic education. Clearly, the nature and practice of contemporary formation for Catholic education argues that educational mission is dependent on personnel professionally and pastorally being prepared for the integration of faith, life and culture that is sensitive to individual differences and relevant to a distinctive mission within diverse contexts and cultures. A map of the principles and themes of formation (Fig. 3.1) identifies and inte-

Fig. 3.1 An integrated model of formation

50

3 Formation for Mission: An Ecological Model

Table 3.1 Definitional components of formation

grates the key elements of formation from research literature and insights developed within ‘The Framework’. The integration of themes is grouped within three essential principles (Foundations, Practices and Outcomes). These longstanding educational parameters allow for the diversity and complexity of significant themes to be brought together in support of planning, delivering and assessing formation. Foundations identify the basis of formation for mission in dimensions of faith and tradition; Practices provide the educational framework that shape the experience, and Outcomes describe the effects potentially arising from the formation experience. As a complement to Fig. 3.1, Table 3.1 provides accompanying definitions of the themes within these essential principles.

3.2.2 Formation: ‘Why It Works’ Figure 3.1 and Table 3.1 provide a map of the components of formation for mission in Catholic education. Formation literature and practice, however, indicate that formation entails more than a description of the component elements. While the identification of these is important, the process of formation as a transformational experience invites consideration. In broad terms transformational learning theory by Mezirow (1978) provides a focus on the transformative process at the individual level. The significance of these stages of personal transformation have been developed in research by Dutton (2019) in terms of cross-cultural immersion for school leaders where she found that short-term cross-cultural immersion trips make a significant contribution to the formation of Catholic school staff. Interestingly factors of a

3.2 Modelling Formation

51

social cultural significance included: the design and facilitation of immersion trips, the importance of points of connection for participants; and, the pivotal nature of the medium-term timeframe in the post-immersion phase. Complementary to the effectiveness of this individual transformation process, commentary on transformation within group settings is a particular focus of the work presented in this book. In this regard, the theoretical insights of the Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky (1896–1934) can be applied. By applying his social cultural learning theory to adult formation the dynamic nature of formation for transformation can be advanced. His model depicts the interaction between the learner and the learning experience as the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). The original concept of the ZPD is defined as “the distance between the actual development level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers” (Vygotsky, 1987, p. 134). In other words, the ZPD represents the extent to which the learning experience provided by the teacher overlaps with the learning needs of the student to produce the desired learning outcomes of the educational experience. Vygotsky’s (1987) ZPD is a concept which endures and can be extended from the child to adult learning. Court (2010) develops the argument for the generic application of ZPD, examples of which exist with professional learning for leadership (Lamb & Branson, 2015) and in student learning in mathematics (Warren et al., 2006). In addition, the application of ZPD to formation makes a valuable contribution to the dynamics operative in the formation process. The model provides a deeper appreciation of transformation and emphasises the need to recognise and support the uniqueness of each formation participant (individual) to grow within each formation encounter (the experience). Importantly the individual enters the experience with competencies and priorities across multiple fields of engagement (personal, relational, professional and communal) while the experience itself brings together quality educational practice integral to mission understanding. The concept of the ZPD assists with an appreciation of the formation process as one of acquiring new learning which, in the system of formation, is the process of being transformed. The ZPD can be re-named as the Zone of Transformation which is the outcome of the interaction of the formation experience with the learning needs of the formation participant. It is the ‘space’ where ‘grace’ has touched the person and transformation unfolds as a process of integration where the formation participant is enriched. In support of this transformation Vygotsky referred to the assistance an adult or peer gives to the student as scaffolding. Within the context of transformation within formation experiences, formation facilitators who assist in this endeavour of scaffolding—planning, delivering and assessing outcomes—are ideally characterised as keen observers, knowing how the formation participant is progressing but more importantly, where s/he is capable of going and what might facilitate valued outcomes. Figure 3.2 displays the dynamic nature of formation for mission based on the Vygotsky idea of learning theory. The concept of the ZPD becomes the Zone of Transformation, the learning experience is that of the formation experience itself,

52

3 Formation for Mission: An Ecological Model

Fig. 3.2 Transformation through the interaction of the individual with the experience being provided

and the individual learner is the formation participant. The individual brings to the experience of formation competencies and motivation, while the formation experience is structured around foundations and practices in light of desired outcomes. The degree to which the needs and priorities of the individual are met by the experience is evident in the outcomes that flow from the relationship represented as the Zone of Transformation (see Fig. 3.2). The model thus far integrates the appreciation of culture and context in Chap. 1 and the formation principles generated in Chap. 2.

3.2.3 Formation: ‘What Supports It’ Fundamental to the Vygotskian (1978) model is the concept of involvement with the ‘knowing other’. That is, the interaction between the individual and the experience is enriched by wider influences. The identification of wider influences on formation are established repeatedly in the literature on formation and within ‘The Framework’. Such influences reflect organisational purpose, include resourcing, entail accountability, and in broad terms are encapsulated in policy, strategic planning and reporting systems. While these influences vary in terms of geography, form, time, focus and personnel, the influences on the formative experience extend beyond the immediate practice. The research of Hall and Sultmann (2019) identifies these supports as subsystems and nominates them as enabling sub-systems whereby the overall system of formation is supported in ways connected with but separate from the experience

3.2 Modelling Formation

53

Table 3.2 Enabling systems in advancing formation themes

itself. These enabling sub-systems constitute a third lens on modelling formation and are nominated as Alignment, Empowerment, Engagement and Integration. Modelling formation in system terms establishes the relevance, connection, breadth and depth of its centrality to mission. More specifically, it facilitates an understanding of its key elements; provides a variety of interconnected entry points for research; establishes foundations for the development, delivery and evaluation of contemporary practices; evidences quality professional learning experiences in professional life; and enables a platform for discussion, application and critique within wider national and international forums. (Hall & Sultmann, 2019, p. 175)

The sub-systems of Alignment, Engagement, Empowerment and Integration act as organisational codes to reflect and summarise the multiplicity of influences that support the formation experience within the wider community. Alignment incorporates policy identification and establishing regulatory practices and guidelines which facilitate a shared understanding of formation. Engagement maximises quality involvement centred in mission partnerships and collegial endeavour. Empowerment identifies outcomes for participants within formation fields (personal, relational, professional and communal), capabilities (knowledge, skills, behaviours, dispositions) and systems for planning and monitoring. Integration identifies formation for personal meaning, strategic effectiveness within the organisation and overall ecclesial relevance of the experience. In combination, these enabling sub-systems permit the advancement of the overall formation experience. These enabling sub-systems are summarised below and displayed in Table 3.2. In short, the enabling sub-systems support the formation experience from a wider perspective by highlighting practices critical to its contemporary application for mission in Catholic education. Alignment: Formation as a Graced, Christ centred experience, shaped by the Spirit, informed by the Church and preferencing a Catholic culture within community. Engagement: Formation as an encounter which recognises the participant within a community which is inclusive, dialogical, educational and individualised. Empowerment: Formation that incorporates integrated capabilities of knowledge, skills, behaviours and dispositions and invites a vocational response across personal, relational, professional and communal fields of engagement. Integration: Formation which facilitates the connection of faith, life and culture for personal meaning, organisational effectiveness and ecclesial relevance.

54

3 Formation for Mission: An Ecological Model

The enabling sub-systems of Alignment, Engagement, Empowerment and Integration demonstrate the breadth of interest in formation and support the widening of the Zone of Transformation for the individual participant. These enabling subsystems characterise the varied interests and contributions to the formation experience and reinforce that formation is interdependent and dynamic. Figure 3.3 models this phenomenon and presents the enabling systems as interfacing directly with the potential existing within the Zone of Transformation. As illustrated by the connecting ‘arrow pointers’, these principles interact with each other, further influencing the Zone of Transformation.

Fig. 3.3 Advancing the zone of transformation through enabling sub-systems

3.2 Modelling Formation

55

3.2.4 Understanding Formation from an Ecological Perspective Commentary on Catholic education in the Conciliar and Post-Conciliar era is continuous. Dermot Lane, an Irish Catholic priest and prolific author introduces a commentary on Catholic education in light of Vatican II by stating that it is by nature an ‘aerial view,’ one that endeavours to offer large patterns of directions (paradigms) evident in Vatican II documents (2015). Notwithstanding the value of individual statements, his ‘shorthand summary’ identifies the structural shifts and change principles (signposts) which are said to have ‘a direct bearing on Catholic Education’ (Lane, 2015, p. 19). These shifts and principles underpinned the development of the Declaration on Christian Education (Paul V1, 1965) and established a foundational pattern for subsequent documents over fifty years. At the same time, they provide a background for formation which seeks to be aligned with the deeper understandings of mission, lived and shared within the Church community in support of a distinctive yet integrated and interdependent educational ministry. One of the refrains throughout Laudato Si is that we are all connected (paras. 16, 42, 240). …everything in the world is interconnected (paras. 16, 91, 240) and interrelated (paras. 91, 02, 120, 137, 141, 142), and interdependent (para. 164)... A view that stands out in stark contrast to the individualism and self-sufficiency of modernity. (Lane, 2015, p. 61)

Pope Francis identifies in Laudato Si (2015) relationships not only among living organisms and environment but also the value of reflection arising from conditions that support the life and survival of society with issues of development, production and consumption coming into consideration. Clearly, interconnection is critical to understandings and processes that identify and appropriately connect social and organisational institutions and relationships: “physical, chemical and biological— are interrelated, so too living species are part of a network which we will never fully explore and understand” (para, 138). With respect to the field of formation and the multiplicity of variables that support its effectiveness a more detailed examination of formation from an ecological perspective is advantageous. Research into formation for mission is like opening ‘Pandora’s Box’ and finding a multiplicity of dimensions across communities, cultures and policy imperatives. At the same time there is the realisation that no model can adequately capture the wholeness and breadth of the formation experience. Moreover, as it is premised on the work of the Spirit, an appreciation of what is needed, what works, and the implications for personal and organisational development are only compounded. Notwithstanding the complexity and Mystery underpinning formation, the experience is critical as it facilitates “an ever-clearer discovery of one’s vocation and the ever-greater willingness to live it so as to fulfil one’s mission” (John Paul II, 1988, para. 58). The challenge invites a systematic reflection on the parts and the whole in order to generate understandings and applications of formation that do justice to its complexity and capacity to support the mission of God already present. To understand the whole, it is necessary to understand the parts. To understand the parts, it is necessary to understand the whole. Such is the circle of understanding. We move from

56

3 Formation for Mission: An Ecological Model part to whole and back again, and in the dance of comprehension, in that amazing circle of understanding, we come alive to meaning, to value, and to vision. The very circle of understanding guides our way, weaving together the pieces, healing the fractures, mending the torn and tortured fragments, lighting the way ahead − this extraordinary movement from part to whole and back again, with healing the hallmark of each and every step, and grace the tender reward. (Wilber, 1997, p. 1)

The research (Sultmann & Lamb, 2020) on A Framework for Formation for Mission in Catholic Education (NCEC, 2017) established its validity within an educational context. This understanding permits an interpretation of formation as corresponding to a first order interpretation (2000). As discussed earlier, the theoretical perspectives of Vygotsky (1978) and Bronfenbrenner (1979) permit a deeper understanding of formation as an ecological experience. A first order interpretation (Neuman, 2000) of formation is to view formation in terms of fundamental education principles (see Fig. 3.1 and Table 3.1). These are conceptualised in this research as Foundations, Practices and Outcomes crystallised from the analysis of policy and programs within the Australian context and summarised in A Framework for Formation for Mission in Catholic Education (2017). This first order interpretation is essentially educational in nature. The second order interpretation (Neuman, 2000) is to apply Vygotsky’s (1978) learning theory to the interactions of the culture and context of the experience engaging the needs and priorities of the participants. This interaction has been nominated above as the Zone of Transformation (see Fig. 3.2). Significant to this zone and process is the recognition of formation as touching the whole person and “establishing harmony within ourselves, with others, with nature and other living creatures, and with God (Francis, 2015, para. 210). As Lane (2015) concludes: One of the strong messages coming through Laudato Si is the link between respect for the human body and respect for the body of the Earth (p. 67). This understanding of formation is psychological in nature. A further theoretical position applied to formation is drawn from Russian born psychologist, Urie Bronfenbrenner (1917–2005) conceives complex activities as an overall system with sub-systems incorporating micro, meso, exo, and macro influences as constituting socially and culturally complex environments and activities (1978). Incorporating Bronfenbrenner’s social ecological theory allows for a third order interpretation is the recognition of formation as supported beyond the experience itself. The social enabling systems of alignment, engagement, empowerment and integration codify influences that advance formation quality through bringing into the experience the wider influences that support the application of the principles and the process of transformation (see Table 3.2). This third order interpretation of formation is organisational in nature. Bronfenbrenner (1979) nominates a fourth arena of social engagement as the macro-subsystem. This further arena for interpreting and modelling formation can be described as the ‘space’ where the informal, the unintended, and the unexpected influences in the everyday are such that they also contribute to transformation in support of mission. In this context of the macrosystem, a fourth order of interpretation, to extend the work of Neuman (2007) is possible in order to recognise that

3.2 Modelling Formation

57

transformation in support of formation is continuous and emergent from a host of informal experiences and exchanges. This wider ongoing informal formation would typically reflect the uniqueness of culture and context discussed in Chap. 1 and evidenced in family, school and parish. The advantage of an ecological paradigm for understanding formation lies in presenting the complex, interconnected and multi-faceted nature of formation in a way that advances clarity of intention, sustains purpose and nurtures communion. A model of formation as an ecological construct is displayed in Fig. 3.4 and subsequently developed in the discussion of the elements that constitute the ecology and their implications for practice. This discussion is premised on the appreciation of formation as contributing to mission and hence the notion of ‘beginning with the end in mind’ warrants some development. This end in mind reflects the nature of formation itself as a combination of paradigms that are educational, psychological and organisational.

Fig. 3.4 Ecological perspective of formation as an interdependent process

58

3 Formation for Mission: An Ecological Model

3.3 Begin with the End in Mind ‘Beginning with the end in mind’ (Covey, 1989) is the process of not losing sight of the ‘far goal’ as the basis for planning, delivering and integrating experiences which lead to desired outcomes. Within the context of Catholic education, and more specifically within formation for mission, the ‘end in mind’ involves an appreciation of the person and message of Christ and the potential for this appreciation to find expression in personal transformation and contribution to the mission of the Catholic school.

3.3.1 Call to Discipleship The summary of Christ’s teaching in the Beatitudes reflects ‘the end in mind’ in matters of engaging the Spirit of Christ. It is pursuing mission from the inside out, developing a renewed mind in keeping with the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). The metaphor is developed further by Paul: ‘put on the Lord Jesus Christ’ (Romans 13:14), characteristics of compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience (Colossians 3:12). These are the characteristics of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1–12), the Magna Carta of Christ’s teaching that bears the marks of transformation. This is the path that “we too can travel with the grace that Jesus gives us” (Francis, 2018a, p. 2). It is ‘the Christian’s identity card’ (GEE, para. 63). It is a time-honoured message about transformation articulated by Paul in his letter to the Romans: “Do not conform to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect” (12:2). The call to discipleship recorded in the Gospel of Mark is a gradual and ever deepening process. The first call is observed when Peter and Andrew are challenged to abandon their trade and take on a new vocation (Mark 1:17). Soon after, James and John join the group and leave their immediate duties to see what Jesus offers. This first call is said to be ‘a break with business,’ (Moses & Lizzio, 2011), an invitation to move from the predictable and traditional to the unexpected and new. In relation to the experience of formation it is being open to the invitation to register sufficient interest in a person, message, Church and local community that might inform the practice of mission. The second call is recorded by Mark: “If anyone wants to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (8:34). This is an invitation into discipleship that holds both blessing and cross. It calls for a response that goes beyond recognition, curiosity and interest in things that are different to a level where the challenge of the Gospel holds privilege and new life. It is discipleship formed by processes that transform. With respect to formation it is seeing, integrating and applying anew the freshness of beliefs, values and traditions in mission.

3.3 Begin with the End in Mind

59

The third call to discipleship in Mark (16:7) comes when the women visit the tomb of Jesus and are invited to find him in Galilee. This is the invitation to experience the risen Christ within the community. It is the expression of discipleship through engagement with the Spirit already active and supportive within everyday life. The old saying “God meets you where you are” can be a guide for those engaged in media and communications work in the Church (Francis, 2021). This is formation that is empowering and leads to ‘going out’; going beyond the self and experiencing the risen Lord in all manner of people and experiences and so engaging the joy of the Gospel. Within and beyond the formation experience this is evidenced in witness through living the Gospel in love and truth.

3.3.2 The Joy of the Gospel Engaging mission through discipleship is described by Francis (2013a) as living and experiencing The Joy of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium). It is activating a missionary impulse (paras. 261–283); living the Gospel in practical ways, being responsive to the Spirit and seeking alignment with the person and message of Christ. The experience is founded on relationship with Christ, being transformed, and entering into wider relationships influenced by the Spirit. The joy of the Gospel is for all people: no one can be excluded. This is the disposition of a Church that desires inclusiveness, a place where no one defines the boundaries of God’s mercy and where the people of God are the primary source of a missionary impulse. (Francis, 2013a, para. 119)

The implications for formation in discipleship and engaging the joy of the Gospel are developed by Pope Francis. First is the encounter with the saving power of Jesus: ‘Jesus’ whole life, his way of dealing with the poor, his actions, his integrity, his simple daily acts of generosity, and finally his complete self-giving, is precious and reveals the mystery of the Divine life’ (para. 265). The second recognises the presence of the Spirit in the community of disciples: “The word of God also invites us to be a people… God’s people” (para. 268). The third is being open to the work of the Spirit as mystery: “Jesus Christ truly lives…. we are invited to discover this, to experience this” (para. 275). The fourth entails adopting the power of missionary prayer which is a way of penetrating the Father’s heart and discovering new dimensions which can shed light on concrete situations and change them (paras. 281 and 283). Pursuing the impulse of the Spirit within a joyful appreciation of the Gospel can be seen in its fruits. Paul VI (1975, para. 75) develops “the fruits made possible by the movement of the Spirit” (para. 75) as authentic witness, nurturing unity, seeking the truth and being animated by love. Living authentically involves the correlation of action with words, activity with belief, lifestyle with holiness. Unity is evidenced in the unity of witness and life that accepts and acknowledges Jesus as the Lord who unites in the Spirit. The Good News of Jesus is also news about the truth; truth about God, about humanity and about the world. The joy of discipleship is premised also

60

3 Formation for Mission: An Ecological Model

on love defined by the love of God who is self-giving. It is focused on the growth and needs of others and is observed in the love of a parent, the love of truth and the devotion to the proclamation of Jesus and observed in the ordinary and not so ordinary encounters of life and living. The human face, the yes, the smile, the look and the glance are invitations and expressions of the Spirit. A tone, a word, a phrase and a sentence, are also powerful indicators and means for exchange in the spiritual life. Physical handshakes, helpful hands and caring hands are all means of experiencing one’s support, which reflects the revelation of God. (Westley, 1996, p. 11)

3.4 The Ecological Model in Practice A consideration of formation within an ecological frame of reference automatically leads to the development or nomination of programs and processes that reflect the interdependence of those systems which constitute the field or system of formation. Within the international context, a consciousness of formation was established in Chap. 1, and policy and programs within agencies within Australia were detailed in Chap. 2. Significant to both discussions are the practical implications for formation which flow from the literature (Chap. 1), and practice (Chap. 2). A Framework for Formation for Mission in Catholic Education (NCEC, 2017) is complemented by Leading Formation for Mission: A Practical Guide (NCEC, 2022). This resource was developed by leaders and practitioners with responsibility for formation for mission and is shared with leaders and practitioners across Archdiocesan/Diocesan, Religious Institutes and other Canonical entities (NCEC, 2022). This later resource underlines Foundations, Practices and Outcomes in formation and situates them in ways applicable to practice in the diverse and multiple arenas of formation across Australia. A Formator’s Guide has been developed in a culture of dialogue within the mission of Catholic education. Its purpose is to assist leaders in their consideration, development and evaluation of current practice and inform the strategic enhancement of formation in Catholic schools, agencies and other settings. Such formation programs operate in partnership with and in support of families and parishes in advancing faith in life. (NCEC, 2022, p. 5)

An ecological conception of formation within the educational context (Priestly et al., 2015) brings into the foreground the significance of resources which support each of the interdependent dimensions of formation within the ecological model of formation. What now follows is a brief presentation on resources and processes developed and researched more recently which might be considered as applicable within these same contexts based on a rationale that identifies them as generic in nature and potentially applicable across a wide range of cultures and contexts.

3.4 The Ecological Model in Practice

61

3.4.1 Formation Principles This book has crystallised policy and practice in formation as fundamentally circumscribed by the principles of Foundations, Practices and Outcomes. Leading Formation for Mission: A Practical Guide (NCEC, 2022) appropriately reinforces that the first pillar for formation is Foundations in Faith which is argued as establishing Catholic formation for mission as: Christological, scripturally rich and ecclesially grounded. Individual differences in faith and service are recognised and formation of the heart is characterised by prayerfulness, reflection, and sacramental life. Formation in this light engages and celebrates personal story in the everyday realities of life (family, professional and community), and focuses on a faith journey in which discipleship is in response to a living tradition. (NCEC, 2022, p. 7)

A second pillar of the Leading Formation for Mission: A Practical Guide (NCEC, 2022) identifies formation as needing to be relevant, engaging and reflective with a particular focus in processes of adult learning informed by Scripture and Church Tradition and finding expression in Catholic education identity. It is within this context that formation for mission reflects the overall understanding of formational as being Christologically rich, purposeful and intentional. A national resource, Voices and Visions (Davis et al., 2018) was developed as a conversational resource supporting the application of formation principles. The overall aim is to encourage greater understanding and engagement in the common collaborative task of the Catholic education and formation of young people. The resource reflects Conciliar and Post-Conciliar literature on the Catholic school (Hall et al., 2019) through a selection of readings designed to illustrate recurring themes in the documents. Coupled with each reading are images, with both allowing and prompting group reflection and dialogue. The resource amplifies the invitation from Francis (2013a) and reinforced by the CCE (2013) for the Catholic school to be a place for dialogue and serene exchanges to encourage attitudes of respect, listening, friendship and spirit of collaboration.

3.4.2 Formation as Transformation A second and complementary application within an ecological model is advancing the process of transformation through the application of appropriate resources. Formation in this regard shapes transformation in support of organisational identity to understand and apply the distinctive purpose of the Catholic school. Transformation through formation empowers agency to participate more fully in the mission, life and culture of the school. This constitutes a holistic perspective to the foundational beliefs and practices that inform curriculum, pedagogy, relationships, structures, processes and culture. An ecological model mirrors this interdependence that formation for mission entails. The experience supports and is supported by the community that constitutes the ecology of the Catholic educational learning community. This

62

3 Formation for Mission: An Ecological Model

understanding is emphasised in Leading Formation for Mission: A Practical Guide (NCEC, 2022). The pillar of Facilitating Personal Transformation acknowledges the interaction of the formation experience with the capabilities and aspirations of the formation participant. It invites participants to recognise that they are called to be the face of God for others and the world in personal, relational, professional and communal fields of engagement. It is to be called to the mind, heart and action of Christ in the world. (p. 10)

A practical resource in support of processes underpinning transformation through formation is the application of the Catholic School Formation Index (CSFI). As an example of strategic collaborative partnerships in mission the CSFI is an instrument in support of renewal founded on literature characteristics of Catholic school mission and identity. The resource draws from the findings of Neidhart and Lamb (2016) as not only reflecting the priority of formation but the diversity of experiences, expectations and priorities of participants that typically engage the process. Herein lies the significance and challenge of formation that endeavours to balance being invitational, tolerant, dialogical, and open to community, yet is also called to be clear and committed to the essence of the Tradition. Within a new context, the question being proposed for the Church in Australia is ‘where to from here?’ and more precisely ‘How can our Church provide formation for members to enable all to encounter God and respond to the call to play their part in bringing God’s love to all people?’ (O’Keeffe et al., 2020, 16). The challenge is made clear and the relevance of formation underlined: Most adult members of our Church are on a faith journey that continually requires nourishment to develop deeper understanding of personal vocation and to enable people to respond more fully to God’s call … Formation that is more specific is also required to enable people to use their God-given gifts in ministry and outreach. How can our Church provide formation for members to enable all to encounter God and respond to the call to play their part in bringing God’s love to all people? (O’Keeffe et al., 2020, 16)

As a resource for formation planning the application of the instrument has pointed to its usefulness within formation programs that seek to be responsive to individual needs yet mindful of organisational expectations. In this light the CSFI has been validated as useful resource for several reasons: …it informs program subtlety in response to teacher context; value adds to a partnership arrangement between a higher education authority and a Catholic education system of schools; allows teachers to identify their formation needs and for these needs to be prioritised in teaching; supports professional mentors in targeted local discussions with the participant teachers; reflects learning activities in Christology, Church traditions, religious foundations and their practical application in support of mission; and, at the conclusion of the program, permits teacher planning for ongoing formation as a constant within their mission practice relationship. (Sultmann et al., 2021, p. 347)

The application of the CSFI within a reflective and supportive educational program needs to be balanced with experiences which engage the head, heart and hand (NCEC, 2017). Formation will need to have encounter (heart) front and centre, and its close, inseparable companion needs to be knowledge (head). To live compassionately in

3.4 The Ecological Model in Practice

63

the world, we need to attend to the cognitive and the affective domains of our human identity. We have tended to place the cognitive dimension (head) in the sphere of professional learning and the affective dimension (heart) in the sphere of formation. We need to more effectively integrate the two, so as to form the soul. Richard Rohr OFM, in his book The Naked Now, explains this well: “In the West, religion became preoccupied with telling people what to know more than how to know, telling people what to see more than how to see.” (p. 33) We need to become more contemplative and this is a cognitive and affective task: “Contemplation is an exercise in keeping your heart and mind spaces open long enough for the mind to see hidden material. It is content with the naked now and waits for futures given by God and grace” (p. 34). Catholic educators need a “formation of the heart”: they need to be led to that encounter with God in Christ which awakens their love and opens their spirits to others, so that their educational commitment becomes a consequence deriving from their faith, a faith which becomes active through love. (CCE, 2007, para. 25)

3.4.3 Formation Enabling Systems A third understanding of ecology speaks to the nature of mutuality, specifically in terms of the transformation of the individual supported through the organisation. The situation is one of an interactive and interdependent ecology where collective inputs and outcomes support formation for mission. That is, the formation experience is influenced and supported by the wider organisational ecology through policy, resourcing, personnel and the actions and interactions of participants outside of the formation experience. Significantly, the organisation’s mission is assisted directly, through formation participant development, and indirectly through contributing to a shared vision enabling sustainability of the organisation and its purpose. In this context, formation within an ecological perspective respects and invites the interdependent interests from participants, the local ministry community, and the governing authority in whose name the ministry is commissioned. The challenge is argued to dispose collaborative efforts, a shared responsibility of Catholic schools, school systems and universities underscored by the view that “Formation is not the privilege of a few, but a right and duty of all” (John Paul II, 1988, n. 63). It is the invitation to not only participate in mission but to also be caught up and moved by its intentions. (Larkins et al., 2022, p. 1) An example of organisational support in the practice of formation, is in the provision of mentor support beyond the formation experience itself. The research reported by Larkins et al. (2022) develops the role of mentors as participants in formation programs along with being collaborators in relation to the potential influence of such programs on applied practices. Mentors in this study journeyed with the participants and supported their understanding of concepts associated with Christology, Faith Tradition and Catholic education philosophy. The mentors helped formation participants to reflect on the integration of these foundations within areas of Religious Education, leadership, and the mission and identity of the Catholic school. The

64

3 Formation for Mission: An Ecological Model

engagement with mentors coupled with the formal university study provided a background for participants to integrate learning through presentation of their personal ministry profile informed by their study, reflective of their particular responsibilities and aligned with the mission and identity of the Catholic school. This is an integrative approach which allows for ecological connection while respectful of individual difference and focus. “The important thing is that each believer discern his or her own path, that they bring out the very best of themselves, the most personal gifts that God has placed in their hearts, (cf. Cor 12:7), rather than hopelessly trying to imitate something not meant for them. We are called to be witnesses, but there are many actual ways of bearing witness” (para. 11)… “We are all called to be holy by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves”. (Francis, 2018a, para. 14)

3.4.4 Formation Through Informal Experience The discussion of formation as a formal experience in support of mission is to imply potential limitations, gaps, in the existing competencies and commitments of participants. In addition, the discussion of formation as a formal experience is suggestive that formal programs are the only means for advancing formation for mission. Rather, an understanding of formation as being guided by the Spirit in processes of transformation suggests that formation emerges from a multitude of encounters and builds upon the assumption that individuals, by virtue of their personal story and professional pathways, are already gifted and open to transformation beyond the formal. Anecdotal examples of informal formative experiences include being inspired by Scripture, participation in meaningful rituals and prayer, professional immersion experiences, appreciation of nature, insights from personal relationships, engaging in social justice initiatives, and satisfaction from sharing time and resources in support of others. Formation in this light is the call to holiness. An extended meditation by Francis (2018a) together with the Apostolic Exhortation on the Call to Holiness (2018a) underline the significance of the Beatitudes as illustrating life in the Spirit of Christ. The presentations speak to the nature of existence and the priority of the Spirit over the material. The path of ‘happiness’ is explored through narration of experiences lived and celebrated in accord with the message of Christ. This is the path that “We too can travel with the grace that Jesus gives us” (Francis, 2018b, p. 2). It is ‘the Christians identity card’ (Francis, 2018a, para. 63), the expression of encountering and responding to the Spirit of Christ which invites reflection and registers uniqueness. “The important thing is that each believer discern his or her own path, that they bring out the very best of themselves, the most personal gifts that God has placed in their hearts, (cf. Cor 12:7), rather than hopelessly trying to imitate something not meant for them. We are called to be witnesses, but there are many actual ways of bearing witness” (para. 11)… “We are all called to be holy by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves”. (para. 14)

3.4 The Ecological Model in Practice

65

Within the discussion, the Pope argues that holiness will grow through small gestures and offers multiple examples: “the measure of our holiness stems from the stature that Christ achieves in us, to the extent that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we model our whole life on his” (para. 21). He continues: A woman goes shopping, she meets a neighbour and they begin to speak, and the gossip starts. But she says in her heart: ‘no I will not speak badly of anyone’. This is a step forward in holiness. Later, at home, one of her children wants to talk to her about his hopes and dreams, and even though she is tired, she sits down and listens with patience and love. That is another sacrifice that brings holiness. Later she experiences some anxiety, but recalling the love of the Virgin Mary, she takes her rosary and prays with faith. Yet another path of holiness. Later still, she goes out onto the street, encounters a poor person and stops to say a kind word to him. One more step. (para. 16)

The experience of formation through the many and varied encounters within the community support the formal outcomes of formation in the experience of the Sacred, the fostering of relationships and the increasing commitment to missionary discipleship (NCEC, 2022). Informal experiences are powerful and can be integrated and are summed up in encounters leading to transformation and evidenced in engagement. The process is one of seeing and listening with the eyes and ears of faith in ways of the Teacher. An invitation to work for the ‘culture of encounter’, in a simple way, ‘as Jesus did’: not just seeing, but looking; not just hearing, but listening; not just passing people by, but stopping with them... (Francis, 2016, p. 12)

3.4.5 Facilitating Life in the Spirit The underpinning philosophy of Catholic Education is that it arises from and contributes to an understanding of what it means to be authentically human and that this appreciation is fundamental to identity and curriculum (Gleeson & Goldburg, 2020). It is identified as the centrepiece of Catholic Education (p. 66), the thread that can permeate all aspects of Catholic school life and culture. An educational component that can no longer be deferred’. It is a thread of the work of the Spirit within, among and through all that constitutes life and culture. The interpretation of Christ’s continuing presence in the world calls for balancing a theology of the Word (Christology) with a theology of the Spirit (Pneumatology) (Rush, 2009). The Spirit enables the Church to interpret the wisdom of God across the ages. The expression of the Gospel in each different or new context seeks to actualise Christ so that the ‘Christ life’ can be lived in the reality of community. The Gospel offers us the chance to live on a higher plain, but with no less intensity: life grows by being given away, and it weakens in isolation and comfort. … When the Church summons Christians to take up the task of evangelisation, she is simply pointing to the source of authentic fulfilment. True faith in the incarnate Son of God is inseparable from self-giving, from membership in the community, from service, from reconciliation with others. (Francis, 2013a, paras. 10 and 88)

66

3 Formation for Mission: An Ecological Model

The new evangelisation takes the form of innovative and co-creative witness to Christian faith in ways that address the signs of the times within the living tradition of the Church. At the heart of sharing this Good News is a Gospel imagination, inspired by the Spirit which shapes and guides the curriculum and culture of the school. It is from the Spirit that the Catholic school draws its inspiration, a Spirit that is manifest in its relationships, curriculum, religious life, processes, systems and structures. Let yourself be transformed. Let yourself be renewed by the Spirit … the Lord will bring it to fulfilment despite your mistakes and missteps, provided you do not abandon the path of love, but remain ever open to his supernatural grace, which purifies and enlightens. (Francis, 2018a, para. 24)

The new evangelisation is geared to witness; to live as Christ lived in the pursuit of all that is noble and good. This witness finds expression in the home, school, parish, community and virtual communities where faith is lived in the day-to-day and ordinary experiences of life. In this way, faith becomes more than the system of beliefs that offer meaning; it becomes the reason for the practice of life and the journey towards holiness.

3.5 Summation The context and culture; policy directions and practices, and modelling formation as a significant, continuing and ecologically centred mechanism for mission has been explored in this text. This process continues to evolve as insights from theory and practice emerge continuously and inform the process and thereby enrich the potential for mission. That is to say, the ‘last word’ about formation is predictably never spoken and yet the challenge exists to mark the progression of reflection with the questions “what do we know for sure about formation, and where to from here?”

3.5.1 What Do We Know for Sure? Research into formation within an Australian context has identified key components of formation, explored the dynamic nature of participant transformation, discussed enabling subsystems in support of the overall experience, and underlined formation as both formal and informal in nature. The conclusion as to formation being ecological in nature serves to draw together the complex, evolving, interdependent and dynamic nature of formation for mission within Catholic Education. Formation within Catholic Education is foundational to mission and supported by local communities, system authorities, governance bodies, provincial and national agencies and is magnificent in its intention and organisationally rich in its engagement. In support of this position, the naming of formation as an ecological experience gives emphasis to principles which characterise a contemporary understanding. The

3.5 Summation

67

summation of understandings are not in any order of priority. They simply identify elements of formation gleaned from traditions and experience in which formation supports educational practice in support of mission. Work of the spirit: Formation engages an array of informal and formal experiences where the Spirit of God is encountered and evidenced in the gifts of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22). Dynamic and interdependent: Formation is a dynamic, holistic and interdependent process for the integration of faith, life and culture; Church mission, school and professional responsibility; and participant understanding (head), commitment (heart) and behaviours (hand). For a distinctive mission: Formation facilitates meaning, commitment and action within the totality of personal, relational, professional and communal life of the school. It facilitates ‘seeing the reality beneath the surface’; ‘glancing again to uncover a deeper perspective’; ‘becoming awakened;’ and ‘being amazed’ at the presence and work of the Sacred. Fully integrated: Formation is expressed in a multiplicity of forms and relationships that are enlivening, raising up, healing and freeing … “It is not just a part of my life or a badge I can take off; it is not an ‘extra’ or just another moment in life. Instead, it is something I cannot uproot from my being without destroying my very self” (Francis, 2013a, paras. 133–134 and 273). Holistically transformational: Formation facilitates sharing the Gospel through authentic witness, nurturing unity, serving the truth and being animated by love (Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi, 1975). It is the journey to wholeness, holiness in today’s world, where holiness is ‘in the light of the master’ and grounded in “the God who loves and sustains us”; where the Christian life is marked by “joy in the Spirit”; … and where holiness finds expression in “an impulse to evangelise and to leave a mark in the world” (Francis, 2018a, paras. 19–20). Graced and gifted: Formation recognises giftedness and story. Christian anthropology emphasises the dignity of the individual as made in the image and likeness of God. Individuals and communities are graced and gifted and therefore enter the experience of formation as whole people, connected groups who contribute to the unfolding of a flourishing humanity. Sacred time: Formation provides a space for transformation, a time to exercise humility, reflection and action in an unprecedented time of ecological, political, economic and cultural change. It is space-holding by being present as a community and as individuals, and recognising connections, capabilities and differences within the unfolding Mystery of God in life. A quest for meaning: Formation addresses the ‘big’ questions: Who am I? Where have I come from? What must I do? With whom do I share the journey? Where am I going? What can I hope for? Formation disposes participants to reflection on life and one’s place within it. The search to inquire into one’s deepest self and place in creation is a quest for meaning that is integral to the completeness of self, of becoming whole.

68

3 Formation for Mission: An Ecological Model

A religious search: Formation is a process of being religious, looking to the deeper purpose in life and asking questions as to the place of self and one’s relationship with the Creator. “Religiosity, in its broadest sense, is a quest for meaning … to know, understand and experience fullness as part of the completeness of self … the task of those involved in religious formation is to facilitate the recognition of something already present, rather than attaching or integrating a religious consciousness that is external or extra” (Lucchetti-Bingemer, 2001). Life giving in nature: Formation provides an experience of encounter and growth. The invitation to encounter the Christian life is the opportunity for personal and communal growth. This is the Kingdom, life to the full as Jesus describes it: “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John, 10:10). It is the means for happiness and completeness: “I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete” (John, 15:11). It is an invitation to know more, experience more, give more, and so be more in relation to God. Invitational and inclusive: Formation is primarily invitational and grounded in participation and dialogue. It implies an openness to one’s faith other faith traditions, and world views: “the joy of the Gospel is for all people: no one can be excluded” (Evangelii Gaudium, para. 23). The Catholic school is a place where lively dialogue allows for the formation of identity in ways that are respectful of religious freedom (CCE, 2013, 2017). Signs of the times: Formation is responsive to the ‘signs of the times.’ It is undertaken in places where education is a service ‘in and for communion,’ where schools become places of formation for the individual and the community of persons who constitute it (CCE, 2007, para. 12). The documents of the CCE, particularly Educating to Intercultural Dialogue (2013) and Educating to Fraternal Humanism (2017), underscore the reality of new cultural contexts and the widening engagement and challenge for Catholic schools to be authentic and responsive to such contexts. Participant agency: Formation incorporates processes that identify participant background, entry points, abilities, needs, priorities and experiences in ways that give a ‘springboard’ to living, learning and teaching that is integrated, whole, compassionate, wise and informed by the Spirit (UNESCO, 2011). Formation processes assess experience, provide for connections among teachers and learners, learners and learners, and build transformation within the individual and the community in which the formative experience unfolds. A vocational calling: Formation facilitates the call to mission as a vocational call, lived out in the multiplicity of settings and circumstances that constitute personal, family, social and working life. It is the invitation of a Church that desires inclusiveness, a place of the Spirit where the boundaries of God’s mercy are not defined and where the people of God are seen as the primary source of a missionary impulse (Francis, 2013b, para. 119). Centred in Christ: Formation facilitates the vocational call of witnessing in word and deed (Paul VI, 1965, para. 6). The Synod of Oceania Fathers defined it as “walking His way, telling His truth and living His life” (John Paul II, 2001, para. 8). It is a call and a response that brings change, along with the promise of new life. It entails

3.5 Summation

69

experiences that shape and develop ways of being in the world: being informed, informing and being transformed. Missionary discipleship: Formation for mission is service, centred in Christ, and open to all (Francis, 2013b, para. 27). Missionary discipleship is becoming awake to the work of the Spirit within the context of one’s responsibilities, relationships, and community. Within the Catholic school It reaches into religious education, the wider curriculum, the religious dimension of the school, culture and community, and has implications in all manner of places and relationships. In practical terms, it is “what faith looks like in everyday attitudes and behaviours” (Dreyer, 1996, p. 13). More widely, it involves processes that support understanding of what is happening in the Church and in the world and to participate creatively and dialogically in the Christian faith story (Whelan, 1986, p. 9).

3.5.2 Where to from Here? The implication for formation for mission is that it continues to be renewed, not only as an experience itself, but also in its relationship within mission. This exploration of formation for mission leaves open the value of further investigation into the relationship of mission with educational practice to which formation is geared. This involves research into the mission practice relationship and its reciprocal influence on informing and advancing the theory and practice of formation for mission. Integral to this narrative will be the priority of accessible language to break open what is a complex organisational phenomenon. A second implication of formation research is premised on an understanding of transformation arising from the interaction of the formation experience with the uniqueness of the individual. To maximise this relationship; appropriate assessment of participant’ needs and the associated adjustment of the formation experience presents as important. Indices that support Catholic school formation (see Sultmann et al., 2021) warrant further application and enquiry as to their support for planning, delivery and monitoring of formation encounters in support of maximising the Zone of Transformation. A final consideration arising from this text is an examination of evidence-based responses on the formation experience from formation leaders and participants. An internal report commissioned by the NCEC (Sultmann & Lamb, 2021) provides a basis for the wider development and application of measurement instruments in identifying leader and participant perceptions of the formative experience as outlined in ‘A Framework for Formation for Mission in Catholic Education (NCEC, 2017) and the complementary resourced Leading Formation for Mission: A Practical Guide (NCEC, 2022).

70

3 Formation for Mission: An Ecological Model

3.5.3 A Final Word The experience of formation for mission facilitates discipleship for mission within a Christian tradition. The concept of one garment images the integrative nature of this discipleship expressed within and beyond the school community. One garment, being clothed in Christ (Galatians 3:26) is a call to holiness within all dimensions of living. Formation in this light is fundamental, interdependent, experiential, evolving, reflective and transformative (McVey & Poyo, 2019). This is a call to be whole, engaging a pathway of holiness informed by and nurtured in the Spirit (Francis, 2018a). We cannot take Jesus to the world if we do not know and love him. We speak so often of our work in formation as being threefold: head, heart, and hands. If we do not know about Jesus and his values and teachings (head), if we do not personally encounter him (heart), then we will not act in compassion (hands) in the way that he calls us to act. Our formation must be rich in knowledge, empowered by ongoing encounters with Jesus, and find its expression in acts of compassion. Formation for all the baptised must help us know our faith, provide opportunities for us to encounter Jesus, the one who restores hope, so that our Christianity will find expression in compassionate action (love). This biblical triumvirate (1 Cor 13:13), helps us to understand our formation emphases of head, heart, and hand, which find further expression in another trinity that should guide our efforts in formation: Truth, beauty, and goodness. These are the three things Pope Benedict insisted were at the heart of our task of evangelization—our common task. We need to be careful that the prevailing emphasis in formation on head, heart and hands does not lose sight of our greater purpose: our encounter with God in Christ. We have tended to approach formation with a heart emphasis that has over emphasised the emotions. We should not negate emotion, but formation of the heart has a higher goal: Catholic educators need a formation of the heart: they need to be led to that encounter with God in Christ which awakens their love and opens their spirits to others, so that their educational commitment becomes a consequence deriving from their faith, a faith which becomes active through love. (CCE, 2007, para. 25)

In situating the heart dimension within our formation planning we would do well to listen to Jesus’ counsel when quizzed about the greatest commandment: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Mt 22:37) Soul is inserted between the heart and the head, and the hands are referred to in the second commandment that follows: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” (Mt 22:39) Soul is the entire human person, and most particularly the innermost aspect, that which is of greatest value, that by which we are most especially in God’s image (CCC, 363). This is our greatest Truth, that we are brought into being by a God who is love; we have been willed by God. Such is the far goal of formation, one that invites ongoing reflection and integration of our deepest identity within the invitation to mission.

References

71

Shine like the stars as you hold firmly to the Word of life. (Phil 2:15,16)

References Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Congregation for Catholic Education. (2007). Educating together in Catholic schools: A shared mission between consecrated persons and the lay faithful. St Paul Publications. Congregation for Catholic Education. (2013). Educating to intercultural dialogue in Catholic schools: Living in harmony for a civilization of love [EID]. Retrieved from https://www.vatican. va/roman_curia/congregations/ccatheduc/documents/rc_con_ccatheduc_doc_20131028_dialog ointerculturale_en.html. Congregation for Catholic Education. (2017). Educating to fraternal humanism: Building a civilization of love 50 years after Populorum Progressio [EFH]. Retrieved from http://www.vat ican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccatheduc/documents/rc_con_ccatheduc_doc_20170416_ educare-umanesimo-solidale_en.html Court, D. (2010). What Happens to Children’s Faith in the Zone of Proximal Development, and What Can Religious Educators Do about It? Religious Education, 105(5), 491–503. https://doi. org/10.1080/00344087.2010.516214. Covey, S. (1989). The 7 habits of highly effective people. The Business Library. Davis, M., Sultmann, W., & Hall, D. (2018). Voices and visions: Catholic schools in conversations. La Salle Academy, ACU. Dreyer, E. (1996). Spirituality more easily found in the world than in churches. National Catholic Reporter, 9–11. Dutton, M. (2019). The contribution of short-term cross-cultural immersion to the formation of Catholic school staff (Unpublished doctoral thesis). Australian Catholic University, Sydney. Francis. (2013a). The joy of the Gospel: Evangelii Gaudium [EG]. Veritas Publications. Francis. (2013b). Address to the students of the Jesuit Schools of Italy and Albania. Retrieved from http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2013/june/documents/papafr ancesco20130607_scuole-gesuiti.html Francis. (2015). Laudato Si’: On care for our common home. Retrieved from http://www.vatican. va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si. html Francis (2016). For a culture of encounter. L’Osservatore Romano, Weekly ed. in English, n. 38, 23 September. https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/cotidie/2016/documents/papafr ancesco-cotidie_20160913_for-a-culture-of-encounter.html. Francis. (2018a). Gaudete et exsultate: Apostolic exhortation on the call to holiness in today’s world. Retrieved from http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/docume nts/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html Francis. (2018b). In N. Benazzi (Ed.), Happiness in this life: A passionate meditation on material existence and the meaning of life. Bluebird. Francis. (2021). Vatican news release world day for communications. Retrieved from http://www. vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-09 Gleeson, J., & Goldburg, P. (Eds.). (2020). Faith-based identity and curriculum in Catholic schools. Routledge. Grace, G. (2013). Catholic religious education should permeate the Catholic secondary school curriculum: An agenda for reform. International Studies in Catholic Education, 5(1), 99–109.

72

3 Formation for Mission: An Ecological Model

Hall, D., & Sultmann, W. F. (2019). Formation for mission: A systems model for advancing the formation of the religious educator within an Australian context. In M. T. Buchanan & A. M. Gellel (Eds.), Global perspectives on Catholic religious education volume II: Learning and leading in a pluralist world. Springer Press. Hall, D., Sultmann, W. F., & Townend, G. (2019). Constants in context: An exploration of conciliar and post-conciliar documents on the Catholic school. Journal of Religious Education. https://doi. org/10.1007/s40839-019-00074-6 John Paul II. (1988). Post-synodal apostolic exhortation Christifideles Laici on the vocation and the mission of the lay faithful in the church and in the world [CL]. Retrieved from http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_exhortations/documents/ hf_jp-ii_exh_30121988_christifideles-laici.html John Paul II. (2001). Ecclesia in Oceania: Post-synodal apostolic exhortation. St Paul Publications. Kelly, T. (1993). An expanding theology: Faith in a world of connections. E. J. Dwyer. Lamb, J., & Branson, C. (2015). Educational change leadership through a new zonal theory lens: Using mathematics curriculum change as the example. Policy Futures in Education, 13(8), 1010– 1026. Lane, D. A. (2015). Catholic education in the light of Vatican II and Laudato Si. Veritas. Larkins, G., Sultmann, W. F., & Lamb, J. (2022, in press). A formation journey with mentoring, supporting teaching and leading in Religious Education. Collected essays celebrating the contribution of Tom Doyle to Catholic Education. Melbourne: Catholic Education Commission Victoria. Lucchetti-Bingemer, M. C. (2001). Sacramentality and the poor. Leuven encounters in systematic theology. Sacramental presence in a postmodern context: Fundamental theological approaches. Belgium: Catholic University of Leuven. McVey, M. K., & Poyo, S. R. (2019). Preparing Catholic educators to educate and evangelise in 21st century schools, action research of an analysis of educator preparation program requirements including professional and pedagogical, relational, formational and evangelistic education for P16 students. Journal of Catholic Education, 22(2). Retrieved from http://doi.org/10.15365/joce. 2202062019 Mezirow, J. (1978). Perspective transformation. Adult Education, 28, 100–110. Moses, G., & Lizzio, J. (2011). The four pillars of stewardship. Induction of New Teachers and Pastoral Workers Seminar. Cairns, Australia: Catholic Diocese of Cairns. National Catholic Education Commission. (2000). Australian Catholic schools why we have them? What they aim to do. National Catholic Education Commission. National Catholic Education Commission. (2017). A framework for formation for mission in Catholic education. Retrieved from https://www.ncec.catholic.edu.au/images/AFramework4F ormationMission.pdf National Catholic Education Commission. (2022). Leading formation for mission: A practical guide. NCEC. Neidhart, H., & Lamb, J. (2016). Australian Catholic schools today: School identity and leadership formation. Journal of Catholic Education, 19(3), 49–65. Neuman, W. L. (2000). Social research methods: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. Allen and Bacon. Neuman, W. L. (2007). Basics of social research: Qualitative and quantitative approaches (2nd ed.). Boston: Pearson Education. O’Keeffe, S., Edwards, M., Fitzgerald, D., Gur, F., Gomez., A., Macbeth-Green, C., Mclaughlin, D., O’Donnell, M., Price, D., Rabbat, R., Restifo, V. & Smith, B. (2020). How is God calling us to be a Christ-centred church in Australia that is a joyful, hope-filled and servant community?: Continuing the journey of discernment toward the plenary council. Sydney, NSW: Plenary Council 2020. Paul VI. (1965). Declaration on the relation of the church to non-Christian religions: Nostra Aetate. Retrieved from https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vatii_decl_1965a1028_nostra-aetate_en.html

References

73

Paul VI. (1975). Evangelii Nuntiandi: Apostolic exhortation on evangelisation in the modern world [EN]. St Paul Publications. Pollefeyt, D., & Bouwens, J. (2010). Framing the identity of Catholic schools: Empirical methodology for quantitative research on the Catholic identity of an education institute. International Studies in Catholic Education, 2(2), 193–211. Priestly, M., Biesta, G. J. J., & Robinson, S. (2015). Teacher agency: An ecological approach. Bloomsbury. Rush, O. (2009). The wisdom of God. Presentation at Diocesan Synod: Diocese of Cairns, Australia. Senge, P. M. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organisation. Century Business: Random House. Kindle Edition. Shaduri, M. (2008). Principle of holography in complex adaptive systems. Kybernetes, 36(6), 732– 738. Sultmann, W. F., & Lamb, J. (2020). Learning in a formative space: A review of a framework for formation for mission in Catholic education. A confidential report to the National Catholic Education Commission. La Salle Academy, ACU. Sultmann, W. F., & Lamb, J. (2021). Confidential commissioned report on Formation for Mission Guidelines. National Catholic,. Education Commission. Sultmann, W., Larkins, G., & Lamb, J. (2021). Catholic School Formation Index: Development and application of an instrument in support of formation for mission. Practical Theology, 14(4), 337–350. https://doi.org/10.1080/1756073X.2021.1935558 UNESCO. (2011). Curriculum reform manifesto: Principles for rethinking undergraduate curricula for the 21st century. Retrieved from http://curriculumreform.org/curriculum-reform-manisfsto/. Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press (Original work published in 1934). Vygotsky, L. S. (1987). The collected works of L. S. Vygotsky. In R. W. Rieber & A. S. Carton (Eds.) (N. Minick, Trans.), The collected works of L. S. Vygotsky: Volume 1. Problems of general psychology, including the volume, thinking and speech. Springer Science & Business Media. Warren, E., & Cooper, T.,& Lamb, J., (2006). In P. Grootenboer, R. Zevenbergen, & M. Chinnappan (Eds.), Teacher Professional Development in Patterns and Algebra: Being Sensitive to a Teacher’s Zone of Proximal Development (pp. 543–550). Canberra, Australia: Westley, D. (1996). A theology of presence: The search for meaning in the American Catholic experience. Twenty-Third Publications. Whelan, M. (1986). The call to be. Homebush, N.S.W: St. Paul Publications. Wilber, K. (1997). The eye of the spirit: An integral vision for a world gone slightly mad. Shambhala.

Glossary of Terms

Construct A blueprint which names, integrates and supports an understanding and application of concepts within a field of inquiry; in this instance, formation. Ecology The construct of formation in relationship to dimensions of influence within the field. Experience The integration and application of content, practices and outcomes in support of formation for mission. Field The space, timing and environment in which formation takes place. Individual The person engaged within the experience of formation. Paradigm A way of thinking more broadly about how the construct of formation might be understood and applied. Principles The categorisation and summation of related themes within the construct of formation such as Foundations, Practices and Outcomes. Soul The integrated expression of the Body, Mind and Spirit. Themes The aggregation of concepts that support meaning and application. Transformation The integration of new learning for the individual, group and community.

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022 W. Sultmann et al., Formation for Mission in Catholic Education, SpringerBriefs in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-3770-5

75

Bibliography

Australian Episcopal Conference. (1970). The renewal of the education of faith. E. J. Dwyer. Beard, C. B. (2017). Connecting spiritual formation and adult learning theory: An examination of common principles. Christian Education Journal, 14(2), 247–269. Retrieved from http://doi.org/ 10.1177/073989131701400202 Buchanan, R. (2015). Teacher identity and agency in an era of accountability. Teachers and Teaching, 21(6), 700–719. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2015.1044329 Catechism of the Catholic Church. (1994). Homebush. St Pauls Publications. Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong. (2010). Lighting the way: Spiritual formation framework for Catholic systems and schools. Retrieved from https://www.dow.catholic.edu.au/catholiceducation/spiritual-formation/ Covey, S. (1992). Principle centred leadership. Audio collection. Simon & Schuster. Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA). (2020). Formation opportunities. Retrieved from https:// www.erea.edu.au/programs Eliot, T. S. (2021). Retrieved from: http://www.columbia.edu/itc/history/winter/w3206/edit/tselio tlittle%20gidding.html Francis. (2014a). Commentary on Evangelii Nuntiandi. Retrieved from https://www.catholicworl dreport.com/2013/12/12/the-greatest-pastoral-document-that-has-ever-been-written/ Gleeson, J., & O’Neill, M. (2020). Longitudinal study of the attitudes of pre-service teachers at an Australian Catholic University to key aspects of faith-based education: Some conundrums to ponder. In J. Gleeson & P. Goldburg (Eds.), Faith-based identity and curriculum in Catholic schools. Routledge. Green, M. (2014). New wineskins: Reimagining Australia’s Marists. International Studies in Catholic Education, 6(2), 148–163. Hall, D., Sultmann, W. F., & Townend, G. (2018). Constants in context: Conciliar and postconciliar documents on the Catholic school and their implications for mission. La Salle Academy Publications No. 2. ACU. Holy Bible. (1989). Holy Bible: New revised standard version. Harper Collins. John Paul II. (1984). Address to Catholic educators. September 12. John Paul II. (1986). Address to parents, teachers and students of the federation of institutes of education activities on the role of the Catholic school in modern society. The Pope Speaks, 30, 4. John Paul II. (1991). The vocation and the mission of the lay faithful in the church and in the modern world. Leijen, A., Pedaste, M., & Lepp, L. (2020). Teacher agency following the ecological model: How it is achieved and how it could be strengthened by different types of reflection. British Journal of Educational Studies, 68(3), 295–310. https://doi.org/10.1080/00071005.2019.1672855 Mok, M. M. C., & Moore, P. J. (2019). Teachers and self-efficacy. Educational Psychology, 39(1), 1–3. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2019.1567070 © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022 W. Sultmann et al., Formation for Mission in Catholic Education, SpringerBriefs in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-3770-5

77

78

Bibliography

Paul VI. (1989). On the vocation and the mission of the lay faithful in the church and in the world. Retrieved from http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_exhortations/doc uments/hf_jp-ii_exh_30121988_christifideles-laici.html Pollefeyt, D., & Richards, M. (2020). Catholic dialogue schools: Enhancing Catholic school identity in contemporary contexts of religious pluralisation and social and individual secularisation. Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses, 91(1), 77–113. Rohr, R. (2009). The naked now: Learning to see as the mystics see. Anthony Messenger Press. Sultmann, W. F. (2018). Cornerstone: Encountering the spirit of Christ in the Catholic school. Coventry Press. Vatican City. (2020). General directory for catechesis. Pontifical Council for promoting the new evangelisation. Retrieved from https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2020-06/ vatican-publishes-new-directory-for-catechesis.html